The Kodai Moment

Shrouded in a misty history lies an enchanting hill retreat where flowers and berries grow wild, sheep graze free, forests rise tall and dark, and waterfalls create sweet music. Kodaikanal, with its old churches and residences, lakes and dales, and a certain old-world vibe, is the balm your city soul so ardently desires.

- Satarupa Paul

If the hill stations in India were a deck of cards, Kodaikanal would be their Queen of Hearts. To revel in her indelible charm is to play your game with patience. For Her Majesty truly ever reveals her full glory to the most deserving, and only after you’ve passed the litmus tests she sets forth.

For me, that meant sitting through a three-hour-long dangerously turbulent flight, feeling my heart plummet into the pit of my stomach with each dip. My delight at disembarking unscathed into the cool evening air of a cloudy Coimbatore was short-lived as I boarded a cab for a tedious, five-hour-long drive ahead. The straight, wide road of the plains soon gave way to a barely two-lane road that seemed to get thinner as we climbed higher up the hills. Swaying coconut palm groves were abruptly replaced by thick deciduous forests, which in turn were taken over by whispering tall eucalyptus and mighty pines.

Night came upon us fast and thick, the town of Palani twinkled far below, the glow of its many lights keeping us company for a bit. Then the car took a few turns and the road ahead plunged into complete darkness, even as we caressed the many dangerous curves and sharp hairpin bends carved onto the face of the mountain. Kodaikanal, or Kodai as she’s lovingly called, had already retired to bed by the time we finally made it to her court; barring a couple of shops, the streets lay deserted. I arrived tired and dazed at my abode for the next three nights. I wasn’t sure if I had passed the Queen’s tests, but tonight was not for counting my wins and losses. Tonight was for the beginning of my surrender.

The Narrow Winding Road To The Past