Nilgiri – Nature’s Palette (Sept 2021)

Spontaneous journeys throw up spontaneous charms. I have been to Ooty a few times, once even by that quaint heritage railway that chugs, hoots and heaves leisurely for six hours from Mettupalayam and serves up rectangular frames of pine-scented meadows. A road that snakes alongside for the most part will reach you there in just under two hours. So the railway has become a relic for selfie-hunters.

On this visit, I drove to Ooty through Mysore road, most of it dug up for upgradation almost all the way from Bangalore to Mysore, but after Nanjangud, a verdant canopy welcomes you. Gundulpet gives you a hint of what lies ahead and you cruise pleasantly into Bandipur, the sanctuary of the majestic striped cats. The last few times I drove on this road, I had spotted a mother bear with a cub perched on her back leisurely crossing the road, a couple of gaur, many elephants and a few peacocks as well. The road, a smooth ribbon of black silk, runs through Bandipur National Park on the Karnataka side and effortlessly glides into Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu replete with elephants nonchalantly chomping on bamboo and branches as we gawk and click. At 30 km per hour, the permitted speed limit inside the reserve, there’s ample opportunity to get good shots of the pachyderms. Once you exit Mudumalai, you drive through fetching Masinagudi up the winding roads to Ooty. We stayed at a very British Coonoor Club. On the way back, we drove through lonely stretches of Sathyamangalam forests, once the hideout of the fearsome smuggler Veerappan. Lush and dense, the forest hid its denizens effectively.