Kumara Parvata Trek - The Human Angle (25th - 27th March 2010)

KUMARA PARVATA TREK – THE HUMAN ANGLE

Location: Girigadde
Altitude:   868 m
Latitude:      12°39'40"N
Longitude:   75°41'15"E

It was around 2:30 p.m. that we lunched after refreshing ourselves by a cold water bath. The householders treated me like one of their family and served lunch for me together with all of them. Plantain leaves were spread on the floor and a 1.5 inch tall wooden plank about a foot and a half long and about a foot wide was provided for us to sit. Two varieties of rice were cooked – half boiled type (called locally as Kusablu Akki, which is semi polished) and the polished rice variety. I chose to taste the former and did in fact enjoy it. Adequate quantity of rice was served with French beans sambar. I found the cooking very tasty. Later we were served rice with curds which we relished with pickles. Thus after a sumptuous lunch, we rested at around 3:00 p.m.

The household (Bhattara Mane at Girigadde) is managed very efficiently by the elder brother Sri Mahalinga Bhat who is 52 years old (as of 2010). He is six to seven years younger than me, but having been wedded at 21 years, he has four children and about four or five grandchildren. He has not studied beyond high-school but is very worldly-wise and street-smart. He spoke to me of his younger days when he had led a nomadic life traveling from one town to another, working in restaurants for short periods just enough to earn money that would enable him to move to a different town. In this way he had worked at various jobs in different towns in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra and Karnataka. (Below: Mahalinga Bhat)

MAHALINGA BHAT

At a particular time in his life he came to settle down at Girigadde and to manage its affairs. He talks easily and befriends people and has a rustic sense of humour. His knowledge of various stories from Indian mythology is quite vast and uses it to pepper his conversation. It appears he is the second brother and has an elder brother and two younger brothers. One of the younger brothers works as a cook at the Subramanya Temple and looks after the affairs of the family at Subramanya. He is married and has children. The other younger brother Sri Narayana Bhatta (44 years as of 2010) too lives at Girigadde and often comes down the hills to Subramanya on various tasks of the family. Narayan is unmarried.
Mahalinga Bhat lost his wife two or three years ago. She died of diabetes. He seems to have taken her loss in his stride, and judging the way Mahalinga Bhat talks about various things, one gets the idea that he is scarcely perturbed by any calamity whatsoever that may visit him. I was amazed at the ease with which he would talk of his various misfortunes – as if they were things to be expected if one lives on earth for any respectable number of years.
 

Another interesting thing is that he is fondly taking care of his mother-in-law. Hers is another interesting story. She is a Tamilian and does not belong to the hills at all. Yet years ago, after she came to live at this place, she seems to have descended to the plains only two or three times, and not once in the past few years. Her body is totally bent due to aging, yet she moves about doing all the household work. It is Mahalinga Bhatt who largely cooks the food for visitors efficiently aided by his mother-in-law.
(Photo on right: Mahalinga Bhat's Mother-in-law)

They have 5 acres of land in which they grow arecanut, coconut, plantains, various vegetables and fruits. The household has over 30 to 40 cows and they supply 25 litres of milk to the various restaurants down below carrying it as head-load. Rice sacks of 25 kg are hauled up along with pulses and other condiments to be cooked for the visitors, and considering the effort that it takes, it appears that the money that they charge for board is perfectly reasonable. Tea, coffee and buttermilk are served gratis; as is the lodging too provided free. Inexperienced trekkers and spoilt people seek private rooms in such a place, and not finding it, feel disappointed and choose to abandon the trek and return to Subramanya!! Others are disappointed that they have to sleep without cots. They do not seem to realize that they are missing out on exotic experiences and I feel sorry for them. Liquor is neither served by the household nor is it permitted by them for others to consume it at the house.

The family seems to be quite popular with a certain class of trekkers for different people seem to contribute different things for future visitors. Some kind soul has contributed two solar panels which light up the house with CFL lamps in various rooms for 5 to 6 hours. It cost Rs 45000/-. Others leave behind foam mattresses. The house is mobile enabled. (Try numbers 99486 47947, 99456 18495, 98405 27765). I did my own small bit by sending ten foam pillows by courier for future trekkers.

                                                                                  To be continued …