My most memorable holidays so far is a visit to Madikere and Sringeri. We went in a group travelling in a van enjoying ourselves. The climate was very pleasant and cool. I was amazed to see that a small pond of water in Tala Cauvery takes the form of a big river feeding thousands of people throughout Tamil Nadu. Can you guess the name of the river? Yes; it is Cauvery. It originates from a small pond atop the ‘Brahmagiri Hills’. I was also enamoured of the sloping coffee estates and cardamom plants in Kodagu another name for Mercara (Madikere).

'Katradhu Tamizh' Ram's next Diwali in Suburbs Rajini Still In A Dilemma! அஜீத் பேட்டி? ராம் இயக்கத்தில் சேரன்? கமல் பாராட்டிய டைட்டில்்

In Kushal Nagar, we saw the famous ‘Golden Buddha Statue’ in a Tibetan Monastery. The place is clean and tidy and young monks were reading verses from scriptures. The area is full of greenery. It is also called ‘Little Tibet”. Another place which attracted me is ‘Sringeri’. Adi Sankara, founder of the Advaita philosophy, has founded a mutt called the Sringeri Mutt. The Goddess, ‘Sharadambal’ has a smiling face and the Tunga river flows quietly adjoining the temple. We had a holy bath in the river and prayed to the Goddess. It is believed that people who pray to her will be blessed with intelligence. I prayed for success in my exams. We left the place half-heartedly to return to Bangalore.

On our return, we went to Agumbe the tallest peak here and the thick forest frightened me a bit. The water and air is pure and fresh. I wish Chennai could also have fresh and clean air and water. We bid good-bye to Agumbe reluctantly and returned to Bangalore.