SOUTH INDIA...
On the trail of temples,
tigers and tea plantations
By Anisha Shah
Photo: Anisha Shah
I
ndia evokes fantasies of incense
and religion, crazy colours and
curious cultures and extreme
serenity and chaos. You can never
really ‘do’ India. Her immense
proportions alone belie extremes
of landscape, language and life.
In 3 separate trips, each several
months long, journeying through
entire regions, I have but scratched
the surface. What I have gained
is profound respect for her inimitable allure.
The home of paradox, visitors
journey through elation and
heartbreak, wonder and devasta-
tion, love and outrage. Turn this
up a notch and you begin to hint
at what lies within South India’s
rich and vibrant Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka states.
Largely untrammelled by tourists,
an exuberance of ornate temples,
world heritage sites and exquisite
culture abound. Native classical
dance, music and art permeate.
The geographical vastness spans
golden sandy coastlines and misty
mountaintop hill stations, national
safari parks and even a unique
Universal Peace Town. Pondicherry,
the former French colony, entices
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