Ponavaaram at Pichavaram

The choice of Pichavaram as a destination for the good ‘old’ childhood friends could not have gone better-an excursion for children of yesteryears!

The gang of twelve dwindled to ‘ten to the dozen’-the Dasavadars all decked up for the muchawaited outing converged on a sunny Saturday at “Commander’s” place to surprise him with a cake on his birthday. Alas! None of them at his home seem to be surprised-in fact he and his family were waiting for us with piping hot vadas and kheer, and we were bowled over! The next few minutes saw us breaking the sound barrier, shaking the ground off of the otherwise peaceful neighborhood and leaving back his bewildered granddaughter. With the child in us fully awaken; we were off to an experience of week-end togetherness….

I need to mention about this small group-all ‘lost and found’ childhood friends of nearly half a century-each and every one carved a niche for himself in his profession be it in Indian Navy, Railways, FMCG multinational, or as a Banker, Entrepreneur or as  Freelancing consultants. Enthusiasm at its peak bubbling from one and all, we were looking forward to the weekend!!It was hard to believe that 5 hours had gone in a jiffy when we reached the destination!All the time,we were catching up from where we left forty years back!

Pichavaram is a small fishing hamlet engulfed with thick plantations-one of the world’s largest mangrove jungles.It is spread over one thousand hectares and joins the Bay of Bengal, where it’s separated by a lengthy sand bank .It forms a barricade in saving the land from the fury of the mighty sea. A much sought after picnic spot and a haven for film shootings.Most of the rooms in the modest Resort were booked for our group by KNS.A sumptuous lunch after a long drive will bring what!!?? A deep slumber-right? Nay…it was not!!All of us padded up for the next innings. We were vying to take the first boat available to ride on the back waters.

Despite the serpentine queue our turn came soon and we climbed on the huge boat.After donning the safety vest we were convinced that we were sailors too-a challenge to our commander!

As the boat waded through the water our boatman kept telling us about the place.It seems around 4000 small canals and over 50 small and big islands dotted all over.Astonishing! The small canals are sun-flecked tunnels of roots and branches, some hanging so low that there’s hardly any room to pass through. Except for the faint murmur of the motor and the swish of paddles of the rowed boats,studded with the sound of birds and roar of the sea in the distance, all was silent and still.

We could sight various kinds of birds perched on the dense trees waiting for their prey in the water that was rich with shrimps, fish, prawn, crabs-a delicacy for the predator.We could see vast areas covered by fishing nets and tens of small fishing boats of the local fishermen.

We were told that students and scientists from across India come to study the mangrove forest and its incredible biodiversity.

One other uniqueness of the trees,we are told is,that the trees grow in water as the sea’s tides bring salt water in and out twice a day, changing the salinity. Hence, the trees have unique root systems, with membranes that only allow fresh water to enter.They also have breathing roots that grow up from the water, with pores that can take in oxygen.Enough of Botany(?) class😁We strolled on the wooden bridge in one of the islands before getting back to the shore.It was a satisfying ride in a pleasant weather. The rest of the evening was spent in high ‘ spirited ‘ chats, dinner and a good night’s sleep.

The early morning view from the terrace with the sun peeping out in the horizon and the boats in the back waters engulfed in the fog,distant hooting of train engine and the chillness in the breeze was a different feel.

It was time for us to wrap up from the Resort and proceed on to Chidambaram-the abode of Lord Parameswaran in the cosmic form of Nataraja.A temple adored by both Saivites and Vaishnavites (as it is one of the “Divya skhethram”).Everything about this temple is unique-the performance of poojas is not bound by the “agama sasthras”, it was directly founded by Patanjali Muni,the priests-known as Dikshitars are believed to be the descendents of those brought by the Muni from Kailash-the abode of Lord Shiva. The carvings in the temple display all about the NatyaSastra.These formed the base for “Bharatanatyam”, a classical Indian dance founded by Bharata Muni.

To this day, commemorating MahaSivarathiri, Natyanjali dance festival is held at the temple. It is a dance artiste’s dream, to perform in front of the ‘Thilai Ambalathan”. This shrine is one of the five elemental Lingas-“akasam”-the mystic secret of the universe. We visited the actual place where Patanjali Muni performed his yagna, which later came to be known as Adhi ThilainathanKovil. After a heart contents darshan of the temples we were home bound.

Each one of us thanked each other for having made the two day outing a reality. Chewing the cud of the pleasantness of the whole trip, we returned to the mundane world, with a vow to gather more alumni of 1971-77 batch and get ourselves rejuvenated off and on.

Till I lace up for the next…

J.Ram