N H 17 NATIONAL HIGHWAY OF WOES KARWAR MANGALORE

It was early in October 2011 we decided to visit our aunt staying at Honavar, Karnataka. As travel by train alone was comfortable to traverse the distance we checked the web for availability of tickets for the onward and return journey.  We found that tickets were available only to Karwar from Thiruvananthapuram and back on the dates we proposed to travel. Though it was 100 KM from Karwar Railway Station to Honavar we opted for the arrangement out of sheer necessity.

It was midnight when the train halted at Karwar. Sadanand, auntie’s driver, was waiting for us at Karwar with her Maruti Omni. Though we had travelled between Karwar and Honavar several times we were in for a rude shock this time. Sadanand was negotiating the Omni through large craters on the road. We lost the number of times the vehicle landed in the craters with a sudden jerk throwing us off our seats. Unmindful of the hazards on the road Sadanand weaved his way through the craters and took us finally to auntie’s place at Honavar. We were happy when the ordeal ended and we thanked God for keeping us safe.  It was one of the toughest trips we have ever made and it took two days for our aching limbs to get back to shape. 

While at Honavar we paid a visit to Murdeshwar.    The beach and the facilities there were grand.  The journey was as bad as our trip from Karwar. Sadanand told us that the road from Karwar to Mangalore had been in  bad shape for a very long time. Repairs were inadequate.  Just as travel was harmful for travellers, the vehicles too encountered costly repairs.

As we related our experience on the road   to our friends at Honavar, they concurred with Sadanand. According to them NH 17 had become National Highway of  Woes as a result of the movement of trucks carrying Ore  from Goa to Mangalore Port and  total neglect by the authorities.  We responded that we at Kerala had always been considering that road conditions were very bad in our State. We were blaming the authorities for not carrying out repairs in time even as they were doing a good job in comparison with their Karnataka counterparts.

We thanked our stars that we were residents of Kerala where National Highways and all other roads were in a much better shape than NH 17 in Karnataka.

COLONEL HILL HONAVAR

Colonel Hill is in Honavar. Honavar is Honnavara. Honavar is Honnavar. Honavar is a peaceful and panoramic costal town in the district of Uttara Kannada (formerly North Canara) in Karnataka, India. It is a Taluk(Taluka) Head Quarters.

Colonel Hill is the tallest point in Honavar. A column erected in memory of Major General Clement Hill stands atop the hill. History speaks to us through a tablet at the base of the column. Time has erased a few letters on the tablet.  The historical monument is unprotected and a part of it has been vandalized. The inscription reads, “ This column is erected by the 14^th Madras Native Infantry A Guard of which Regiment in escorting to their final Earthly resting place The remains of Major General Clement Hill Had The sad duty of paying the last honours ……… active military life. Won the love of every officer And Man with whom he served He died at The Falls of Gairsuppah on the 20^th of January 1845 in the………….His age …. whole……… The Mysore Division”

It is history that Major General Clement Hill was laid to rest atop the hill.  The aerial view of Honavar and surrounding villages from top of the hill is glorious. Arabian Sea with fishing boats and ships on the move and Sharavati River on its final leg bifurcated from the sea by a narrow strip of land full of Coconut and Areca nut trees on the west coast of India describe how nature has blessed the land and the people. Turn east and enjoy the stunning glimpse of the Western Ghats where rain forests abound with its varied flora and fauna.

At some point of time the hill top,  final resting place of late Major General Clement Hill became Colonel Hill.   People of Honavar now call it Karnel Hill. The makeover in 166 years is amazing.

I had first visited Honavar in 1972.  The column atop the hill looked an abandoned structure. There were no steps up the hill. The terrain was barren and the surface rocky. It was an adventure climbing the hill and I was doing it three or four times a week during 1972-73. Hills were always a passion for me and I loved the adventure.  Though I had left the place in 1973 I had made it a point to visit Honavar whenever I could. I found a Children’s Park coming up there in one of my visits. It was a project of the Rotary Club of Honavar.  Our children enjoyed the ride down the slide and the see- saw. We had a wonderful time going up and down the hill every day. The Rotary Club went on with the development of the hill. Steps were built for effortless climb. Seedlings of trees were planted for greening the rocky terrain. Though no water was available there the plants were watered incessantly. The memorial column was badly in need of repairs. The repairs were undertaken and the column was given a fresh coat of paint to withstand ravages of weather. We heard that as the workers reached the top they found an eagle’s nest. Scared of the men the eagle had flown abandoning its chick. The Rotarians were a compassionate lot and one of them took the chick home, looked after it till it grew up and set it free when it could look after itself.

I had observed that the seedlings were nurtured well during my visits to Honavar. I visited the place last in October 2011. I was pleasantly surprised to find a garden with trees up the hill where rocky terrain had been taunting people for long.  Colonel Hill has now been transformed to a beautiful park. The park is full of trees that offer shade to visitors. There are two approaches to Colonel Hill. We can drive and reach the gates of the park or we can climb the steps and reach the top. A magnificent spectacle awaits us.  .

Honavar is 200 KM from Mangalore, 60 KM from Gersoppa and Jog Falls, 200 KM from Hubli and Dharwad, 90 KM from Karwar where Indian Navy has their project Sea Bird and 150 KM from Goa. One night’s journey by Bus separates it from both Bangalore and Mysore. The place was part of Bombay State before the reorganization of states in India. River Sharavati flows into Arabian Sea at Honavar. There are two bridges in Honavar across Sharavati River. The road bridge 1.6 Km long is on NH 17 and the railway bridge 2 Km long is on the Konkan Railway. Honavar has a Railway Station, but the railway line is invisible in Honavar. Perhaps Honavar will be the sole town in India where residents are unable to see the railway track and the train.  As the train from Mangalore crosses the bridge and moves over to Honavar the track enters a tunnel 2 Km long.  The train passes Honavar Town through the tunnel and   as it comes out it reaches Honavar Station situated at Karki, a village on the outskirts of Honavar. The bridges link Honavar and Kasarakod. Kasarakod has a fourishing Fishing Harbour. Honavar has a Bundar where one can buy fish from the country crafts. We get varieties of fish at the Bundar. Fresh water fish from Sharavati and fish from Arabian Sea are on offer.

Colonel Hill with its ancient monument steadfastly guarding the remains of late Major General Clement Hill survives in obscurity in an obscure town. History does not fade nor can be wished away.  Colonel Hill indeed is a bonanza to the discerning traveller who trek it to Honavar.

POTHYS THIRUVANANTHAPURAM – HAPPY SHOPPING

If you are in Thiruvananthapuram Pothys offers a wonderful experience. I remember my visit to Pothys, Tirunelveli a few years ago. We went there because many of our friends had been going there. They were telling us that the textile shop was offering textiles at comparatively cheaper prices. We did buy a few items and felt that our friends were right. That was a one off experience.

When we had settled at Trivandrum (the name was changed later) we found to our dismay that the textile shops were offering very poor service. The salesman would remain rooted to one place and would order us to show the particular piece we desired to buy. Then he would place that on the counter and look elsewhere. If we had dared to ask him to show another piece he would display his irritation vehemently. Then Parthas opened their shop. People flocked to the shop because the salesmen prodded by the Managing Partner were proactive. One had to push and jostle for space during the festival season to buy from the shop.

Meanwhile people from Trivandrum pushed off  to Kottayam, Ernakulam, Trichur, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and even Chennai whenever they wanted to buy in bulk and whenever they looked for quality. Realising the large potential of Trivandrum business houses gradually started setting shop here. All the shops were having a good time. Pothys, Thiruvananthapuram is the latest entrant.

Pothys has thrown up a real challenge to its competitors. Everything that one may require is in  place. It is a misnomer to call it a shop. It is a mall. It is in fact the first shopping mall in Thiruvananthapuram. It has parking in two floors in the cellar. Then it is a riot of shops with centralized air conditioning.  Escalators, lifts, and stair cases take you from floor to floor. Groceries, Provisions, fruits and every other requirement of a house hold are available at the floor above the car park.  Dipayan Baishya Kishore Biyani  has written in his book 'It Happened In India' on the establishment of  ‘Big Bazar’ that Indians prefer to touch and feel  rice, pulses etc before buying them He had deliberately kept such items in open bins to satisfy the Indian customer. The concept is followed systematically here. If you are purchasing from the shops in the upper levels coupons offering substantial discounts are presented to you for shopping at the store. There is a hitch. The coupons are valid only for the day.

We bought some dresses and strolled through all the levels. Though it was a Sunday morning all the levels were crowded. We found cleaning workers mopping the floor everywhere. The management, it seemed, has made it an ongoing affair to keep the place neat and clean. We felt we were in a shopping mall  or a duty free shopping arcade in a sprawling air port terminal abroad. The similarity does not end there. The mall is a one stop shop where one can shop for all  requirements. It is a very pleasant experience. It is an experience people of Thiruvananthapuram have never had before.  Pothys has indeed thrown up a challenge to its competitors. Pothys has  redefined shopping in Thiruvananthapuram.