An Evening in Malgudi
It was past 2pm and we were famished by the time we reached Kalasa. Dark, heavy clouds had rolled in and hung menacingly above. We stopped at the first "otal" that came into our field of vision and partook of a simple vegetarian thali.While we were at lunch a heavy downpour ruthlessly lashed the town and it didn't seem it would stop for a while. We didn't quite feel like continuing with the journey. Having woken up early in the morning Sonny and my wife were tired. As for myself, any kind of activity after lunch is a chore and requires an extreme cajoling of the will to labour on any task for atleast an hour.There were rooms available at the Thotadur Yatri Nivas right next to the eatery. We decided to take a room and retired anon for a much needed nap. On waking up an hour later feeling greatly refreshed, we found the sky still overcast and there was a light drizzle spraying the town. We waited over a hot cup of tea at the eatery for the rain to subside. Soon the the drizzle ceased and the sky started clearing.
A short walk through the town took us took us to the Kalaseshwara Temple closeby. It was rather surprising to see only a tickle of visitors to this beautiful temple although it is has a history of 1000 years and its name is supposedly mentioned even in the puranas. Besides anyone going to Horanadu has to cross Kalasa. Not visiting this temple is really missing something.It is believed that the great sage Agastya Rishi was born in a pot somewhere nearby and hence the name Kalasa, meaning 'pot'. Mythology has it that Lord Shiva paid a personal visit to this place to bless the great Rishi.
The temple complex
There is another story which would be of great interest to all BHPians. Vindhya, the king of mountains, got over ambitious and grew too big for his shoes: he launched a rigorous regime to grow taller than the Himalayas. His height shot up at such alarming pace that even the Sun god, Surya was taken aback that his passage would soon be blocked at this rate. The vanity of the swellheaded chief went to the extent of challenging Sage Agastya who was returning from a
Kashi yatra to dare cross his mountains. He should have known better than to provoke the great
muni's irascible temper. But as the saying goes,
"Vinasha kale, vipareetha buddhi." In a fit of rage, the great sage cursed Vindhya that his range of mountains would thence grow no further. Just imagine the great potential for exploration we BHPians could have enjoyed if only the mountain king had executed his high designs with better subtleness than what he displayed. Alas,if only had the revered
Rishi kept his cool, the world's highest peak would have today been the pride of Karnataka!
Steps leading to Kalaseshwara Temple
Evening descends over Malgudi
Perched atop a hillock, the great god Shiva lords over Kalasa. As we climbed up the stairs leading to the temple, I turned back. The commanding view of the quaint, little town with its tiled roof houses, the tops of coconut trees swaying over them, the imposing Vindhyas in the background ,is a wondrous sight. After our visit to
Doddamane in Agumbe, Malgudi as I had imagined it again crystalised into reality before my eyes here. We made our way to the main temple through a beautiful wooden stucture. Wet after the rain, the beauty of the temple seemed to have been enhanced and it felt good to be in its proximity. The complex is very well maintained and with very few visitors, and it was peaceful and pleasant to go around. The original temple has intricate carvings and many ancient stone tablets with inscriptions in '
Halegannada' ( old Kannada) lean against the wall in a few places.
In front of Kalaseshwara Temple
I proposed a walk around the town, but both Sonny and my wife vehemently vetoed the proposal upon which we returned to the eatery as Sonny had worked up an appetite that called for immediate apeasement by way of a snack. The
masala dosa we ordered lived up to its appearance and we devoured it with great relish. I then dropped them at the lodge and set out on my own to explore the town.
Swami would have loved it.
My first impression was that the many five year Plans since independence seem to have had somewhat of a vague impact on Kalasa and seemed to be struggling to emerge from the mid-20th Century but is slowly catching up. Television dishes have sprouted over the tiled roofs, electricity and telephone cables strech over the roads, there is limited mobile network coverage.
Are those the Mempi Hills?
Gaffur's autorickshaw?
I expected to meet one character or the other from the Malgudi stories at every step. Could it be Gaffur's autorickshaw in the corner there? Perhaps circumstances forced him to sell off his old motor car and ply a tri-wheeler. Hey, that must be Swami and his friend Rajam. How tall they have grow! It appears Margayya's fortunes changed thereafter and he upgraded to an office in Kabir Street and opened a chit fund. Looks like that is his car parked in the shed. Hello, Mr.Raman! Is Daisy still working as passionately as a birth-control propagandist? May be I could hire Raju for a tour of Horanadu and other places of interest. Is that him getting himeself groomed in that shabby little haircutting saloon? A railway line with a little station would have made a perfect picture.
Is that Maragayya's car in the shed?
View from our boardless lodge.
I dread to think of what would have been the fate of 'Swami and Friends' had Graham Greene forgotten to read the manuscript which R.K's friend in Oxford had passed on to him. How long would it have taken for any publisher in India to discover his genius? Would he have lived and died
Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami unknown to the world, the aging manuscripts of the Malgudi stories forgotten in a rusting metal trunk in the dark corner of an attic?
Vindhyas. Stunted growth due to Agasthya muni's curse.
It is believed that another great sage, Rishi Vasishta chose a place near Kalasa for his retirement and founded an ashram. I think he chose well.
It was dark by the time I returned to the lodge. My wife could not help wondering what I could fascinate me about such a place to be wandering about for so long. When I put it to her that this seems a splendid place to retire to, she gave me a stare like only a wife can give her husband.
20 Litres of premium, please.