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Kodaikonal Diary

  • Travelling with an infant is a challenge.  This is a gross understatement of work involved.  We did this time with the little one and it was quite an effort.  The checklist you have, to ensure that you carry all the required stuff for the infant, is longer than the Sriharikota rocket launch!! We had to carry a whole lot of things starting from home-made infant food, utensils, medicines, diapers and water.  Yes, we carried 6 bottles of water as the better half believes that water is root-cause of all infant illnesses. Actually, it is true.  Change of water for infants leads to all sort of problems. 

  • One thing which I wanted to write in this blog is about a departmental store we visited on the way to Kodaikonal.  Its called Shri Kannan Departmental Store and its situated on the bye-pass road. What really surprised me is the size of this departmental store?  Huge! I haven't seen any department store in Chennai like that.  I am wondering why none of the entrepreneurs in Chennai has looked at this option of building a stand-alone store like this at places like Porur or Poonamallee or Tirunindravur or Koovathur etc., I am sure definitely there would be patronage provided there are sufficient car parking lots. 
  • My surprise with Kannan Department store didn't end there.  After reaching Kodaikonal, I was emptying the snacks which we bought in Madurai and realised that this Kannan Departmental store is not only in Madurai but also have branches in Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Karur and so on.  Truly interesting!! Not sure, if all the stores of this size but this is one successfull entrepreneurship story in this trip.  

  • I don't know what really excites us when we get to see a celebrity.  But there is definitely something when we see a popular person face to face.  They don't have to be of "Paris Hilton" heritage to raise your curiosity levels but even an Otteri Nari would do! You will understand what I mean little later.  I love observing people (ok, at times, it is called by different name!) and if it is a celebrity, it is all the more exciting.  We had our quota during this trip starting from the Chennai airport.  It started with Kushboo at the Chennai airport, the Home Minister, P Chidambaram and his entire family inside the plane.  We also had Actor Dhamu (Otteri Nari in Gilli film) and Carnatic Singer Nithyasree Mahadevan travel with us on the plane to Madurai.  The elder one was so excited with Dhamu and he wanted to talk to him.  So when we landed at Madurai, we gave him a piece of paper and asked him to get his autograph.  Dhamu was very kind and he didn't throw any tantrums! 

  • Sterling Lakeview resorts was the place where we stayed.   Its been recently renovated and still the work is going on in few cottages.  This is just opposite to the Lake but away from the usual crowd and traffic.  As the resort has been build on the ridges of the sloping hill, you end up walking up and down all the time.  Going out for lunch and coming back to your room itself is a good exercise by itself! The cottages were new and nicely done and honestly I didn't expect these standards from Sterling!! We have to see how long they would be able to maintain it considering the fact that they have a not-so-great reputation.  I was told new management has taken over Sterling Holiday Resorts and they have brought in professional facility management services.  

  • The entire operational staff of Sterling Holiday Resorts in Kodaikonal is comfortable speaking in one language, yes, it is Hindi with a strong Bengali accent.  Bengalis all the way at Sterling Kodaikonal, starting from Parth as the Chef, Biplav as the Housekeeping Manager and so on.  The Resort Manager is a Alok Pardhi and the Reception in-charge is a Sardar.  Hardly anybody can speak Tamil at Sterling, Kodaikonal!! But I think it serves them good for all the North-India folks who come to Kodaikonal.  For all the three days we were there, there were truckloads of Northies.  The evening programs at the resort are hijacked by these fun-loving Northies who don't mind shaking a leg or singing a song.  The Southies sit back and watch in amazement!!

  • The places we covered are the usual tourist spots but made sure that we don't stay out of our rooms for not more than 3 hours at a stretch.  The most enjoyable time was when I cycled around the Kodai lake.  The entire stretch is 5.5 kms and I did twice in about 30 minutes.  

  • We also visited the Kurunji Andavar temple and learnt about the history of the temple.  The temple was built 75 years ago by an European Lady, Lalitha, who married a Srilankan Tamil, Ramanathan Chettiar.  She became a devotee of Lord Muruga of Palani and while she lived in Kodaikonal she would go to a particular spot everyday to catch glimpse of the Palani Murugan Temple.  Kind of Gopura Darishnam.  One day, Lord Murugan came in her dream and asked her to build a temple in Kodaikonal and hence we have the Kurunji Andavar temple. Since the temple was built in the year Kurunji flower bloomed, it was named so. FYI, the next kurunji flower blooming is in 2018.  

  • I think we took a risk by going on this vacation with a 7 month old infant but thank God, we managed to reach home safely and in decent health.  Except for the little one, who caught some cold, the trip was overall without any major challenges.  Not sure, when we would be able to venture out next but till then this trip would remain as a reminder of the effort involved in travelling with a little one!!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very good post!

Regards,
Vinay.

Venkysdiary said...

@Vinay, thanks!!

தக்குடு said...

ஆக மொத்தம் கொடைகானல் டிரிப் நார்த் இண்டியா ட்ரிப் ஆயிடுத்து!னு சொல்லுங்கோ!! :)) குஷ்பு கிட்ட கையெழுத்து எதுவும் வாங்கலையா?? :)

Venkysdiary said...

@தக்குடு: குஷ்பூவை சுற்றி எப்போபோழுதும் போல ஒரே கூட்டம். அதனால், கையெழத்து வாங்கவில்லை. தூரத்தில் இருந்தே தரிசனம் செய்தோம்! எந்த போஸ்டை கொஞ்சம் அப்டேட் செய்து உள்ளேன். இவ்வளவு ஹிந்தி என் வாழ்க்கையுள் கேட்டதே இல்லை!!

Anonymous said...

சார், குஷ்பூ ஜன்னல் வெச்ச ஜாக்கெட் போட்டிருந்தாங்களா, இல்ல கை இல்லாத ரவிக்கை போட்டிருந்தாங்களா! நீங்க நல்லா பாத்தீங்களா சார்

Venkysdiary said...

@Anonymous: அவங்க சல்வார் கம்மீஸ் போட்டுருந்தாங்க!?

Anonymous said...

நன்றி சார், குஷ்பூவ பத்தி கிளுகிளுப்பா ஒரு போஸ்ட் போடுங்க..படிப்போம்

Anonymous said...

7 month old infant பேரு என்னனு நீங்க சொல்லவே இல்லையே? குழந்தைக்கு பேரு வச்சுட்டேளோன்னோ?

Anonymous said...

Congrats Sir. Your sight meter has crossed 20,000 and expecting some nice post about ur diwali or any diwali films.

Regards,
Vinay.

Venkysdiary said...

@Vinay, thank you so much. I am happy to know that the blog has got 20K hits.. am yet to watch any of the Diwali movies. But will post soon.

King Vishy said...

Nice to read, Venky!

Kannan Dept Stores - Quite popular in Coimbatore, and there's one in Pollachi also.. They are quite old actually.. I look at them as non-Chennai's answer to Saravana Stores :D

"fun-loving Northies who don't mind shaking a leg or singing a song. The Southies sit back and watch in amazement!!" --> I have observed this a lot everywhere I have been. Dance / Drama / Music is a part of regular life in the North. While the South does have a very strong heritage and tradition in the arts, urban areas don't seem to 'remember' them.

(BTW - thinking again - saettu ponnungala sight adichadha than apdi 'watch in amazement' nu solli irukkeengalo? ;D )

Venkysdiary said...

@King Vishy,
Kannan Departmental stores is a great revelation. It goes on to prove that you dont need to be in a city to think big and be successful.

சார், நான் ஏதோ போகிற போக்கில எழுதுனினத நீங்க இவ்வளவு உள் அர்த்தத்தோட பாக்கறிங்களே!! இது தான் கோவை குசும்பா!!!