Srini On Tour

Enchanting South India - A route to rediscovery

“To traverse beyond the limitations of my mind, I travel to look at the journey within myself.” With these thoughts, I set off on an adventure of a lifetime. A voyage to the mysterious beauties that unravel the most amazing parts of my country. A blogumentary and a travelogue to capture the ‘Incredible India’ down South.

My visit to Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry and Kerala had begun. I had heard from my friends, people didn’t speak anything else but their local languages out there. That made me equally foreign to these lands as anyone else who came from any other country. To me, this was a challenge, yet I knew this trip would be monumental especially after I had completed it. With solitude on my side I had decided to explore over 17 superb locations in 15 days. Most importantly, I was going to discover the beautiful culture South India had to offer and document each and every day as a journal on my blog. With a Vernian, inspiration l had to ensure this journey goes down in my books as the best one!

It all started with Chennai. From my helpful twitter friends to the conductors and everyone else warmly responding to my requests, helping me out wherever I went in little or broken English they spoke in. Yet always willfully extending their support without any intent but to help me out. This was an experience that I would never forget. Visiting the most beautiful temples in our country to being truly overwhelmed by a sense of spirituality in Rameshwaram and Kanyakumari, my journey across the state of Tamil Nadu gave me an understanding of oneness to myself.

My stay in Pondicherry was highlighted in tasting delicious food of various cultures dished out at the most amazing restaurants in town. From Chettinad food at the Apache to french delicacies at the Le Café, and of course my visit to Auroville, it was certainly a mixture of various cultures that set this place apart from a lot of places down in South India.

Lastly, being in Kerala, God’s own country was truly being in heaven itself. A boat ride in the backwaters of Kerala got me the close to nature and truly made me believe in what their lifestyle stood for… Very quiet, peaceful and serene… The melodious sound of birds chirping in the background and a real feeling that time stood still told me a lot about how people really loved and lived life in this paradise.

Thus came the end of my journey. Travelling around wandering like a nomad for 15 days… A feeling of bittersweet, told me that my journey was over… Indeed, at the end of that 15th day I felt like Phileas Fogg, whose surmounting adventure had successfully come to a fulfilling end. But not before helping me discover this beautiful culture that I will cherish forever until I come back to soak it in yet again.