It was an ordinary or, rather, a sombre afternoon at work.  So, I walked over to one of my friend’s desk for a quick chat.  As conversation picked up, another friend of mine stopped by to hand over a wedding invitation of his sister.  A typical expression of happiness followed and, after a brief banter with all that were involved in the conversation, I flipped through the invitation card looking for the venue information.  I was excited!  The venue was located at one of the most delightful settings around the tip of peninsular India.  You should have, probably, already guessed the location.  Yes! It’s Kanyakumari, a venue that has long been on my travel bucket list.  Within minutes, my friends and I chalked out an abstract schedule for the travel.  With all the excitement, I weaved my way back to work.

UNFOLDING OF A MEMORABLE JOURNEY:

There was a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort prevailed all through the day at work, expect winding up an hour early.  Firstly, it was a Friday.  So, the ability to diligently perform professional responsibilities took the back seat.  Secondly, there was very little time to get back home.  It was a beehive of activity with picking up the necessary things and packing the travel bags. That’s a frenzied feeling! Third, it was a classic tale of helter-skelter dash to the railway station wading through city roads choked with traffic.  A special instruction to the auto driver being ‘Anna, konjam vegama pongo’ (brother, please drive faster), in the hopes of boarding the train on time! The immediate response took me by surprise ‘Nalla pudichiko Sir’ (hold tight sir).

The ride was comparable to that of a roller coaster! A 45 minutes ride to the railway station was filled with excitement and anticipation that I reach on time! Barely minutes before boarding the train did I manage to reach the station! I felt a heave of relief for reaching just in time.

As the train chugged out of the station, my friends and I settled on respective seats/berths.  For logistical reasons, we were on separate compartments.  So, it was a case of hostility around me with fellow passengers trying to make eye contact and begin absurd conversation.  As an introverted individual, I tend to render disapproval towards any such phenomenon.  Fortunately, it was a night travel.  The next morning, it was a slew of fascinating landscapes of rural Tamil Nadu the train was passing through.  At a town named Aralvaimozhi is the Muppandal wind farm – the largest in Asia.  It is well known for greatest source of wind energy in Asia.  These wind farms are used to supply electricity to the villages in the vicinity.

A journey of about 14 hours culminated and we were quickly off to the wedding venue conveying wishes to the couple, and rushed back to our hotel room.  As my friends took a short nap, I was thinking about making spellbinding photographs of the places we are to visit.  Later that evening, we took the ferry ride to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial – a popular tourist monument.  Did I say tourist spot?  Well, yes.  For people that see it as a mere monument, it indeed, is a tourist spot.  However, there’s much more to anyone that have the perception of experiencing the spiritual reverberations.

It was built in 1970 in honour of Swami Vivekananda who is said to have attained enlightenment on the rock.  Enlightenment refers to the action or state of attaining or having attained spiritual knowledge or insight.  In other words, its the awareness which frees a person from the cycle of rebirth.  According to local legends, it was on this rock that Goddess Kumari performed austerity.  A meditation hall known as Dhyana Mandapam is attached to the memorial for visitors to meditate.  The memorial consists of two main structures, the Vivekananda Mandapam and the Shripada Mandapam.  Other attractions include the colossal 133 feet high Thiruvalluvar statue constructed using blocks of granite.  At the time of our visit, access to the site was closed.

CAPTURING VISUALS: PERSPECTIVES OF A TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHER

As a photographer, I pay a lot of attention towards making my photographs.  Yes, photographs are made.  Not just clicked.  Before I compose any shot, it’s the perspective that I look for.  Only if I feel satisfied that the photograph will look great, do I ever bother to hit the shutter button on the camera.  This skill of visualization is an essential attribute that defines the art of photography.  After a brief location scouting, I found an interesting field of view for capturing stunning time-lapse sequences.  A time-lapse is a photographic technique of capturing a sequence of frames at set intervals of time to record any phenomenon that takes place slowly over time.  When these frames are played at normal speed, the action seems much faster.  Examples include moving clouds, sunrise/sunset, crowded streets and many more.  It’s pivotal to have a plan in place for the time-lapse sequences involve near-complicated calculations and settings often subjected to longer recording duration.  I spent about 45 minutes at the memorial capturing the time-lapse and took the last ferry for the day to return shore.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_AnYHAlOB/

A SLICE OF HISTORY AND FAITH:

Situated at the shore of what’s known as the tip of peninsular India where the country concludes its boundaries and major water bodies of the planet meet – the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian sea is a 3000 year old Hindu temple.  Dedicated to Goddess Kumari Amman, the Bhagavathy Amman Temple is the first Durga temple created by Lord Parasurama and is one of the 108 Sakthi Peethas.  After the darshan, we hired a tuk-tuk to reach the sunset point.  The large boulders along the sea shore, the tranquil waters of the sea hitting the boulders, and dark clouds looming all over was very serene.  Though we missed experiencing sunset, I was happy with the photographic opportunities the dark ambience provided.

 

SUNRISE AND MONSOON MAGIC:

The next morning, I was ecstatic about seeing the phenomenon of sunrise.  Carrying all my photographic equipment, my friends and I strolled over to the sunset view point.  It was barely a few meters away from the hotel we were put up.  As the first light of the day emerged, the dark clouds came calling again obstructing a clear view of the sunrise, much to the disappointment of tens and hundreds of people that had gathered at the view point.  While we were expecting to capture sunrise in its glorious beauty, nature had other plans! The dark had the entire coast look magical!  It was an opportunity not to be missed.  The lighting was near-brilliant and the ambience had all the necessary elements for a spectacular time-lapse sequence.  Within no time, I set my camera up for capturing the stunning landscapes the nature had to offer.  About two hours of  immense patience paid off with incredible sequences.

Here’s a spectacular time-lapse sequence! Plug-in your ear phones and get mesmerized!

Resources:

HOW TO REACH?

• By Air: The nearest airport is Trivandrum (aka Thiruvananthapuram) and is about 90 km from Kanyakumari.  Typically, cabs can be hired for about INR 3000 (per cab).
• By Train: The nearest rail head is Nagercoil and is about 20 km from Kanyakumari.  Sveral government buses are operated between Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.  A mere INR 20 is all it takes to reach the destination.
• By Road: Kanyakumari is well connected to major cities in Southern India and a road trip is a fantastic experience.  There are plenty of luxury and semi-luxury buses operated from Chennai.

ACCOMMODATION:

There’s no shortage of hotel accommodation.  A friend of mine, a resident of Kanyakumari, personally suggested Hotel Ocean Heritage.  Within walking distance of major tourist attractions, the facilities offered by the hotel were hygienic.  I would recommend this Hotel to all my readers and anyone planning to visit Kanyakumari.

EAT OUTS:

If you are visiting during off season, make sure to dine at the smaller or several road side eateries for they offer food with fresh ingredients.  Through a word of mouth, I have learnt that it’s a standard practice to refrigerate food due to lower turnout of visitors.

SHOPPING:

The locals set up stalls selling handicraft products crafted using Bamboo and wood.  Other items include decorative articles made from sea shells.

BEST TIME TO VISIT:

It depends what type of weather you want to experience.  To experience monsoon, visit from July to September.  The best time is from November to March.  The skies are clearer and the views of sunrise and sunset are phenomenal.  Plan your travel during full moon days.

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