THE MUNNAR SOJOURN... (An account of a team outing to Munnar(Kerela))

Time spins its wheel endlessly and hence weaves a beautiful collage of moments adorned with droplets of happiness and grief. This time the E2EAO team acted thieves and got into the den of Time; stole those precious gems of a two day trip to Munnar a hill station in the district of Idukki (Kerala). Situated at a distance of approximately 721 kms from Chennai; the place boasts of a treasure trove of lovely locales and a vast expanse of tea plantations. We hired a bus and started from Chennai on Friday Dec 05, 2008 at around 11 PM finally reaching the borders of God’s own Country at around 3:30 PM. The serpentine roads hugging the mountains were a tremendous sight. The ride was getting better with every passing milestone, with greenery everywhere, hairpin curves and the snow-white mists blanketing the hills.

We reached Munnar at around 7 PM and lodged at a hotel about 6 kms away from the heart of the city. Before dinner a bonfire was arranged wherein the team members danced their hearts out giving way to their zeal and excitement. Next morning, some of us went for a short walk in the vicinity of the lodge. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful and was adorned by the sound of hidden brooks reverberating in the background. We spotted a church atop a hill and climbed up. On reaching the last step, we turned around and saw the beautiful spectacle created by the Almighty Himself. It seemed as if the Hand had just brushed past the landscape and had created a lively picture with vivid colors. We sat there awe-struck wishing the time to stand still.

After having our breakfast we moved on to see the tea plantations and then for steam boating at the Matupatty Dam. The beauty of the place seemed infinite especially through the eyes of a person sitting in the steam boat! The waters of the reservoir and the expanse of the greenery around us seemed to engulf us in its greatness. The next stop on our itinerary was the Echo point. Here, as a mark of true team spirit, we all shouted out together; "TATA!!!" The echo came back and has left a haunting memory ever since! After that the team proceeded for lunch and a short trip to the nearby rivulet. Some of the members enjoyed a game of volleyball; a perfect example of team bonding whereas some preferred to sit and enjoy the bounties of Mother Nature while sitting over the stones in the tranquil rivulet. One is forced to wonder as to whether these were the kind of salubrious places that inspired Rabindra Nath Tagore or William Wordsworth to write paeans of praise for Mother Nature. As Time seemed to fly away with swift wings; we had to move on. Hence the team proceeded for a short shopping spree at the nearby market famous for its home made chocolates and tea. After stuffing ourselves with dinner we headed on our trip back home.

A small whistle gang that was formed in the team made sure that we felicitated the team and the trip with all the energy possible by blowing the whistles every now and then! The return journey was even more spectacular. The moon was encircled by a thin halo of clouds. As the moonlight fell over the tea plants, their leaves shone and shimmered. The city lights glittered in all their glamour like small diamonds tucked in the kitty of the humongous mountains. It was difficult to get one’s eyes off the scene. But fatigue had its way and the very next morning we opened our eyes in Trichy where we took a short break. We reached Chennai on Dec 8, at around 6 PM.

So all the thieves have now got back to work with a glimmer in their eyes and a memory in their dreams of the sleepy plantation town; the city situated on the confluence of three rivers; the city so close to the heart of Mother Nature! This sojourn has etched an indelible mark on our hearts and shall be remembered for years to come.