Yercaud & The Misty Mountains!

The sun has already gone down , but , it is still brighter because of twilight.

The hotel boy has just placed a cup of hot brewing coffee with crispy hot Chilli-Vada.

A perfect combo to savor at the onset of a chilly evening. A little foggy around , distant hills are not clearly visible, mostly wrapped up in the misty clouds since morning.

Melting into the smell of fresh-made coffee, Charu took off her glasses to have a deep-sip.

She is a frequent traveler owing to Survey work she has been doing since last 20 years. This is not the first time she is vising Yercaud, a small hill-town, near Salem, perched in the Shevaroy Hills in the northern part of Tamil Nadu.

Unlike other hill stations she has to visit for her survey work across South India , Yercaud is the most preferred one for Charu because of its close proximity w.r.t. the city she stays and much lesser crowd as compared to other hill stations in Eastern Ghat Range which top the preference list of the tourists. GRT hotels is her first preference for stay , because of its spectacular hill facing view and the delicious food. Needless to say, this time, is no exception for Charu as far as her stay is concerned.

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Darkness becomes darker. Because of upcoming festive season of Christmas, they have decorated the hotel lawn very well.
Last time , lights were much less along the lawn just in front of their dining hall. Charu's eyes are glued to the distant small lights of Salem city , glowing so bright and clearly visible even from an altitude of 1500 Meters from the sea level.
Cool breeze blowing through her short trimmed hair, Charu tries to pull her jacket to feel a little more comfortable.

Hello Mrs. Murthy, Amit here. Charu looked back.

An old colleague of Charu and her husband , they used to visit him quite often while posted in Mumbai.

It has been almost a year and half since Charu met him. Really time flies!
Amit has been talkative as usual, his topic of discussion touched down all the details of Mumbai office, including its current status, office politics, his proposed transfer & etc.

"Mrs Murthy, with specs, you look like a teacher, not a surveyor", Amit chuckles.

It is obvious, while in Mumbai, Charu did not have specs, even the last time when she met him on a different occasion.

All the while, Amit has not changed much except some extra pounds, which is quite evident in our current sedentary lifestyle, Charu nodded her head convincingly. But the change is somewhere and it is huge!  Charu tries to swallow the lump in her throat.

They are calling for Bonfire , Charu quickly picks up a tissue paper from the table and starts following the crowd.

It is Friday afternoon, business as usual. but with a weekend flavor.
Charu is just soaking up in the Sun after a late shower. Official part of the trip is over as she has submitted the reports
to the District Coordinator Office and done for the day.

'De-stress' is the key to this place, even if Charu comes here on an official assignment.
A laid-back atmosphere prevails everywhere, just hanging out around the lake in a wintry evening.

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Vast stretches of lush green panorama, continuous hide and seek of the misty clouds and a soothing cup of lemon tea take her back to the old days, when they came here for honeymoon for the first time.
Charu and Vivek. Two love-birds in the office.

From that time on, they used to come here at least once a year, even more , not less.

"Charu - you look ravishing in this Blue jacket. Much better than your favorite Black one" , Vivek concludes.
He comes closure and put his arm around Charu gently. The sparkles in his eyes has bowled her over already.

But what intrigues Charu is the spontaneous connection she could establish with him from the very first interaction. 

Vivek can rightly guess what might be brewing at the secret corner of her heart , which she has never revealed to anyone, neither to her mom. And this has, probably, been the trigger, for Charu, for an unconditional emotional submission to this thirty plus gentleman , she met as a colleague. Strikingly, it was Charu and not Vivek who gave the proposal.

No relation is perfect and so is true for them. Charu has no hesitation or inhibition admitting this today!.
Vivek has handled it all and very delicately with her.

When they got married, both of their income might not be substantial enough to propel them through financially easy-going life while staying in a city like Mumbai. Because of low-budget tourist spot, Vivek , probably, decided Yercaud instead of Ooty or Kodaikanal , among other tourist hotspot. for their Honeymoon. He used to start his day sharp at 5 am and travel around 2 Hrs. to reach his office at Chembur. Charu's office was close by and which is why Vivek took moderate rent in 1 BHK flat there. He was confidant , that he could manage travelling long hours somehow.

He has never been so demanding for Charu. She feels herself to be so lucky!
Be it , continuing her job post marriage, in spite of initial financial hardship or going for family planning even after two successive miscarriage, Vivek just let it happen the way it came. Charu strongly believes in this liberty , economic or mental , should be there for each and every women today! The husband plays a key role to this, Charu feels it every moment!

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"Ma'am the car is ready - you can go near the main gate" - breaks her trail of thoughts.
It was a call from the hotel reception. She could not even realize it has been almost one hour she is sitting in the hotel lawn post lunch. She put her jacket on and swooped down towards the car spot.

 

Charu has a plan today to go across to Loop Road , 32 km stretch , looping around Yercaud lake, winding through the Shevaroy Hills. One of the best hill drives ever for both Charu and Vivek, in the cozy embrace of the misty mountains covered by Eucalyptus and Silver Oak trees.

"Just out of the world!" - was spontaneous reaction from Vivek first time & every time they were here together.

Vivek has been absolutely passionate about the photography. Last time, their car got a major breakdown somewhere on the way.
They were reasonably delayed as Cauvery Peak Caffe was about to close for the day.

Vivek didn't mind, he was in no hurry at all.
Known for his passion for photography, he happily moved out of the car and started clicking the mind blowing view of nature, on the lap of this mountain terrain and of course Charu, 'More beautiful ever than the misty mountain! - used to be Vivek's favorite phrase! .

" Charu - say cheese " - Vivek flashed the camera light flashing his radiant smile. This used to happen multiple times a day, at regular intervals , at different key break-points.

 

Kalliyur Falls, cascading Shervaroyan Hill Range in the Eastern Ghats, Raja's seat, a scenic hilltop overlook. Vivek lost the hotel room-key here last time. A local boy helped them to find it. Vivek took a snap with him which is preciously stored in Charu's mobile .

She was scrolling down all the pics saved in her mobile Vivek shot last year.

No sight seeing used to be complete for Vivek unless he could visit Sweet Rascal , an eating outlet located at 5 Lovers Lane , a perfect hangout for the love birds Vivek and Charu to enjoy lip-smacking local dishes , specially 'Octopas' , a special preparation of sea-food , in a budget without burning their pockets ! Vivek being a hard-core non vegetarian , this place had been a gastronomic paradise for him ! , aroma of freshly prepared Egg Dosa with Chicken Curry was Vivek's one of the favorite items,.

More to this , what used to amaze Vivek has been its quirky ambience which adds up to an extra zeal, Vivek never wanted to give it a miss!

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  The car is moving ahead along the hilly road.

Traffic is moderate, might be because of off-season, that too being a week day.

But the memory is so intense , flashing back everything to Charu's mind , so vividly, much brighter than the camera-light!
The same mountain range, the same drive, the same road , the same hotel, everything remains unchanged but Vivek!

It has almost been a year Vivek died in a tragic car accident.

Today is 15th marriage anniversary of Charu & Vivek!

What can be a better place for her to spend the time with his memory in each and every passing moment here, amidst the hills. In each caress of cool breeze , Vivek is there forever! 

The night looks so glamourous now. Clear sky, decked up with a thousand of Diyas . After all it is their Anniversary Day!
" Charu - say cheese " - Vivek has flashed on the camera light , flashing his signature smile from a distant star, being thousands miles away.

Charu looks up, engrossed, tears trickle down her cheeks, she is not alone but with his memories to relive!

The End!

(Based on my memorable trip to Yercaud, a quaint hilly town in Tamilnadu , way back in December, 2020 . The story is  weaved out of my imagination . The charming experiences of the place have been real but not the storyline 😊