CHASING THE MONSOON

FROM MUNNAR TO KOCHI AND ONWARDS TO WAYANAD, MAKING THE MOST OF KERALA'S WET SEASON

- Anurag Mallick & Priya Ganapathy

Green is the colour of life, renewal, energy and nature. Of all the myriad hues, it is the most soothing colour to the human eye. And no place offers a meditative calm with a magical healing touch as Kerala in the rains. As the southwest monsoon sweeps up the Western Ghats and across the country, it drenches the vegetation, cloaking it in unimaginable shades of green. According to Ayurveda, it is the best season for replenishment and rejuvenation for nature and man. Flying into Kochi, the rivers ran full, the waters turbid and olive, snaking through dense jade tapestry. Everywhere, a magical world of upside-down landscapes was reflected in streams, backwaters and puddles. In the open grounds, enthusiastic youngsters played football, unmindful of the slush and tumbles. Dove-grey clouds loomed over the hills and rumbled their delicate sound of thunder. What better place to start our monsoon sojourn than the highlands of Munnar? Fed by recent rains, the waterfalls en route—Cheeyaparra, Vallara and Kallar—roared as gushing torrents. Munnar, named after the ‘moonu aaru’ or three rivers that meet here, is a busy town and we slipped past Signal Point and disappearing phone networks to the vast open tea estates of Devikulam.

At Lockhart Bungalow, a three-room British tea plantation bungalow wrapped by a pristine lawn, 1,500 acres seemed a large enough tract to lose oneself in.

Colonial-era drawings of local flora and avifauna lined the walls. It felt a lot like home, for the only mealtime discussion was about what the next meal would be.