Vacation is a time to chill out, relax and to release all the tension resulting from the daily work. Nowadays, I have to work under pressure situations and have to meet tight deadlines. If you continuously work like this on a daily basis then you require a refresh for a period of 15 days at least once in a year.
Normally, I go to my native place near Kumbakonam during every vacation. I used to go there to meet my grandmother when she was alive. Even though she is not with me now, I still visit the place to get a fresh taste of village life and also to meet all the elders including temples.
I love train journey because I will be able to watch every station, buy books and sleep by hearing the sound of the train including the long horn of the engine. Sometimes, the train will stop due to crossings and hence I will be able to see a particular place which I never have seen for a long period of time. This will itself give the much-needed boost to your mind.
I start from Trivandrum central and reach Ernakulam station to board a direct train to Karaikal, which is near Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu. This place is near Velankanni and hence many people used to travel by this train. The train will reach Thiruvarur town at around 8 AM the next day. I will directly visit a cafe and have a breakfast with Idli, Vada and Sambar (will be very tasty).
Alternatively, I can also catch a flight to Trichy from Trivandrum depending on the Flight Schedule since it will be a flight to Maldives via Trichy.
From Thiruvarur, I catch a car to my village Sengalipuram. The whole journey will take around less than two hours. You will only find small roads but the both sides will be surrounded by paddy and rice fields. There will be a lot of sheep’s around the roads and it’s very lovely to watch. I will not remember any work related tension when I watch the activities of several people.
Upon reaching my native place, the caretaker of our house, nicknamed Chinnapillai will automatically be waiting for me. This is because I used to call him and inform that I will be visiting for 15 days. He will open the door and arrange things inside the house. I will have to make use of hand pump to the bath if there is no power supply.
I now remember the value of grandmother. If she was alive, she used to cook food for me. But now I have to place an order for food from a nearby cook.
I will sit on the Veranda to feel the fresh smell of village life and also to feel the sunlight, which will give you enough Vitamin D naturally.
My first preference is to visit nearby temples. By evening, I will be sitting on the veranda to chat with friends and elders. There will be bats inside the house. But I will manage to sleep well. I love to be in my native village instead of visiting places which are heavily polluted.
I will then chalk out my itinerary for the vacation. This includes a visit to my mother’s house which is nearly 2 hours from my father’s house. I will catch Number 3 bus from Sengalipuram and reach Kumbakonam. In the meantime, I will also visit the famous temple and pond where a special festival is held once in 12 years.
From Kumbakonam, I will have to catch bus named Green or 2A to reach a place called Thirukodikaval. It’s a very nice place where I will get fresh air free of pollution. Many people migrated to Chennai but I still love to visit the house. I will visit when my uncle is present there. I will bath at nearby pumps where water will flow at a very high speed and visit temples. I will have to call Pandits to perform pooja at the temple. They will not be present all the time. This is village life.
After 3 days, I will return back in the same route and will visit a relative’s house in Kumbakonam. I will spend few days to visit temples and also nearby Thanjavur, where a famous big temple is situated. I will also purchase few items for my personal use.
In order to return back to Trivandrum, I have to catch a train to Tirunelveli at around 9.30PM from Kumbakonam. The problem with this train is that it will stop for only two minutes, which is difficult to board.
I will check whether there is any direct Indigo Airlines flight from Trichy to Trivandrum next time when I travel to my native village. I know Indigo is a great airline company and I will be able to enjoy flight journey as well.
Earlier, I used to visit native place directly by catching a train to Kollam from Thiruvarur. However, that train doesn’t exist now due to broad gauge conversion work is going on between Kollam and Sengottai.
The train from Kumbakonam will reach Tirunelveli at 7 AM and by this time, I can hear the sound – Idli, vada, sambar. I will buy one packet and it will be very tasty although Idli will not be that much good since it will be somewhat hard.
I have to wait till 8.45 AM to board a train coming from Chennai, which will reach Trivandrum at around 11.30 AM. In all probability, the compartments will be empty and I will be able to relax without any difficulty.
I will have to start my normal work from the next day but I can actually feel the essence of true village life, which is essential for a tension free work life. I will now have to load all the images and videos which I captured during the entire vacation period to keep all those good memories intact until next time.
