Gori sovay sej par, mukh par daaray kes,
Chal Khusrau ghar aapnay, saanjh bhayee chahu des.
The fair maiden rests on the wreath (of roses),
Her tresses covering her face,
Let us, Oh Khusrau go back now,
The dark dusk settles in four corners.#amirkhusrau #delhisultanate #bhimsenjoshi
When you are riding across the western ghats from the coast to the Deccan Plateau every mile will tire you, but every turn will surprise you too.
It could be a quaint little waterfall tucked away on the hillside…
…or the ramparts of an old fort that, I wish to imagine, fought against the British.
A lush paddy field nestled in a small valley between the layers of the ghats…
…or just a tree spreading its shade over a weary rider.
It might even be a chimney of an abandoned tile factory, now pretending to be a giant rook!
But what truly surprises you is the simplicity of people along the small towns and villages on the ghats. It might be a kind gentleman who insists you try a glass of his special lime juice with Thulasi seeds to drive away all the heat and exhaustion…
…or Pranav, a curious 7th grader, who wanted to know all about bikes and how many gears there are.
…but at the end of it all, climbing the ghats is meditative; gruelling, yes, but meditative nevertheless, with mind just focused on pedalling that one more stroke as the climb goes on and on for many a miles.
#tok #tourofkarnataka #cadence90 @cadence_90@tourofkarnataka@chethanram_r@ekicha@pvchandra
Some vignettes from the western ghats of south Karnataka all the way to the coastal town of Udupi. Riding on the day 1 of #TOK, we had breakfast at a polytechnic and the fresh young students were a delight.
Often it is a journey back in time when you travel through rural hinterlands of India and the coastal belt of south Karnataka is so much like Kerala.
You ride across so many river crossings and many of them with clear water feel idyllic…
The light breeze and the dancing grass keeps you going in the all sapping heat!
Few hundred years old banyan grove was such a relief for the bike and the biker.
#tok #tourofkarnataka #cadence90 @cadence_90@tourofkarnataka@chethanram_r
