High in the Estate

It is now nearly nine years since we moved to Mysore after living in Madras/Chennai for 40 years. What is really gratifying is the continued association with friends from Chennai, especially Rotarians, and the affection they show towards me and my wife Kamala. So, it was no surprise to receive an invitation from Rtn.R.N.Veerappan and Ann Olagi to visit them over the weekend at their estate in Pandalur near Gudalur on the Western Ghats. We are really happy that we accepted because it turned about to be an excellent holiday beyond anything we had imagined.

Since Gudalur is around 100 Kms from Mysore and Pandalur is another 25 Kms away, we decided to drive down. Starting early on Saturday the 11^th, we could reach Gudalur by 10 AM. I had dreaded the notoriously bad stretch of road from Mysore to Gundlupet but we were in for a pleasant surprise driving on the newly laid 4 lane highway. Things were not so fine for a while after Gundlupet but not for too long. We were then in reserve forest range of Bandipur which slowed down our speed considerably because of the countless speed breakers. But it was very pleasant driving through the forest though very disturbing to see the ravages caused by the recent forest fires. Deer and Langur monkeys roamed around freely, unmindful of people driving by. We crossed the Karnataka border and entered Mudumalai forest reserve in Tamilnadu which was very similar to Bandipur. Though we reached Gudalur fairly early, a wrong turn made us reach Pandalur nearly half an hour late. Veerappan was waiting patiently at the Petrol Bunk and we trailed his jeep to his Thangamalai Estate in quick time.

Veerappan has over 100 Acres of plantation almost fully covered with tea and coffee plants. Since the elevation is 3500 ft., it is possible to grow coffee. The estate is surrounded by two estates of Parry Agro, Mangorange and Athikunna each covering over 2500 Acres. Each estate has its own Tea processing factory which makes it convenient for Veerappan to supply his produce without any difficulty. It also makes it easier for him because Parry Agro’s major shareholders are his relatives. After a delicious lunch and a short nap, we were ready to go round the estate. Estate manager Kuruvila got us sticks to negotiate the slopes and up we went. The neatly laid out Tea plants with trees in between present a very pretty picture and it was a very pleasant climb up. We saw cardamom, areca and clove trees planted here and there along with some coffee plants. Soon we came upon a tunnel dug in the hills which we were told was used for Gold mining! They used to extract Gold from the hills and gave up after the yields stopped justifying the labour put in. Veerappan said that there is still some Gold in there. No wonder the estate is called Tangamalai(Hill of Gold) estate!. Kuruvila showed us spots where a wild elephant had trampled some trees and plants in its foray for food the previous night. Wild animals keep roaming around in estates during nights because of reduction in their natural habitat. Veerappan said that they could not safely keep live stock or dogs because of the wild animals. We got back to the estate house all ready for the scotch treat that Veerappan had set up for the evening.

The day-after turned out to be a memorable one. We went to a 400 year old Krishna temple belonging to the Maharaja of Nilambur set in sylvan surroundings. We then set out to the Pandalur club which was holding its annual Tennis tournament. Executives from estates around and far away had gathered for a day of fun and frolic. Club tennis players of varying ages with their ladies who seemed to step out of the pages of fashion magazines displayed bonhomie creating a lovely picnic atmosphere. Non-stop supply of eatables and drinks helped a great deal in building up a joyful atmosphere. Then there was a sumptuous spread of lunch in the club house built by the British which we were tempted to take in, despite all the snacks and drinks already imbibed. It was around 4.30 PM by the time we got back to the estate with feelings of drowsiness and lethargy. Not ready for any more food and drinks, we sat around chatting and enjoying the sunset and the cool weather.

When day broke, it was time to pack up and go, after thoroughly enjoying the wonderful atmosphere and the great hospitality of Olagi and Veerappan, wishing that there were more such memorable diversions in our lives.

Many, many thanks Olagi and Veerappan!