The routine for us most years during this time of the year is to visit our old village and the old temple to give our respects and pray for our health and happiness!
It is an amazing experience especially the beautiful drive over serene mountains in the background and frequent stops to eat and buy stuff and repeat!
Then the music connected to the car stereo and occasional fight over the choice of song to play!
Since our visit is not predictable, even our trip to our village is not predictable! We simply decide one fine day that we would go the next day and that is that!
Since it is a small place we would always get some hotel to stay though it may not be a grand one or new but the staying part is just a small part of the whole trip!
Sometimes there would also be some function and then the whole trip and the stay would be a done deal! I still remember how we had gone for our periappa’s 80th birthday celebrations!
In any case a visit to any place near our village would warrant a visit to our Chittur Bhagavathy temple!
It is an old building which would always be under repair! We would be giving donation every year but still some constructions will be always be happening!
The moment we reach anywhere near the village my father’s memory cells would get activated and his stories about every prominent part of the town we cross would start! Though most stories would be old, occasionally we would get some new stories!
Some places he would say, it is the same and those would never change while some he would say; it is just the same! This would never change!
He would visit the temple and tell everyone how he is from the very same village! Then we would visit his old house and take a snap for the umpteenth time!
The old doctor’s house or the old village school (Shalai!) or the old banyan tree! All would be seen and snapped and remembered nostalgically!
A visit to our favourite place to eat our Puttu and kadala curry is of course a must after the temple visit!
Then we would rush to the famous Kalpathy temple street ! Not for the temple only but for the tasty treats! The chips of banana or jackfruit or tapioca! Not to forget the pickles and the powders and the special sweets! The car would be full and the CHETA would give some fresh and hot BANANA chips which we would gobble with relish! And order a couple of extra packets!
The return journey would be so slow but steady with a steady intake of the accumulated treats and SNAPS in between with a silent promise to return again the next year with the same team and stories!
Stories of course reminds me of M K Shyamalan!
A blog written after 12 hours of driving!
Now thats is a memory! The leg pain though is not that pleasant!
Well deserved rest waiting for me!
Shub ratri…
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