Exploring a Bit More of Mysore, then Journeying to Coorg:
Fri, Jan 10, 2025:
Mysore-Coorg:
We awoke after a very restful night in the quiet serenity of our Homestay on the outskirts of Mysore called ‘Gitanjali’. We heard beautiful birdsong and the rustling of trees, but apart from those soothing sounds of country life, there was nothing to disturb our sense of quiet tranquility. The rest of our group were up and seated on the wide verandah overlooking the beautiful tropical gardens filled with hibiscus flowers, jackfruit and coconut trees. It was quite idyllic indeed.
Breakfast at Gitanjali Homestay:
At 8.30 am, breakfast was laid out and ready for us. We looked forward to the meal. It was served in a sheltered machan kind of place with all sides open to the gardens. But before we quite arrived at our seats, we ran into the owners of the place, the Achiacha’s. I did not get his name, but his wife’s name is Muthu and it is his daughter, Yamuna, who runs the place. They were a very gracious couple indeed—also retired army personnel. Yamuna apologized for not being present when we arrived last night, but she had to take her cat to the vet and had to leave at short notice. We told her that our arrival went very smoothly. We spent the next few minutes chatting and taking pictures with the very gracious family who were equally delighted to meet us.
Breakfast was laid out buffet-style, when we eventually sat down to fill up. The promo material talked about South Indian and Western items and we were very pleased to find masala omlettes with toast and preserves (there was banana jam and orange marmalade plus butter, of course) and a Coorgi bean curry served with a large rice pancake that was cut up in wedges. Fresh fruit in the form of bananas and papaya were also available as well as really superb Mysore filter coffee grown on their estate. We took our time knowing that this would probably be our main meal for the day. When breakfast was done, we said our goodbyes to our hosts, took some pictures of the beautiful arches, arbors and pergolas on the property with their bowers of flowers (hibiscus, honeysuckle, etc.), got back into our van and left. We still had a couple of places in Mysore that we wanted to see before we hit the road for our long ride to Coorg.
Visiting St. Philomena’s Cathedral:
St. Philomena’s Cathedral is a Mysore landmark. It is a landmark of the Roman Catholic church, constructed in Neo-Gothic style in 1939 during the reign of Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Its style and architecture were inspired by Cologne Cathedral. It was designed by a Frenchman named Daly.
The church is named for St. Philomena, a young Greek martyr of the 4th century. The remains of a teenage girl, no older than 14, were found on May 24, 1802, in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla at the Via Salaria in Rome. On further examination and study, the remains and a vessel containing dried blood, were taken to be her holy relics. They were evidence of the fact that she had died a martyr’s death as an early Christian.
Today, the church is the main place of worship for Roman Catholics. The main nave can seat up to 800 people. But its real interest lies beneath, in the Crypt, which can be visited. Descending down into it, we found a reclining statue of St. Philomena and a further basement floor beneath us. From the Crypt, there is a narrow passageway covered in black granite plaques covered with the names of Mysore’s Catholics of old. These were either buried in the vaults that form the famous ‘Catacombs” of this Cathedral or they made donations towards the building of this imposing edifice. We walked along the Catacombs and emerged on another side—towards the back of the Cathedral. It was a very interesting experience indeed.
I remember attending Mass at this Cathedral, as a pre-teenager, when the Mass was still in Latin and still sung. In fact, the little I know of the sung Latin Mass comes from my memories of hearing Mass every day as we were resident in the classrooms in the same compound as the church. Hence, we could hear the proceedings of every Mass.
Visiting St. Mary’s School:
I was keen to visit the premises of the adjoining St. Mary’s School that is in the same compound as the Cathedral. The reason is that this venue is strongly tied to memories of my stay in Mysore with my family for a whole month in the late 1960s—I was probably no more than 10 or 11 years of age. My father had hired a classroom for our use with bathrooms and toilets adjoining it for our exclusive use for the entire month of May. I have very happy memories of that month when we made friends with other families that lived nearby—the Devrajs, for example, and one Anglo-Indian family from Georgetown, Madras, that had hired another classroom. The young Devraj boy, Josephat, and the children from the Anglo-Indian family, were my friends and companions during that month and it had been great fun.
I wanted to take some pictures of those classrooms and so we made our way to the bank of low buildings. One of them was clearly a new construction, but at the back, past the empty office of a Principal, I saw the classroom we had occupied and the set of bathrooms (now under lock and key) that had been available for our use. It was an extremely nostalgic visit for me and I have to say that I felt quite emotional as I recalled the happy times with my parents, my younger brothers and my cousin, Bonnie, who had accompanied us on that trip and spent the entire month with us (while she was a college undergrad at St. Xavier’s College in Bombay). I took the pictures I wanted, wandered around the premises and, about ten minutes later, we were ready to move on.
Visiting the Home of Indo-English Writer, R.K. Narayan:
RK Narayan (1906-2001) has a special place in the hearts of most Indians. He belongs to the generation of earliest Indian Writers in English (the other two are Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao) who gained the attention of overseas and indigenous audiences. Although the many novels and collections of short stories he wrote were known to readers, it was when his book, ‘Malgudi Days’, an anthology of short stories, were adapted for television and were shown weekly through Indian Doordarshan, that he literally became a household name. Everyone fell in love with his little protagonist, Swamy, who like any little boy from a quiet, mofussil settlement in India (Mysore was definitely the inspiration for the setting) had his fair share of adventures as he got into mischief with his neighbors and friends. As a young teenager, growing up in Bombay, I remember sitting down with my entire family to watch ‘Malgudi Days’ on TV. The stories were beautifully adapted, well directed and superbly acted.
Through the various rooms of Narayan’s home—that he occupied, lived in and wrote most of his books in—now converted into a museum, we were given a complete insight into the life and work of this extraordinary man who came from very ordinary roots, but by sheer lard work and a bit of luck (he was introduced to some of the biggest literary stalwarts of the time such as Graham Greene who promoted his work and found him a Western publisher), became a highly regarded Indian writer.
As we moved from one room to the next, we learned so much about his family, his marriage, his wife and daughter, his early jobs, his first forays into writing and publishing, his reception in the rest of the world and the accolades that came pouring in as he grew older. It was a wonderful capsule of Narayan’s work, the walls covered with framed quotations from his novels and his own pronouncements. In the main living room, we saw the sofa and the desk at which he worked. In another room, there were his clothes—jackets, coats, sweaters, shirts. In yet another room, his spectacles, watch and cufflinks, reposed in a glass case. Framed on the walls also were many photographs depicting him with other eminent international writers. There were first editions of his books in many languages There were colored still photographs from the shooting of ‘Malgudi Days’—the TV series. The kitchen is intact, although empty. There is a wide curving staircase that leads to the upper storey where there are more rooms filled with information about and memorabilia from Narayan’s life and work—his utter distress and depression when his beloved wife died very young leaving him to raise his daughter. In later years, it was this daughter and his grand-daughter who worked very hard to preserve the house and make it a museum. Refurbishing it and making it capable of receiving visitors was a mammoth task that was supervised by his own family members.We are very fortunate to have this lovely relic of Indo-English Literature preserved in this backwater of Mysore. Yes, fans of his work do visit occasionally but when we were there, there was only one other family that were touring the premises. I kept thinking of my visit, several years ago, to Oxford, Mississippi, in the USA, when I’d had the privilege of visiting the home of the American writer, William Faulkner. Narayan was deeply influenced by Faulkner, particularly in the shape of Faulkner’s creation of a fictional setting he called Yoknapatawpha County. Narayan hit upon the idea of creating his fictional Malgudi from the work of Faulkner. I was very pleased to have visited both these homes—that connected two really diverse writers—in my own lifetime.
It took us more than an hour to cover the home at leisure. One can easily spend an entire morning here as there is much to be read in every room. As time was of the essence for our party, we left after taking a few pictures, got into our van and made our way to Mysore.
Journey to Coorg:
The road journey from Mysore to Coorg takes about 5-6 hours, depending on traffic. We did not have much and I thoroughly enjoyed leaving the urbanity of Karnataka behind (although Mysore is a model city and I could gladly have spent more time there) and entering the rural greenness of the state. The highway is well delineated and maintained and the journey in our spacious van was very comfortable. As we’d had a big breakfast, we stopped at Café Coffee Day where Chriselle and AJ treated us to refreshments of our choice—some had tea, others coffee, yet others more exotic milk shakes. Mine was a chocolate hazelnut milk shake that was to-die-for. It was large and very filling and was a meal in itself. I was very happy at my choice of shake as it easily saw me through the long ride into Coorg.
First Impressions of Coorg and Visit to a Coffee Plantation:
Coorg is a small district in the state of Karnataka that lies at the very southern end of the range of mountains called the Western Ghats. From colonial times, it has been known for its coffee plantations as it provides the perfect climate and terrain conditions for its cultivation. Coffee bushes need cool temperatures, well-drained soil and the shade of other trees to prevent them from receiving the direct rays of the sun. Coorg provides that perfect combination of conditions.
We knew we had arrived in Coorg once we started to drive along narrower lanes flanked on both sides by low bushes. At that time, I did not recognize these are coffee plants. But, about half an hour into our entry into Coorg, our driver Ravi stopped at a plantation called Nisty Coffee Plantation which offered tours of the plantation and the coffee processing plant that was on the same premises. For an entry fee of Rs. 200 per head, we were presented with a tour guide—a young man who took us through the plantation and pointed out several trees to us.
A Tour of Nisty Coffee Plantation:
Coffee is not the only cash crop grown on the Nisty Plantation. During our tour, which had about 15 participants in it, we discovered that a variety of spices and condiments are also grown on the same lands. We saw cinnamon trees and fresh pepper trees and received a great deal of information about their growth and use. Walking through the coffee plantation, we saw loads of berries on the trees. These ranged in color from pale pink to black. Our guide explained that they are all handpicked when they are very dark in color.
A little later, we walked in single file downhill to arrive at a small structure which served as the coffee-processing plant. Berries are laid out on the ground in direct sunlight for several days to dehydrate them and allow them to turn black. The outer skin is then peeled and the twin berries within are extracted. These are roasted gently so as not to burn them, before they go into the pulverizing machine where they are ground into coffee dust. We received a great deal of information on gradations of coffee beans, the blends that have chicory added to them to bulk them out (adding chicory lowers the quality of the coffee and makes it much cheaper). We learned why certain coffees cost as much as they do (they are superior varieties such as those sold in Starbucks or other upscale coffee shops) and why Nescafe, which processes instant coffee, is able to sell its products so cheaply. The end result of the tour was that I will never be shocked at the price of coffee at Starbucks again. I now know why it costs as much as it does.
At the end of the tour, we were led into the shop—a vast space covered with shelves in which all manner of spices, coffees, dried fruits, chocolate and candy were on sale. I bought the famous Coorg Pandi Masala which is used to make Coorg Pandi Pork (at the request of two of my friends). I also bought a typical souring agent, similar to tamarind or kokum, that is used to make this typical curry. In addition, I bought whole anise (as I have never found it in Bombay) as well as whole nutmeg as these were lacking in my spice rack. Overall, I enjoyed our shopping expedition at the end of the tour. We were ready to get back in the van and move on.
A Short Visit to Mercara and the Raja Seat Gardens:
A short drive then took us to Mercara (now renamed Madikeri, as all Anglecized place names in the South of India are being returned to their native pronunciation). This is the capital of Coorg and it is really just one main road with shops on both sides of it. Our driver parked his van and dropped us off at a well-known garden that slopes down to the valley. It is called Raja Seat Gardens and is supposed to have been set by one of the colonial administrators to enjoy the panoramic vista of mountains spread out before him.
On entering the Raja Seat Gardens, we found a number of animal sculptures dotted around. These would probably be quite amusing to children. There were also bowers covered with flowers and well-tended flower-beds filled with late seasonal roses. At the end of the walk were a number of seats that overlooked the mountains and a series of stairs that led down to a lookout point which offered some fine photo ops. Other than these aspects, there was little of interest in Mercara.
Once out of the garden, we walked along the street, passing by shops filled with spices and coffee. Our idea was to find a restaurant to have an early dinner (as we had not eten lunch), but we found out that none of the places served before 7.00 pm. Hence, instead of hanging around Mercara, we decided to drive off and get to our accommodation for the night early. Perhaps we could order dinner in as it appeared that our accommodation was an hour’s drive from Mercara in a place called Polibettu.
Arrival at our next Homestay—Victory House:
As expected, our drive to our accommodation took us an hour. Along the route, we passed nothing but mile after mile of coffee plantations that we could easily recognize after our very enlightening and instructive plantation tour. When we did get to our spot, we found it to be in the middle of a plantation (indeed we had expected this too). Dusk was falling swiftly over Coorg when our van entered the driveway premises of the plantation. We found the proprietor, Brigadier Ponnappa seated on his porch, awaiting our arrival, and rather startled to find that we had arrived in a 12-seater van (being that we were only six persons).
Our first impression of Victory House was of a gorgeous Victorian home, such as you see on Martha’s Vineyard in the USA or in the suburbs of the UK. It had the fabled gables of such homes, a very wide wraparound porch, two storeys with windows that opened on to the gardens. In other words, we had hit the jackpot in terms of a place to spend the next two nights and we were delighted.
We soon introduced ourselves to the Ponnappas—the Brigadier and his wife, Kaveri—the latter turned out to be a charming lady who actually runs the place. She sat us down in the huge living-cum-dining room that was simply filled with carved teak furniture and brass and glass antiques. After introducing ourselves and our places of origin, we talked to her about obtaining a menu so that we could order some dinner—we told her we had not eaten lunch and were famished. As she does not supply meals (except breakfast), all she could do was direct us to a restaurant that she said was run by Suresh, one of her relatives. We discussed the possibilities of menu items and chose the famous Pandi Pork as well as the Roast Pork—as pork is quite a specialty of Coorg.
In the meanwhile, Kaveri showed us up to our rooms. Luckily, there was a room on the ground floor and Blossom and Menaka were quick to bag it as Blossom has difficulty climbing up and down stairs. Upstairs, we (Llew and I) and Chriselle and AJ, occupied two other rooms, each en suite (with its own bath attached). The rooms were beautifully decorated and yet cozy and comforting and looked very welcome indeed. As the place contains just three en suite bedrooms that are given out to visitors and since we occupied all three rooms within our party, we had the whole place to ourselves.
Right outside the upstairs rooms, there was a little lobby area (a mini living room, I suppose), where we settled down for a glass of wine and other nibbles while we awaited the arrival of our dinner that we had ordered on the phone. When it did arrive, we went down the stairs to the Dining area. Kaveri provided us with plates and other necessities, water, glasses, etc. and we sat down to enjoy our first taste of the legendary Pandi Pork of which everyone had talked before our departure. It was quite good and had a sourish taste to it—the result of the special souring agent that grows only in this region. We’d also ordered a vegetable dish and with the typical rice rotis of the area, it made a filling meal.
It had been a long day as we’d made our way from Mysore to Coorg and taken in a lot of items of interest along the way. Little wonder we were all rather exhausted and ready to go to bed as soon as we finished dinner.
We looked forward to a very restful next day as the hectic pace of our travels was proving to be a bit much for Chriselle.
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