COOL HOGENEKKAL

• * Last summer, plagued by sound, air pollution and subeditors alike, I went to Hogenekkal. Seeing so much of water for a Chennaiite, for whom a bottle of Bisleri is too much, was like the deluge. From hell in Chennai to high water. The trip itself was relaxing, but there water was king.
  * An old man took us in a parisal _ remember the Roja song 'chinna chinna asai' and that long shot from the top. Well the old chap who took us said that it was he who was on the parisal in that shot. (He was proud saying it as if he was Arvind Swamy himself. God knows whether he was taking us for a ride.)
  * The parisal went along a valley with water falling in some places. What a roar it made coming down. The water raised a spray which covered the rocks like a fog, hence the name Hogenekkal ('smoke rock').
  * All along boys were standing on top of the rocks ready to jump into the water from that height for 5 rupees. And they dived like a rock and swam like fish. You could see boys swimming along with the parisal beseeching you to throw money which they would retrieve from the depths. Poor ones, but at least they get money. Sometimes crocodiles can also be found in these waters. Some consolation this!
  * We went during the lean season and the water level was low. We saw the level the water had touched during the peak season, and it scared me. In some places there was yellow scum _ let's keep journalism out of it... industrial pollution, political collusion et al. There was a floating shop, with a guy selling junk food and the ubiquitous Coke.
• A paradise
  * Then we went to a place where the Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu in Dharmapuri. It's a personal paradise of sorts. I lay in the water very near the sandy bed since I cannot swim like fish but only like rock. With the water gushing all around me, I lay in the water with only my head sticking out resembling, maybe, a hippopotamus. Good thing we never took pictures of my taking to the water. Once or twice I lowered my head under water and remembered the film Jaws and preferred to stay above. Some lucky guys swam here and there.... show-offs.
  * Our next stop was the waterfall. The force of the water was such that it could cause you an injury if you were wearing a ring. My only apprehension was that it would wash away my underwear!
  * The cascading water washed away body heat accumulated in the city and cleansed my mind of all things mundane.
  * Finally when I boarded the bus back home, I could feel water all around me and when I closed my eyes the gurgling, gushing, roaring and murmuring water was calling me back.
  
  

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