Chill Out: From Bangalore to Nandi Hills

The renowned scientist Sir CV Raman once interestingly remarked,” My greatest discovery has been the weather of Bangalore”. Everyone talks about the Bangalore weather. Most of them remain envious. A rare lot of them want to cherish this for a longer time and hence have no qualms in calling Bangalore their ‘home’ within a few months of their stay (this blogger included), though linguistically, their home town is an eight-nine hour journey away in the Airavat Club class Volvo. After having sipped different versions of the filter Kaapi from the cafes lurking around almost every corner (with the exception of Indian Coffee House), the tag of being a caffeine addict is finally here. Though I’d say it was too late for it to be included in my Twitter Bio which is as full as a tank. I’ve strolled through the most happening spots in the city and shopped to bankruptcy from the Brand factories. Most of my weekends compete with time in some nook and corner of the city. I’ve never been allowed to get bogged down and spend the entire weekend in closed quarters.

One fine day, I set off for a drive to the Nandi Hills with my parents. The best way to describe Nandi Hills would be to use the superlatives of the words that are used to describe Bangalore. Not often that you get to describe a metropolitan city and its neighboring hill station in such terms. So, we set off early (early enough for a larger part of the populace to wake up and traffic-jam the roads). The mornings here are refreshingly charming and is one of the reasons why they call it a pensioners paradise. And yeah, we spotted more than a few sixty year old blokes, honing their golfing skills in the golf course on the way (Post retirements can be exciting as well). The car sped through the city limit and thronged its way into the expressway, before entering the narrow roadways nearing the Nandi Hills.

Nandi Hills is a surreal place. It wants us to be completely cut-off from the digital world we live in. My mobile service operator didn’t have a tower installed anywhere closer. So too was the case with the other operators. Digital connectivity goes for a toss there, which is a blessing in disguise.

Get closer with the nature and cherish its mountainous settings. Stroll through the lush green pathways, capturing the finely arranged arrays of flowers in the lenses. Have that breathtaking view from the hill top. Sit in the park, gazing at the tree-hoping langurs. Pedal your way through the hairpin bends to give the impression to people that you have it in you to out-do Lance Armstrong. And you adventure enthusiasts, look forward to paragliding here.

Sunrise from the hill top- http://bhaskarsplace.wordpress.com/2013/12/18/nandi-hills-through-the-lenses/