Last week or so, I was journeying around the southern states of India – Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. It was a breeze making my Travelthon video while exploring the scenic spots of magical Kodaikanal hills. I like the fish in South India and even tried beef Kerala style in Thiruvananthapuram. The greenery and the ocean shore, especially Kovalam Beach is a very beautiful location to shoot. Some of the original shits of the Travelthon video were taken on this beach itself. In the evening, we enjoyed beer and snacks as my team and the director explored the various features of the GoPro camera.
Kerala is an Ayurvedic state and the land of the Kathakali which is a traditional dance performed by dancers who use bright face paint and colourful attire to decorate themselves before they perform this energetic dance. I stayed in four-star hotels costing Rs 4000 or so per night. I also got a discount in some of them as it was booked by my team Infynith.
After Kerala and a drive to Kodaikanal, I stopped over at Bangalore to meet my friend Prakash Dhar. I spent four days with his family getting acquainted with the finer points of technology and blogging from the I.T. man Prakash himself. South has become like my bastion. I feel like a Chola King nowadays. Wherever I go, I see dark men with big mooch wearing dhoti. I especially got irritated with a little kid who came between me and my camera when I was giving my monologue on the Padmanabhaswamy Temple.
Kerala is a busy town but a clean one. People have a great civic sense and with churches and local lawns, there are lots of community places where people can gather around. I shot at one of these squares in the middle of Thiruvananthapuram with a lady singer singing away and a poet reciting his poems. People here are modest and conservative but also relaxed.
Aeya! This was, indeed, a trip to the South and the birthplace of my Travelthon promotion video.