Meditation makes better riders
A story of most of my bike rides, in approximate sequence
Sub Title: Meditation makes better riders.
Approx distance: 85km
Companions: Classmate Vijayavel
Target destination: somewhere near the virgin rain forests of Siruvani.
Highlights: Really learnt to explore areas and my first ride into reserve forests.
Pictures taken: No
Route: Coimbatore Avinashi road – Ukkadam - Perur – Kovai Kondattam Theme Park - Right turn in a fork with prominent display boards – Head straight for 5km. The road is tar-topped but not devoid of small irregularities and is not smooth. Watch for the odd potholes at night. Very little traffic and public transport.
The bigger picture: Just the day after my first long ride, I was tempted to wander and explore. I didn’t rely on maps, but on words and approximate directions by neighbours. I had a liking for rides through green covered areas. But I just didn’t feel like doing it alone and hence had to coax my friend Vijayavel into it. Having been bitten by some Meditation bug, he agreed only for Eesha Dyanalingam. It is a meditation centre located on the outer periphery of Siruvani reserved rainforests.
The ride to Dyanalingam was beset with lot of stops for ‘directions’ from local folks. Some knew and responded, while the rest was constructed from the puzzles my friend recollected and threw at me in the form of water channels and coconut trees. And finally, the water channel data helped in confirming that we were headed to the right place. A portion of a decent road suddenly descended like in a subway to a coarsely-placed mini-speed breakers about 100 in number. This is actually not to reduce the speed of vehicles, but to allow water during heavy rains to cross the road and not inflict much damage on the roads. A ride on this will jar all the bones, if taken at over 25kmph [for road vehicles].
A brief stop to enjoy the greenery in the scorching sun really excited me with the fact that I am having a ‘pit-stop’ right within the confines of a reserved forest. But having less time on hands, we rushed to the destination only to encounter severe off-road track, laid by trucks carry construction material. After a bumpy ride of about 2km we reached a serene, but overcrowded parking lot only to be comforted by a ‘Welcome’ board.
A shoe-keeper deprived us of the services of my shoe and had to walk bare-footed on thorny surface to reach the Dyanalingam meditation complex. A board read ‘Please don’t talk or make noise’. My friend gesticulated me to a hemispherical dome-like structure and put his finger on his lips to signal ‘don’t speak, just move’. I helped myself into the dome-hall and was awe-struck by the silence and serenity of the place. The sound of my footsteps reverberated throughout the hall and I had to tip-toe myself to one of the numerous cave-like structures to meditate. This is a must-visit place for meditation fanatics.
I simply loved the juice shop which served thick Orange juice, healthy Sukku-coffee and some other age-old food varieties eaten by the Sadhus and Rishis of yesteryears. The environment was green and there is a small hill to be trekked.
The journey back home was not very comfortable as I had to negotiate regular traffic on re-entry coupled with some back discomfort. This magnified even small bumps on the roads. Not to mention fellow road users who have scant regard for bikers returning from a long trip [but how they know that we‘ve been on a longer-than-usual trip?].
My hunger for more rides grew in intensity, limited only by finance, time and company. I ultimately did conquer all these factors. But not simultaneously, thereby leaving me with half-satisfied trips and half-aborted plans. Ultimately, my lust for bike trips into deep and dense jungles with loads of time on my side to enjoy every bit of the spectacle with enough money to cover my expenses never materialized till today. Or is it just my unquenchable desire for more?
Quote: Does Tamil Nadu’s Super Star Rajini Kanth dialogue in his movie Padaiappa hold good in my scenario? ‘Adigamma asa padara aambalayaum, adigamma kova padara pombalaiyum, nalla vazhthatha saritiramae illa’ [English: There is no history of men with excess desire and women with excess anger having lived a fulfilling life].
Sub Title: Meditation makes better riders.
Approx distance: 85km
Companions: Classmate Vijayavel
Target destination: somewhere near the virgin rain forests of Siruvani.
Highlights: Really learnt to explore areas and my first ride into reserve forests.
Pictures taken: No
Route: Coimbatore Avinashi road – Ukkadam - Perur – Kovai Kondattam Theme Park - Right turn in a fork with prominent display boards – Head straight for 5km. The road is tar-topped but not devoid of small irregularities and is not smooth. Watch for the odd potholes at night. Very little traffic and public transport.
The bigger picture: Just the day after my first long ride, I was tempted to wander and explore. I didn’t rely on maps, but on words and approximate directions by neighbours. I had a liking for rides through green covered areas. But I just didn’t feel like doing it alone and hence had to coax my friend Vijayavel into it. Having been bitten by some Meditation bug, he agreed only for Eesha Dyanalingam. It is a meditation centre located on the outer periphery of Siruvani reserved rainforests.
The ride to Dyanalingam was beset with lot of stops for ‘directions’ from local folks. Some knew and responded, while the rest was constructed from the puzzles my friend recollected and threw at me in the form of water channels and coconut trees. And finally, the water channel data helped in confirming that we were headed to the right place. A portion of a decent road suddenly descended like in a subway to a coarsely-placed mini-speed breakers about 100 in number. This is actually not to reduce the speed of vehicles, but to allow water during heavy rains to cross the road and not inflict much damage on the roads. A ride on this will jar all the bones, if taken at over 25kmph [for road vehicles].
A brief stop to enjoy the greenery in the scorching sun really excited me with the fact that I am having a ‘pit-stop’ right within the confines of a reserved forest. But having less time on hands, we rushed to the destination only to encounter severe off-road track, laid by trucks carry construction material. After a bumpy ride of about 2km we reached a serene, but overcrowded parking lot only to be comforted by a ‘Welcome’ board.
A shoe-keeper deprived us of the services of my shoe and had to walk bare-footed on thorny surface to reach the Dyanalingam meditation complex. A board read ‘Please don’t talk or make noise’. My friend gesticulated me to a hemispherical dome-like structure and put his finger on his lips to signal ‘don’t speak, just move’. I helped myself into the dome-hall and was awe-struck by the silence and serenity of the place. The sound of my footsteps reverberated throughout the hall and I had to tip-toe myself to one of the numerous cave-like structures to meditate. This is a must-visit place for meditation fanatics.
I simply loved the juice shop which served thick Orange juice, healthy Sukku-coffee and some other age-old food varieties eaten by the Sadhus and Rishis of yesteryears. The environment was green and there is a small hill to be trekked.
The journey back home was not very comfortable as I had to negotiate regular traffic on re-entry coupled with some back discomfort. This magnified even small bumps on the roads. Not to mention fellow road users who have scant regard for bikers returning from a long trip [but how they know that we‘ve been on a longer-than-usual trip?].
My hunger for more rides grew in intensity, limited only by finance, time and company. I ultimately did conquer all these factors. But not simultaneously, thereby leaving me with half-satisfied trips and half-aborted plans. Ultimately, my lust for bike trips into deep and dense jungles with loads of time on my side to enjoy every bit of the spectacle with enough money to cover my expenses never materialized till today. Or is it just my unquenchable desire for more?
Quote: Does Tamil Nadu’s Super Star Rajini Kanth dialogue in his movie Padaiappa hold good in my scenario? ‘Adigamma asa padara aambalayaum, adigamma kova padara pombalaiyum, nalla vazhthatha saritiramae illa’ [English: There is no history of men with excess desire and women with excess anger having lived a fulfilling life].
posted by Prathap at
9:14 PM
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