Trip to Amaravathi

If it was not for Muruganand’s marriage, I wouldn’t have dreamt of this break. It was a long and a wonderful weekend that started after I switched off my cell phone when the train started rolling from Egmore at 10:00 PM on 27-May. After a brief discussion with Shakthi on the prospects of IT in Coimbatore, we fell asleep. The train took a longer route via Trichy ->Karur --> Erode -->Thirupur --> Coimbatore, 4 hours more than Nilgiris or Cheran Express and I preferred this, as it is way to be cut-off from the contacts for more time. I snatched the additional pillow from the lower berth and thanks to the passenger who didn’t turn-up and also to the TTR who couldn’t find a replacement till Thirupur, where we got down at 8:30 AM on 28-May. Sivaraj was there to receive us and we started to Udumalpet after a long argument with Kandan Karunai who wanted us to come to Pollachi and Karthi who insisted that we should come to Coimbatore. The priority is always Udumalpet because of its proximity to Amaravathi, were we spent all our formative years in a little-bit of education and a lot of pranks (Extra-Curricular and Co-Curricular Activities!).

By the time we reached Udumalpet, Kandan, Karthi and Maya arrived. We went to the Lion’s Club Marriage hall for lunch, and then met Muruganand of Tamilnadu, the groom and Roumya of Jarkhand, the bride. It is a Love & Arranged marriage and as per the stats, 80% of Amravians fall into this category because of varied reasons that I would post later. After lunch, we started to Amaravathi with the aroma of nostalgia over-powering our senses. Though all of us have lost interest in alcohol, we bought a couple of beers and whiskeys, sensing that there would be a need while sitting in the steps of the Canal or the Dam. The highlight of the journey was how Kandan narrated the way he promised his mom that he would become a pilot and would pick her-up from their house in Pollachi and drop her back after a round over Pollachi.

On reaching Amaravathi, RS, who was one of our English Teachers, stopped his bike after recognizing us while we were taking a snap of the board in front of the Academic Block.

Then, we went to the Obstacle Court and only Karthi was able to perform most of monkey plays, as he is still a monkey while most of us have turned into elephants.

As it is vacation period, most of the staff members were not there and the campus seemed deserted except for the painters, masons and carpenters who were busy with the maintenance activities that are usually done during the vacation period. The other important thing we noticed was that the name “Boy’s Mess” (as if there are girls in the campus) has been changed to “Sainik School, Cadet’s Mess” (as if, it exists outside the campus).

After seeing all the houses, we went to the canal that runs through the path lined with Eucalyptus trees on either sides, leading to Kallapuram, which used to be our running route for the morning PT. As sensed, we finished the beers and whiskey on the steps of the Canal while Karthi and Shakthi busied themselves in catching a lone fish.

The bottles got empty and it was the right time go to the Dam, so that we will be able enjoy its beauty in a state of ecstasy. As like other dams in Tamilnadu, Amaravathi Dam was constructed during Kamaraj’s reign and it stretches between the two hills that stand like the firm and heavy boobs of river Amaravathi. There is Crocodile form and the Indra Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary spreads around this river.

We met PC, our physical chemistry teacher, who intentionally talked about the political scenario of Tamilnadu rather than the political scenario of the school in which we would be more interested.

The day ended with more Amravians, Beers and Whiskeys!