Mir and Mar go to India: Day 13

We leave the heat of Madurai, with conflicting emotions. The last two days have been an onslaught of noise, smells and dust, leaving a sense that this is an exhausting city to live in. The constant traffic, the slow moving crowds, the livestock in the streets, and above all, the oppressive heat, leave me grateful to be heading for the cooler climes of the mountains.

However, it also feels like this is the manic, chaotic and charismatic India I had hoped for. It is truly astonishing how pleased people are to see us. They are not just accepting of foreigners, or merely welcoming of us; they proactively engage and chat; want photos taken with us, ask our names and where we are from….white people remain such a rarity in most of the places we’ve visited that we are a novelty, a curiosity and a source of fascination. We’ve lost count of the times we have been asked to pose for photos with local people, both adults and children (and given her height, long blond hair and fair skin, Celine has been particularly sought after in this regard. When she’s not available they accept Mir and Mar as a very second rate alternative!) Every second person waves or waggles their head, and few fail to smile and touch their heart when we lock eyes.

This innate inclusivity is so at odds with the current ‘anti immigration’ collective in Ireland, and the similarly fueled Brexit campaign that I am both in awe of it and also distrusting of it. Can a country as diverse as India (spiritually, culturally, socially) really be inclusive and welcoming of all? (ill wrote later on gender divisions and misogyny).

We drive through a verdant valley, surrounded by the western Ghat mountain range, with acres of tamarind and neem trees (the latter apparently having very bitter leaves) interspersed with small villages and ploughed fields. Occasionally we see women working in fields, at too great a distance to determine their exact tasks but they certainly have no shelter, and the sun is beating down. There are small numbers of cattle to be seen too, but no large herds here. We cross a number of railway tacks, trains being an important and well used infrastructure in India.

This valley receives very little rain and so has a long history of drought, until a British engineer https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Pennycuick_(British_engineer)

built a dam to provide irrigation to the area. In typical Indian style however, the water supply is not straightforward. Owned and operated by the State of Tamil Nadu, the dam is actually located in Kerala, because the rain falls on the western side of the Ghats. Although access to the dam and its water has never been denied by the Keralan state, Tamil politicians are apparently increasingly nervous about the potential for water to be withheld in the event of a change in leadership, and so negotiations remain ongoing.

The engineer, Pennycuick, is regarded as having fundamentally changed the life trajectories of local residents, and shrines have been built to him, such is their respect for his work.

Leaving the ‘lower camp’ of the valley, we begin to climb treacherous roads with sharp bends and steep drops. We wend our way to the village of Kumily, and over the course of the next few hours, we visit a spice plantation 2000 metres above sea level, stroll through the shopping area, and  take a cruise on Periyar lake where we observe elephants, bison and cormorants. Sadly no tigers to be seen – you really need to come at nighttime for that we are advised by one of the tour guides (whose neice is nursing somewhere in Ireland!).

I love gardening but I know I’m a novice, yet I recognised many of the plants and flowers growing here: Geraniums, basil, mint, nasturtium, begonia….there are so many spices and herbs, all of which smell divine: cardamom, ginger, coffee, curry leaves, turmeric, cloves, chillies…… these and many more are found in this three acre oasis and our guide TIntu explains in detail how to properly utilise them through sun or oven drying, splitting, peeling, rolling, grating….. there is only one type of peppercorn, but it can produce black, white, green or red pepper, depending on the processing taken.

Rain fell heavily on several occasions whilst we were in the spice plantation but it didn’t deter us from continuing to embrace the time, taste and atmosphere of this amazing space.