It was
started off as just another Whatsapp group, but fortunately it ended up as something
which materialized into a get-together. With couple of months of planning lead by our
very own planning commision head, Mr. S, a trip to Ooty, worked out for the long weekend
clubbed with Labor Day.
The agenda
was clear: A visit to our alma mater, a drive through the valleys of Ooty, and
an overnight stay, and then the return day after - and yes, celebrating Mr. A’s
homecoming as well. The plan looked simple, but the eagerness towards it wasn’t
such. It had been a long time ever since the whole of Troublers (yes!
that’s the name of our group), had sat down together, and talked like there wasn’t
an end to the world. And The Trip was surely going to be a mark up for that.
For me, it
happened to be a rush through with missing out on the first day to The Trip. So
after the hiccups with the month end closure and between the hurried heartbeats
decrypting the excitement into smiles, I boarded the train to Coimbatore. The journey
to the alma mater is always one filled with excitement of visiting the campus
again, where the two years of molding one’s character and grit has been a
prominent factor of all our lives. It was always a much-awaited event. And
finally, when I managed to reach the campus where the mountains smiled and the
clouds whispered the songs of endearment, the feeling in the heart was speechless.
That night was halted for those who were waiting my arrival with the angels of
sleep, but the insomniac in me wasn’t at peace. Thus, it ended up being a night
long discussion with Mr. H about life, its complexities and subtleties, of how
ego overtakes the precious times of life, and we come to realize it only after
time has long past. The clock struck 4am, and honestly, it was due time to let
a husband go to sleep!The Elephant Mountains
The Gear Shift Marathon
Ooty didn’t
welcome us totally with peace, though. Announcing to us, that we are not the sole
group of people having the time of our lives for a brief weekend, we were met
with a multiple mile-long grid block along the uphill towards Ooty town. So several
half-clutch accelerations and multiple gear shifts later, we reached our destination
(in co ordinance with the lady on the maps app) at 5:30 pm – just 5 hours later
to the ETA. This left space for just a quick lunch (the new word for a lunch
before sunset is still under process!!), and the much needed rest for the
chauffeurs (no pun intended) of the trip! The absolute lack of a tour plan helped
in no spoiling of our moods for the evening!Schumacher’s and Rossi’s
The sun was
to set in Ooty as per usual IST and fortunately we didn’t leave that fact out
of our minds. So before wild ideas of a quick nap crept into any of our minds,
we headed off to explore the town amidst the stranded vehicles and the tourist
horse-riders. We started walking towards the town, where the breeze was calm; with
the sight of mountains and greenery around us. The first stop was at the nearest
go-kart arena (an impromptu discovery), and it ended up being a fun-filled
event, with many of us proving to be Schumacher’s and Rossi’s, who didn’t ride in
the circuits for the mere luck of others. While the sun set itself for the day,
we bid a restless adieu to the arena. Post the rides and photos, the Troublers
were onto the hunt for the most cherished and desired spot in this country as
of now – the ATMs. Yeah, we wanted to calculate the ATM-to-tourists ratio, but
we didn’t want to depress ourselves, yet! The hunt eventually made us walk several
miles until we discovered one far into the town. We were short listing places
of worship (food, of course), chocolates and shopping for the evening, all
along the walk.
When the
adrenaline began to subside, we decided to go ahead with dinner plans, and after
an economic raid of the nearby hotel for takeaways, we headed our way back. En
route, Mr. S along with our own Gulabi Gang took a ride back to the hotel. The
couples, and myself, took the walk back, to enjoy the 16 deg C climate of Ooty!
And I must confess the walk was mesmerizing. The chill on your skin, the sweetness
of the night, all of it was a complete package.
The Night was still Young
With all
the delicacies spread across the table, and the grand feast welcoming us, we began
feeding our tummies and our minds. The music was always on in the background, and
one by one while the dishes were being finished, the topics of discussion were
growing. For a single night, we started the round-table talks of everyone’s
lives. It’s not every day that we all come together under one roof, with such
good food around and with such company together. So the talks varied from one topic
to another, with gripping topics on life - relationships, mishaps, comedies,
and what not! For all I can remember, by the time we were saying good-night, it
was 4am!The Conclusion (not so Epic)
The early morning visited again, and it was
time to bid goodbye to the beautiful city of Ooty. It was quite a time
constrained journey downhill, so we didn’t waste too much of time. All Sergeants
of Employers Inc. had to report back to work the next day! The ride back wasn’t
so troublesome, as we took a different route back and didn’t get stuck in the mad
rush of other tourists. After several
miles and songs from the beloved singers of Troublers, the ride had its own
magic. The only break in between was just for the delayed breakfast from the
highway, 20 miles before reaching Coimbatore. Subsequently, the drop off for
our beloved Gulabi Gang was met as per schedule, as they boarded their journey
back to reality.
The Riders Conclusion
Yes, the
part-2 of the conclusion is unavoidable, because the rest of the ride was not less
important. The roads were almost empty, and it was a pleasure to ride through
the NH-544 for seeing the development of the roads along these years will make
any driver happy! With just a pit-stop for fresh cups of tea and coffee, we drove
back. The rain gods finally did shower their blessings on us, or rather too
much of blessings, as we were met with heavy rains on our way back. We just
thanked them for not blessing us while we were at Ooty, and continued slowly.
The ride back, finally lead us reaching safe and sound to Mr. H’s humble abode.
Like the
ever-gripping statement, “itne paise mein itna hi milta hai”, we were all happily drop back to reality. It is when trips like these happen, there is a change
from the normalcy of life, and a detour from conquering the daily challenges of
work-life too. But as Mr. A said, we are fortunate, that even after three years
of graduating, we are still able to maintain it. May the Force be with us!
P.S: For the absent members of the Troublers – The K&K
Guys, The US-Wali-Mummy, The Dancing Diva, The Road Runner, The Miss India &
The Food-Photographer, you all were dearly missed. All these moments, would
have been so fun if the frames included you all too.
So better
pack your bags and mark your attendance for the next one on the calendar!
Until then,
Keep Smiling! J
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