WATER WATER EVERYWHERE The dam site
Not sure whether this place will make for an RLT, I still head for it. So far all RLTs have been about exotic beaches, cascading waterfalls, beautiful valleys, eerie jungles, adventure treks and so on. But never a one with a "once upon a time" tag. This week's RLT is about a place that was once a beautiful spot. But neglect has rendered it, literally, a road less travelled. There was a time when anybody who fancied a date with birds thronged this place, which also reverberated with the cacophonic sounds of children having fun in the adjacent park. Now, all that remains of the park is a name board, a broken slide and a swing. The piece of land is crowded with overgrown trees. One hears that the district administration has decided to revive the place.
Barely six km from Virudhunagar town in a sleepy village called Kullur Sandhai is what was once known as Tourism Department's District Excursion Centre. It made a nice picnic spot with PWD's reservoir scheme and play equipment for children. Despite Kullur Sandhai's forgotten status, it still makes for an outing if you overcome the initial shock. Hardened by all my previous RLT treks and (mis)adventures, I reach the village centre and take a narrow muddy path full of slush now. It curves and bends through bramble and other shrubs. The familiar, yellow whitewashed wall of a PWD building or construction is visible in the background as I watch my step during the less than 30-minutes walk. The blazing sun, I left behind in Madurai. Now, I could see black clouds on the horizon. The sky threatening to burst any time and a gentle breeze refreshes me despite the not-so-inspiring surroundings. Nothing to write about in superlative terms, I tell myself. A flight of rocky steps elevates me to the dam level and what shows up is a vast watery expanse. Miniscule islands of green grass float in the placid waters that fill up the PWD's reservoir that covers almost 300 acres. With the mercy of the rain gods, the reservoir is brimming. It is `water water everywhere' but no awesome sight to behold. But a strange silence befalls.
I spot two young boys by the side of the bund, carrying books and, surprisingly, a pair of binoculars. They are preparing for their mid-term exams in a place, which they feel offers them tranquillity. There are too many disturbances in the home, they tell me, half smiling. And binocs? Well, when they get bored, they do a bit of bird watching. There was a time when tourists used to come in dribs and drabs as post-rainy season also brought flocks of pond herons, open-billed storks, cormorants and babblers. The boys tell me many terrestrial and aquatic birds visit the reservoir between November and March. Though the surrounding vegetation has now thinned, the avian population has not forgotten Kullur Sandhai. Whiling away time by the dam site, these two friends got interested in birds. They saved money and bought a pair of good binoculars. But there was nobody to guide them. So whenever they meet any amateur or professional ornithologist at the site, they take quick lessons on the avian visitors.
The place can be restored to its earlier glory with some care and attention. Like the two boys, others in Kullur Sandhai are waiting for people to return to the park and the dam site.
Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/13/stories/2006111300130300.htm
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