மூன்று படங்கள்

"பருத்தி வீரன்" ஹிட்டாகி, தமிழ்நாடே 'ஆ, ஊ'' என்று அதைப் புல்லரித்ததில் இருந்து எனக்கு புது தமிழ்ப்படங்கள் -அதுவும் ஹிட் படங்கள்- என்றாலே கொஞ்சம் அலர்ஜி. அதிலும், ஒரு தாடி வெச்ச கும்பல் எடுக்கும் படம் பக்கமே நான் தலை வைத்துப் படுப்பதில்லை. கமல், பாலா கூட ஒரு தரமான படம் கொடுத்தால் அடுத்து உடனே 'கழநி'ப் பானக்குள் காலை விட்டுவிடுகிறார்கள். ("மன்மதன் அம்பு" "அவன்-இவன்") சமீபத்தில் வழக்கமான மாசாலா'விலிருந்து சற்றே மாறுபட்டு வெளியான 3 ஹிட் படங்கள் அந்த டைப் இல்லை.

எங்கேயும் எப்போதும்: சுஜாதா வின் சிறுகதை ஒன்றின் ஆரம்பத்தில் -முதல் பாரவில் - ஊட்டியில் (அல்லது கொடைக்கானலில்) படகில் போகும் தேனிலவு தம்பதிகள் "உனக்கு நீச்சல் தெரியுமா?" என்று பேசிக்கொண்டிருக்கு்ம் போது படகிலிருந்து தவறி ஏரியில் விழுந்து கணவன் இறந்து விடுகிறான். அடுத்த பாராவிலிருந்து, கதை ஃப்ளாஷ் பாக்கில் அவர்கள் என்னவெல்லாம் பேசிக் கொண்டு வந்தார்கள் என்பதைச் சொல்கிறது. இன்னும் சிறிது நேரத்தில் வரப்போகும் மரணத்தை அறியாமல், அவர்கள் பேசும் சின்னச் சின்ன விஷயங்கள் வாசகர்களை 'த்சூ' கொட்ட வைக்கின்றன. கதையின் கடைசி வரி "அதற்கப்புறம் தான் அவன் கேட்டான், "உனக்கு நீச்சல் தெரியுமா?" என்று முடிகிறது.

எ.எ. முதல் ஸீனில் ஒரு பஸ் விபத்தைக் காட்டிவிட்டு அதன் பயணிகளின் பிண்ணனிக் கதைகளை சிறுகச் சிறுகச் சொல்கிறது. நடு நடுவே விபத்திற்கு அப்புறம் நடக்கும் காட்சிகளையும் காட்டி... விபத்தின் விளைவுகளை நிஜத்திற்கு அருகில் நாம் உணரமுடிகிறது. நல்ல முயற்சி.

முரண்: "விபத்துக்கள் அங்கங்கே நடந்து கொண்டு தான் இருக்கின்றன" என்று சொல்லி தனக்கு வேண்டாதவர்களை 'விபத்து' மூலம் தீர்த்து விடும் ஒரு பணக்கார இளைஞனுடன் 'நல்ல பிள்ளை' சேரனுக்கு ஏற்படும் அனுபவங்கள் பற்றிய கதை. 1950களில் வந்த Strangers on the train ன் காப்பி என்று சொல்கிறார்கள். இருந்தும் விறுவிறுப்பாக, சுவராஸ்யமாக செல்கிறது. சுஜாதாவின் "எதையும் ஒருமுறை" யை நினைவூட்டும் ஆரம்பம் இருந்தாலும், கதை ரூட் மாறுகிறது

வாகை சூட வா: என்னை மிகவும் கவர்ந்தது. செங்கல் சூளையில் வேலை செய்யும் சிறுவர், சிறுமிகளைப் பள்ளிக்கூடம் வர முயற்சி செய்யும் 1966ம் ஆண்டின் ஒரு இளம் வாத்தியாரின் அனுபவங்கள் பற்றிய, மிக எளிதான, நேர்மையான கதை. கவிதை போல் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார்கள்.

அதிலும் "சார்..சார்" என்று சொல்லி வாத்தியாரைக் காதலிக்கும் அந்தக் கிராமத்துப் பெண், அபாரம்! ("சாரக் காத்து வீசும்போது, 'சாரை'ப் பார்த்துப் பேசும்போது, சாரைப் பாம்பு போல நெஞ்சு ஊருதே.." போன்ற எளிமையான,  கிராமத்து வாசனையுடன் பாடல்கள்) கிளைமாக்ஸில் வாத்தியாரை செங்கல் சூளைக்குள் வைத்து எரித்து, அந்தப் பெண்ணை "காத்திருக்கிறாள், இந்தக் கண்மணி" என்று வசனத்துடன் முடித்துவிடுவார்களோ என்று பயந்து போய்ப் பார்த்ததாக தீபிகா சொன்னாள். நல்ல வேளை, முடிவு நெகடிவ் ஆக இல்லை.  ஒரு நல்ல படம் பார்த்த திருப்தி

மூன்று படங்களிலுமே குத்துப்பாட்டு, பஞ்ச் டயலாக், தாய்-மகன் சென்டிமென்ட், காமெடி என்ற பெயரில் வீணாய்ப் போன சொதப்பல் காட்சிகள் ஏதும் இன்றி, சொல்ல வந்ததை சுலபமாக, சுவராஸ்யமாகச் சொல்லியிருக்கிறார்கள். முக்கியமாக, அப்பட்டமான காப்பி இல்லமல் ஒரிஜினல்கள். மூன்றிலுமே புதுமுகங்கள் 'செம்மை'யாக நடித்திருக்கின்றனர். மெகா பட்ஜெட், பிரபல ஹீரோ-ஹீரோயின் இல்லாமல் கதையையும் காரக்டர்களையும் மட்டும் நம்பி எடுக்கப்பட்ட படங்கள். மூன்றுமே புதிய டைரக்டர்களின் முதல் படங்கள். அடுத்த படத்தில் சாயம் வெளுக்காமல் இருப்பார்களாக!

Made in China

A year ahead of the US presidential elections, US politics is getting hot with the Republican candidates trying hard to win the nomination. There are 7 or 8 of them in the race, and each one is trying to win the pablic support with their own 'punch dialog's! The way they throw mud on each other is 'interesting' to watch. (One lady candidate accused the other -Governor of a state- of taking money from a pharmaceutical company, and making the vaccination supplied by that company mandatory for the school children!).

What surprises me is that almost every candidate projects himself as if he is the only one holding the 'magic formula' that will put back US economy on track. Naturally, Obama looks 'ju-ju-bee' as his bail-outs and other measures (if any) failed to make any positive impact. Republicans find it easy to jump on Obama, and attack him as 'fit-for-nothing'.Obama, for his turn,talks rhetorically that he would never, ever make Warren Buffet's secretary pay a higher tax percentage than Warren Buffet himself. ("ஏம்ப்பா, இப்ப அதுவாப்பா பிரச்சனை?" என்று கேட்கத் தோணுகிறது!)

One thing is clear. US politicians are வாய்ச் சொல்லில் வீரர்கள்! The way the Republican candidates speak in confidence, one would think the US economy crisis will get solved if only they come to power! And Obama never wastes his time -he every now & then talks about building infrastructure, investing in education, subsidizing small business tax etc. With almost everything we buy for our home and work has the stamp 'Made in China' on it, I wonder how it will improve US economy if Obama starts re-building the highways nationwide...! Cheap products -US imports from China. Cheap service -US outsources to China/India. How will the unemployment improve from the current 10%??

நாளை எப்படியோ, நிகழ் காலத்தைப் பார்த்தால் நம்பிக்கை வரவில்லை!

("Chinglish" என்ற Broadway show இப்போது அமெரிக்காவில் பாப்புலர்; சீக்கிரமே சினிமாவாக வரலாம். மேலே  chinglish ன் ஒரு சின்ன உதாரணம்)

Billy Goat Trail

ஜப்பானில் ‘திகட்டத் திகட்ட’ hiking போன கையோடு, வெர்ஜீனியா வந்ததும் அங்கங்கே மலைகள் தென்பட்டதால் hiking trails பற்றித் தேடி…. வீட்டுக்கருகிலேயே சுமார் 8 மைல் தொலைவில் Billy Goat Trail இருப்பதைக் ‘கண்டு பிடித்தேன்’.

அமெரிக்காவின் அகன்ற, பரந்த, விரிந்த காடுகளிலும் மலைகளிலும் hiking செல்வது பற்றி உள்ளுக்குள் கொஞ்சம் பயம். என்ன இருந்தாலும் ஜப்பான் மலைகள் மாதிரி அவ்வளவு safe ஆக இருக்காது என்ற எண்ணம். மேலும் 2 மாதம் முன் தான் “127 hours” பார்த்திருந்தேன். அந்தப் படம் சமீபத்தில் நடந்த உண்மைக் கதை என்று தெரிந்து இன்னும் கலக்கம். Hiking trail களை Easy, Moderate, Difficult என்று தரம் பிரிக்கும் வெப்சைட்களில் Billy Goat Trail குறித்து Very Difficult, dangerous என்றெல்லாம் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தார்கள்.

மிக ரம்மியமான மலையில், பக்கத்திலேயே 'சல;சல' என்று சின்ன சத்தத்துடன் ஓடும் நதிக்கு அருகில் trail ஆரம்பிக்கும் இடம் -Great Falls Tavern -மனதிற்குத் தெம்பாக இருந்தது. ஒரு சின்ன ரூம் போன்ற கட்டடத்தில் இயங்கும் Great Falls tavern Visitor Centerல் hiking trail map தருகிறார்கள். ஆரம்பிக்கும் இடத்திற்குப் பக்கத்திலேயே biking trail ம் இருப்பதால் bikers, runners என்று அந்த இடம் நல்ல கூட்டம். Bike trail ஐ விட்டு விலகி மலை ஏறத் தொடங்கினால், hike செய்பவர்களும் அதிகம். கல்லூரி மாணவ மாணவிகள், குடும்பத்தினர் என்று இவ்வளவு பேர் hike செல்லும் trail நான் எங்கும் பார்த்ததில்லை! (கொஞ்சம் பேசிப் பார்த்தால் எல்லோரும் அங்கு வழக்கமாக் hike செல்பவர்கள்

Trail முழுவதுமே பாறை, பாறை, பாறை தான்! தொடர்ந்து பாறைகள் மீது நடப்பதற்கும் தாண்டுவதற்கும் கொஞ்சம் பேலன்ஸ் செய்யத் தெரிந்தால் மட்டும் போதும் மற்றபடி trailல் elevation gain 'ஏற்றம்' அவ்வளவாக இல்லை. இரு பக்கமும் செங்குத்தான பாறைகளின் நடுவே விரையும் Potomac நதியில் சிறு படகு (canoe) விட்டுக்கொண்டு செல்லும் சாதனை விரும்பிகள். பாறைகளில் கயிறு கட்டி -அதைப் பிடித்துத் தொங்கியபடி மேலே ஏறும் rock climbers. உயிரைத் துச்சமாக நினைப்பவர்கள்!

Trailன் ஒரு பகுதியில் கிட்டத்தட்ட செங்குத்தாக ஏறும் ஒர் இடம் வருகிறது. பார்க்கத் திகிலாக இருந்தாலும் ஏறும்போது சுலபமாக இருக்கிறது -கால் ஊன்றி நடப்பதற்கு இடமிருப்பதால். அங்கங்கே பறைகள், இரைச்சலுடன் Potomac நதி, அந்தக்கரையில் அடர்ந்த காடு என்று கண்ணெதிரே 'சட்'டென்று மாறும் காட்சிகள். மற்ற trailகள் போலவே, பஸ், கார், ரயில், செல் ஃபோன், மின்சாரம், டாய்லெட், வென்டிங் மெஷின் என்று நவீன உலகத்தின் அத்தனை அடையாளங்களும் துறந்து, சில மணி நேரங்கள் இயற்கையுடன் கலக்க முடிகிறது. 5 கி.மீ. தூர trail முடித்து, தொடங்கிய இடத்திற்கு வருவதற்கு 2 மணி 30 நிமிடம் ஆகிறது.

தீபிகா, ஷிபு, மதுவுடன் Billy Goat Trail ல் நேற்று (அக்டோபர் 8) hiking சென்றது இத்துடன் நான்காவது முறை. ஜப்பானின் 'தகாமிகுரா' மலையின் மாற்றாக, weekly regular activity ஆக வெர்ஜீனியாவின் Billy Goat Trail ஆகிறதா பார்க்கலாம்.

Land of Celebration

At my farewell party in Takasago, many of my Indian colleagues acknowledged, and referred to my moving from Japan to US as one from the Land of Mysteries to the Land of Opportunities. While LoM is widely associated with the US, few refer to Japan as LoM. (Google search shows Egypt as LoM though-for the most part).

Was wondering what India is Land of! Land of Religions? Land of languages? Land of cultures? Land of ... what, what…..? I can’t conclusively think of anything, with my not-so-wide knowledge about my own country :- (

When I was in India in late June, the famous painter MF.Hussain died, and as I watched in the media, MF.Hussain used to refer to India as the Land of Celebration. I dismissed it as a fancy phrase by the Indian painter who was one among the highest paid artists in the world (he was worth several hundred million of dollars, I read), but who defamed India by giving up Indian citizenship citing protests to his depictions of the Hindu Gods in naked.
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As I was heading home following a visit to our ‘family temple’ in Thandupathu with mom and sister in a rental car, I could spot some saffron-clad pilgrims walking barefoot towards Tiruchendur. There weren’t many; but every 2-3 minutes of my ride I could see 4-5 people walking in a group. I learned that in the next 2 days there would be Visakam festival in Tiruchendur for which these pilgrims were walking to Tiruchendur- some from faraway places in Madurai/Ramnad district. They were mostly not-so-well-off people, apparently they had taken ‘oath’ with Lord Murugan to do this barefoot pilgrimage, hoping in exchange a remedy to their problems. Seeing them walk in barefoot in hot sun (it was noon then), I took pity on them. “What the hell had Lord Murugan done for you, after all? Why should you take this pain of walking to Tiruchendur to worship him??” said I.

The next day as I was returning from KKarisal with my sister, again I saw these pilgrims. Being evening (6 pm), there were quite a number of people walking alongside the Tiruchendur road continuously –hardly there was a 50m stretch of road in which I did not see someone walking. Not just the number, the type of crowd also was different; this time I saw people in normal clothes, and none of them was saffron-clad. People were walking in groups –groups of young boys, young girls, families. In a moment I recalled the “Kakogawa City March” we used to do in Japan in which tens of thousands of people gather at the City Office and walk around the city in 10 to 40 km courses. We have done (the whole family) the 10 km course 3-4 times, and in Y2010 I did the 35 km course, the longest then. The City Office organizes this annual event, in which the city residents from every corner participate in great enthusiasm. While appreciating the city Office efforts, I also used to wonder how good it will be if only back in India our Municipalities or City Corporations arranged this kind of ‘healthy’ marches.

And here in Tuticorin tens of thousands of people do a similar – or, to be honest, much tougher walk- every year (twice, one for Visakam and the other one during Tamil New Year, as I learned later)! I felt ashamed that I didn’t know of this event, happening right in my hometown!

I got tempted. Why not join the crowd?
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I asked my cousin Askar in KKarisal, who said he has been doing it for 5-6 years but this time he had a leg injury. Asked another friend Baskar who would have joined me but for his maiden trip to Sri Lanka the next day. I decided to go myself.

It was 8pm when I started with a backpack carrying water-bottles, snacks, fruits and a towel. I had changed to half-trouser and walking shoes. (It turned out that I was the only one guy in the whole crowd –I would estimate it to be 30-40,000- that was walking with shoes). After 2-3 kms, the crowd was too much that it was blocking half the road. It was like going in a mega procession. There were a number of places where they were serving water packs free. Some places they even served hot milk –again free of charge. There was no need to carry water bottles! Also, throughout the route, in all the towns petty shops remained open 24 hours, where one could buy bananas or cool drinks. There was no need to carry snacks/fruits either!

As I said earlier, the crowd comprised of mostly ordinary people –not saffron-clad – and nowhere I felt like being in a religious pilgrimage. They kept talking, cracking jokes…. And it seemed they were doing a sport adventure in a light sprit. It was amazing to see those men, women and children who were actively walking 40km in a single night –and doing it ‘just like that’. Most of them were walking in good speed –I had had to walk pretty fast to catch up with them. Young boys and girls who walked in groups were almost jogging; I gave up catching up with them. For most of them, it was more than a pilgrimage; more than a sport; they were in a festive mood, yet tiring and mindful of the remaining kilometers they still had to walk down before the dawn.

In Authoor I sat for 10 min around midnight. Some people were sleeping on whatever little space available; some right on the road. There was no police anywhere in the entire 40 km route. Yet, there was no disturbance or disruption to the traffic though the crowd was covering half of the road for most part of the route. There was no fear of any misbehavior. I had never imagined even in my wildest dreams that India could be this self-disciplined and safe. (On the other hand, the Govt machinery was so indifferent and careless –they had not even arranged temporary toilet facilities anywhere in the entire 40 km stretch).
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It was sharp 4 am when I reached Tiruchendur. Though I wasn’t keen in visiting the temple, took the extra 5 min time to go inside, which might please Dee who kept talking to me (from US) at my cell phone throughout my walk. The temple was jam-packed with ‘walkers’ and there was a mile-long Q before one could get inside the main temple. I gave up the idea of seeing Lord Murugan, and instead visited the “VaLLi Cave” which is my & Deepika’s favorite spot in the Tiruchendur temple. As expected, there wasn’t much crowd there.

At about 5 am, I left Tiruchendur for Tuticorin in a pre-arranged rental car.

It was such a great experience to have walked 40km with thousands of people the whole night, that I wanted to do it every year –I should schedule my annual visit to India to match this event (around June-12). It was great that some old practices are indeed health-related activities and such an activity -‘the 40km marathon walk’ – is still popular among a section of people , be it in the name of God or whatever. On hearing about my walk, a relative of mine got excited of Lord Murugan’s Godly powers –that He made even an atheist Subahar go to see Him walking 40 km!

And I found there was some truth in what MF.Hussain said of India: “…Land of Celebration"
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நீண்ட இடைவெளிக்குப் பின்…..

சில மாதங்கள் வலைமனைக்குக் கட்டாய ஓய்வு தந்ததில், எழுதுவதின் நோக்கம் பற்றிப் பலமுறை யோசித்து, சரியான பதில் ஏதும் கிடைக்கவில்லை. சுஜாதாவே ‘இலக்கியம் என்பதே ஒரு பயனற்ற வேலையோ’ என்று சந்தேகம் வருவதாக ஒருமுறை எழுதியிருக்கிறார் (கற்றதும் பெற்றதும் –டில்லி குளிரில் பிளாட்பாரத்தில் தூங்கும் குழந்தைகள் பற்றி எழுதும்போது). இருந்தும், ‘நல்ல எழுத்து’ பற்றிப் பலமுறை அலசியிருக்கிறார். அழகான ஒரு காட்சியை காமிராவில் ‘கிளிக்’ செய்து அதன் அழகை, மனதில் அது ஏற்படுத்திய ஒரு சின்ன பாதிப்பை வருடங்கள் கடந்தும் நினைவுபடுத்திக் கொள்வது மாதிரி, (நல்ல) கவிதையும் எழுத்தும் மனதின் உணர்வுகளைக் காலம் கடந்து நிற்க வைப்பதாக அவர் எழுதியது நிஜமே (என்றாலும், பழசை மீண்டும் நினைப்பது அவசியமா என்ற கேள்வி எழுகிறது!)

வலைமனையில் இன்றைய தேதிக்கு எழுதிக் குவிப்பவர்கள் ஏராளம். காதல் முதல் ‘புடலங்காய் சாம்பார் வைப்பது எப்படி?’ என்பது வரை தமிழ் கூறும் நல்லோர்கள் வலையில் தொடாத சப்ஜெக்ட் இல்லை. “என்னை நானே பட்டை தீட்டிக்கொள்ளும் களம்” என்றெல்லாம் அதி தீவிர முன்னுரை கொடுத்துவிட்டு “சேகர் பஸ் ஸ்டான்டில் காதலிக்காகக் காத்திருந்தான்” போன்ற சிறுகதையோ, “செல் போன் சிணுங்கியது. காதில் வைத்தேன்; என்னவள் சிணுங்கினாள்” என்று டப்பா புதுக்கவிதையோ எழுதிகிறார்கள். பின்நவீனத்துவம் ஏன்று புரியாமல் எழுதும் மோடிமஸ்தான்கள் ஒருபுறமும், மோடிமஸ்தானின் கூட்டத்தில் வேடிக்கை பார்க்கும் வெட்டிக்கும்பல் ஒருபுறமுமாக, வலைமனையில் குவியும் குப்பைகளுக்கு அளவே இல்லை.

இருந்தும் எழுதுவதில் ஒரு கவர்ச்சி இருக்கிறது. “சொல்லப்போனால் எல்லோருக்குமே கதை சொல்லும் ஆர்வம் இருக்கிறது” என்று சுஜாதா சொன்னதுபோல. எழுத்து, ஒரு ஃபோட்டோ ஆல்பம் போல. அவ்வளவே. சமயங்களில் புகைப்படம் சொல்லாததையும் எழுத்து சொல்லும்போது, அது சுவராஸ்யமாகிறது.

35k

If I am to make a list of Great Experiences in Japan, the 35 km walk I did yesterday will certainly be on it. Here goes the story....

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My family & I had done 10 km walk in Kakogawa 2-Day march three times, but every time, the increasing number of kindergartners walking the same 10km made us feel 'nervous'! Further, the 40 km guys would arrive at destination the same time when we would arrive there completing 10 km -at around 4 pm. True, the long distance guys start 3 hrs earlier, but that with a 3-hr early start they could cover 4 times what we did was astonishing .... the idea of doing the longest course thus crept into my mind.

I started at 7:30.The 10km and 35 km walkers were of strikingly different, and you see the difference the moment you are in there -the 35 k guys walked pretty, pretty fast, as if they would miss a flight otherwise! It was 'brisk walk' all along, like in a walking race. I didn't see anybody stop by to have a drink -they drank as they kept walking. They were in no way like the 10k families & kids who would leisurely walk. I strived hard not to lag behind (i.e., 'too much behind') the 60+ ladies & men who were walking effortlessly, but at a good speed. There were many elementary & middle schoolers. The trail was fully at the outskirts of Kakogawa; it went along the riverside, got on top of Gongen dam, and at times went uphill on mountains giving a 'mountain hike' feeling. The scenery was pretty good; and the weather was pleasant.

Unlike the 10km trail, more number of food stalls (5 to 6) were on the path, some offering free drinks, zenzai (omochi in red-bean soup) and udon. I wondered had they offered chapathy & korma, that would have attracted IITians (No; we might be arguing 'chapathy was hard' and 'korma from that shop was salty' etc). Frankly, I noticed that all the walkers accepted the free supplies with thanks, and many made it a point to go to the counter and said "oishikatta". As we walked through roads that had paddy fields & plantations at both the sides, there were abnormally more number of scare-crows built in attractive colors and shapes and they all held a flag/cloth that had some writing on it. Do they expect the Japanese birds to read the text (and decide if they can find something to eat somewhere else) or what?? No, they are all greetings to the walkers. When I was taking picture of the scare-crows, a walker befriended me and asked how many km I walked the previous day. When I said I was doing only the 2nd day, he was surprised, and painstakingly tried to convince me that it was a 2-day walk, and one should do both days!

At the start point they give you a package that has a A4 size cloth-like sheet which walkers pin to their back-bag, writing their name and the distance walked /walking on the 1st/2nd day. The package also has a badge. Apart from the A4 sheet, many have pinned the badges they collected in previous years -some 10-12 in number. By looking at the A4 sheet, I found that there was no single person that did the walk just one day; and there was no single person doing 35 km having done anything less than 40km the previous day. In other words, all the 35 km guys were in fact 40 + 35 km guys! (except the sole Indian).

Deepika kept calling me 2-3 times as I was walking. I promptly attended her call, fearing that otherwise she would make an SOS to Kumar :-) (that’s precisely what she did when I didn't pick the phone the other day at 11 pm, as I was on a long call with my mom, being my birthday. She woke Kumar up, and this guy promptly pressed my doorbell at 11 pm. Fearing an emergency I opened the door even holding the receiver in one hand.... . Kumar had lost his sleep, but the sad story didn't just end with that; the next day early morning 6 am, she called him again to say "Sorry, I was very nervous yesterday....". Later that day Kumar was seen checking with his friends how to cancel & terminate the NTT landline permanently! :-)

At about 2 pm I reached the point where the 35km trail merged with that of 10 km. Again, saw the families and kindergartners happily & leisurely walking 10 km. The 35 km guys found them no match to their speed, and overtook them at every opportunity. I arrived at the start point at 3 pm, well ahead of a number of 10km walkers. It had taken 7 hrs and 30 minutes (which included a 20 min lunch break and a couple of coffee breaks each 5 min) of brisk walk to cover 35 km.

Deepika was excited about this walk, more so as it took just 7 hours. She said, apparently with a bright & cheerful face (முகம் மலர்ந்து) she would have joined me had only she been here in Japan. "If you had joined me I would not have done it in 7 hrs" said I. மலர் வாடியது :-)

After the walk I was taking rest and watching the stage performance arranged with mega TV screen in front of the city hall. 10 km, 20 km and 35 km guys were still returning one by one. I felt great that I did much ahead of many 10 km guys. "பரவாயில்லையே, நமக்குக் கூட கொஞ்சம் stamina இருக்குது போல!" என்று கொஞ்சம் கர்வத்துடன் தான் உட்கார்ந்திருந்தேன். Jap girls were dancing on the stage. Soon the announcer interviewed a young girl on the stage, who answered mostly in single-words.

"Hana-chan kyo wa nan kiro arukimashita ka?" (How many KM did you walk today?)
"20 kiro"(20 km)

"kino mo aruitan desu ka? (Did you walk yesterday too?)
"so. kino 40 kiro"(Yes. I did 40 km yestereday)

"tomodachi to issho ni?" (With your friends?)
"pappa to mama to isshoni arukimashita" (With my mom & dad)

"sugoi ne! shindoku naindesu ka?"(Great! Are you not tired?)
"shindokatta" (It was tiring)

"shindo katta...?! ha, ha! demo gambattane! rai nen mo arukimasu ka?"(Tired?? anyway, you did a great job! Will you walk next year also?)
After a pause "Un" (Yes)

"Oh, sugoi... Hana-chan, ima nan-sai desu ka?" (Great! Hana, how old are you now?)
"rokku sai desu"(I'm six years old)

என் கர்வம் அழிந்தது!

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A 23 km mountain hike

Koyasan is known for its historical monuments, Buddhist temples, and a vast number of mausoleums. Located in Wakayama prefecture (132 km from our place) on a hill top, the present day Koyasan is a popular tourist attraction. The small town is designed to evoke memories of the past Buddhist rituals. Koyasan doesn't have a train station, and is accessible by road and cable car. A night stay in the ryokans that offer Buddhist style pure veg food is what most visitors from abroad would like to try. Starting from the Daimon (Main Gate), as you walk along the streets you see building that could date back to several hundred years ago. Rituals conducted by Buddhist monks are still popular here. The Art of Living Japan representative Neela Srinidhi conducts residential courses in Koyasan ryokans. Certainly, Koyasan takes you to a 'Zen' type atmosphere (if you close your eyes to the unavoidable commercialization that becomes part of any tourist spot).

Koyasan caught my attention for its hiking trails. There are 7 or 8 courses popular among hikers -each hike taking 2-4 hrs and spanning 4-6 km. I chose the tough course -23.5 km long trail which would take 7 hrs as noted in Koyasan tourist association homepage. Known as "Koyasan Choishi Michi" this trail was registered in the UNESCO World Heritage list (similar to the Kumano Kodo trail -the one we did in 2008 Dec). Walking up the mountains 23.5 km was something new to me....I just wanted to give it a try.

Information received from Kudoyama town - the location of Jison-in temple where the Koyasan Choishi Michi starts- was very useful. Leaving the car in the Parking lot, I dressed up for hiking and walked towards Jison-in. In front of homes I found baskets of 'kaki' (persimmon) fruits kept for retails sale -but there was none to receive cash. Looking at the price tag, customers put the exact cash in the small box, and walk away with the fruits taking them in the carry-bag provided. I've seen similar scenes in Kumano Kodo as well. Unmanned shops!

As I walked up the steep stairs of Jison-in temple (8:20 am), I saw the first 'cho ishi' -the stone marker, which is actually the 180th stone marker. The trail got its name because of the 180 'cho-ishi's located throughout the trail, each at a span of 109m. Each cho-ishi is a 1ft x 1ft base & 1.5 m high stone pillar -was the 'milestone' in those days (and even now). I needed to walk up to cho-ishi 1, to reach Koyasan.

The trail wasn't as wide as Kumano Kodo's, which I realized in the first few minutes. In the first 30 minutes, the kaki tress standing at both sides of the trail provided a nice shadow; and the kaki fruits seen in abundance explained the 'unmanned' fruit stalls I saw down the mountains. I would not have carried the two kakis that I had carried in my back-bag, had I known about this. The trail was of 1-2 ft wide for the most part, and it was quite steep at several points. After an hour or so, there were tall pine trees at both the sides (again reminding me of Kumano Kodo); thanks to them, there was no sunshine.

Fearing that I may not be able to complete the train in 7 hrs as noted in the pamphlet, I started walking in a good speed right from the beginning. Met a couple of Japanese ladies at 10 am in a resting place, who said they started at 7 am. As I took less than 2 hrs to cover the distance they hiked in 3 hrs, I was confident I could make it in time. I continued to walk fast, taking a look at the cho-ishis and trying to look at the number written on them. Perhaps as it was kanji of olden days, I couldn't get what the numbers meant in some cases.


As I approached 60th stone marker, I could hear the traffic sound coming from the nearby mountain road. At 12 noon I could reach the 60th stone marker -covering 2/3 of the distance. At this point, the trail crossed the public road; and there was a restaurant and some vending machines (along the 23.5 km, this was the only place where vending machines and restrooms were there). Many hikers were having their lunch there, some cooking in the portable stove they carried. I had a banana and was all set to move.... for some reasons I never feel hungry when hiking. I sat for a while, feeling relieved that 2/3 of the hike was over! I had walked past many Japanese hikers that I saw, and nobody ever overtook me, unlike the Takamikura and other hikes where I used to see a number of people pass by.

The distance between 60th stone marker till the 1st one was steep, or so I felt after 4 hours of continuous hike. Saw a couple of families, young couples and groups hiking as I moved up. And then came all of the sudden the sight of the crimson gate -the Daimon -which is the traditional entrance to Koyasan (which is at 6th stone marker).

I reached Daimon at 2 pm -an hour less than the published 7hrs it would normally take. Good!

Sat for a while, and started walking 1 km further... till I reached the bus stop and went to Koyasan station. Though not hungry, I went inside a restaurant to relax my legs. Took the cable car & train to reach Kudoyama. While in train, I realized I had sweating all over my body, and my clothes were fully drenched in sweating. (Those sitting next to me would have had a 'stinking' time!) Only after a relaxed bath in the onsen ("Yu-no-Sato in Hashimoto), sauna and steam bath, I felt fresh. Started driving at 8pm and reached Takasago at 10:30 pm.

It turned out to be quite a challenging day for my legs. Now I'm OK to do more day-long mountain hikes in the days to come!