Primal Wilderness Rambling

A night trek in Magalidurga on one weekend, followed by rock-climbing and rappelling sessions in Turali on the next weekend leaves me craving for more. As the Bangalore Mountaineering Club is synonymous with catering to trek and travel addicts like me on a weekend basis, I didn't have to think twice before booking a two-day trek to Thirumaleguppi. As I anxiously wait for the departure in Shanthi Sagar Domlur on Friday night at 9:25 P.M., I happen to meet some of my travel companions. We chat for a while and find something in common. Many of us fear leech-bites.

The coordinator Jaya Siddarth introduces himself and tallies our names on the sheets. Somehow we get the impression that he's a serious and strict guy, only to learn later the next day that he has more fun than any of us and easily inspires others to enjoy the trek. The driver takes frequent breaks to keep at pace with the other tempo that carries another gang of travelers. We reach Chickmagalur in the morning at around 6:30 A.M., after going about 300 Kilometers. Beyond Chickmagalur, transport is by jeep or on foot. So, jeeps ferry us in turn, along with our luggage and sleeping bags.

The journey lasts about an hour and costs 500 Rupees. This is not expensive, because it's per group not per person. As we freshen up at Mullodi house, we are startled. The caretaker Satish places his mobile just below the dish-antenna to converse. While still wondering at this amazing technique, we try our luck with our own phones only to be disappointed. The entire batch arrives and has a sumptuous breakfast of idli with chutney and sambhar. We have a small induction then pack our lunches.

Now, it's time for the trek. We start off at 9 A.M. in the morning. From the beginning, I'm watchful for leeches on the muddy path. By alerting others whenever I notice one, I earn the coveted title “The Leech Hunter”. The path is initially muddy, then we come across shrubs and maneuver through thorns and wild grasses. At times, some of the gang takes a diversion, only to be alerted by our guide Satish to follow the group and not get lost. Soon we climb some extremely steep hills and reach the first peak at 11:20 A.M. Initially, novice climbers hesitate to cross the steep sections without ropes or safety-equipment, but after watching others, they realise it's not an impossible feat and do it themselves.

After some rests and photo shoots, we reach Peak 2 in another 40 minutes. Here we encounter some misty areas. On the passage to Peak 3, we face the most challenging task of the trek. We have to slide down a slope. On seeing the spot, we decide to let the experienced trekkers do it first, so they can then help the rest. This works well, except a few slip a bit and scare others in the process. I drop my bag while sliding, but luckily it's picked up by my predecessor. We reach Peak 3 in another 50 minutes and discover to our surprise that the mobile phones still receive messages. We try calling, not to reach anyone but just to know if there is proper connectivity. Yet, that is not to be. After group photos and a one-hour lunch break, we leave Peak 3 at around 2 P.M.

The return trip proves interesting, as many of us choose to slide much of the way, severely shredding our pants. We reach the homestay at 5:10 P.M. then take a ten-minute stroll to Somavathi falls. Reaching the falls is like running a hurdle race. One has to jump a few concrete barriers to get to the cascade. It's also possible to reach the waterfall by wading the stream, though one has to watch out for slippery rocks. Not everyone had the guts to swim at this late hour in the freezing mountains.

After a camp-fire and dinner, we hit the sleeping bags. Breakfast is a taste of authentic Malnad food, before we pack to leave. On the journey back, our vehicle takes a detour to Belur temple. We reach Bangalore, late in the evening with fun memories and a taste for future adventure.

Note: This post was earlier published in lynfuchs.blogspot.com

Green Initiative : A man-made sanctuary in Kodagu

This little sanctuary in South Kodagu is a man-made paradise. We are talking about Save Animals Initiative (SAI) Sanctuary, which encompasses an area of 300 acres and is a village by itself.

The fact that the forest in the area has been nurtured and retained in its purest natural form is due to the efforts of Anil Kumar Malhotra and Pamela Gale Malhotra, Managing Trustee and Co-Managing Trustee of SAI Sanctuary Trust.

“We started this initiative way back in 1993 with a meagre 55 acres and have expanded it as forest land. Some of the area is also used for cultivation of coffee, cardamom, bamboo, rice, banana, tomato and other vegetables and fruits,” adds Pamela. Anil quips, “The Western Ghats region is key source for fresh water and Kodagu is the heart serving Maharashtra and Karnataka.” The duo has settled in India, after donning various hats in the US (finance professionals, waiters, bartenders and hoteliers), only to find later that nature was their true calling.

“Preserving pristine water resources, expanding and protecting the sources of fresh water, cultivating natural organic foods without disturbing native trees and putting waste land to proper use,” has been their mission and they modestly admit to having achieved it gradually and add that they have miles to go.

So was the path all smooth? “Not at all,” Anil hastily adds. “Right from getting workers to procuring materials to managing finances, it has been an extremely tough but rewarding journey.” The Malhotras have also protected the environment while serving the economically downtrodden and socially backward classes for almost a decade in the Himalayas before embarking on this mega venture. Apart from protecting forests and freshwater, their other priorities include rescue, rehabilitation and release of wildlife, besides conservation of energy. The sanctuary boasts three micro hydro-generators, micro windmills and several solar panels along with solar hot water systems—all of which provide enough electricity to meet their needs. More importantly they do not avail the services of the State’s electricity grid and do not have a single connection to or meter of the power grid. The Malhotras fondly refer to the sanctuary as a natural forest.

True to its name, the sanctuary provides a sanctuary for elephants, deer and tigers to feast on while supplying fresh water to quench their thirst from its river and ponds. They also engage a veterinarian to treat injured birds and animals which come to the sanctuary and those brought in by villagers. The Malhotras themselves have saved an impressive collection of African love birds which are housed in a large aviary.

The sanctuary is characterised by the flavour of nature, be it in the form of homemade cottage cheese/paneer procured from their own cattle and served to guests or the walls made of natural stones (resembling entrances of caves). The Malhotras also take you to the roof-top tree canopy to help you get a bird’s eye view of the sanctuary stretching to the borders of Brahmagiri hills. The view is breathtaking. Anil proudly claims to have spread awareness in several villages on the advantages of organic farming. Anil points out that the place is not a picnic spot or a holiday destination, and says only those genuinely interested in nature should visit the sanctuary. SAI Sanctuary is located at Theralu Village and Post, South Kodagu District. It is near Birunani Village which is a 20 minute drive away.

This article was published in Spectrum, a supplement of Deccan Herald , on October 4,2011.

Heaven on earth : Untouched beauty

I had booked myself on a group tour to explore central and north India and I was content with enjoying only a few landmarks in Delhi and Punjab as the sense of urgency to land in Kashmir superseded the tour’s itinerary.

Watching Bollywood blokes dance around chinar trees in Kashmir, way back in ‘70s and ‘80s, fascinated me and I always had a desire to visit this pristine land. A look at River Jhelum in Kashmir was love at first sight. Our fetish for Kashmiri food landed us at a dhaba and we were served a plate of sweet Kashmiri rice accompanied by Kashmiri tea made of dry fruits, green cardamom (mixed in powdered form) saffron and hot water. Kashmiri tea is light on the stomach, tastes very smooth and has a soothing effect on the throat.

Around midnight, the tour operator wakes us to inform that we have reached Srinagar (the chill breeze confirmed his statement). We retire for the night, eagerly awaiting to explore the city the next day. The next morning, we jump with excitement when we are told that the Dal Lake is walkable from our hotel. A fleet of houseboats, several dozens of shikaras waiting to carry the eager, is the typical scene. We pay Rs 200 for a two-hour boat ride while those wanting a longer ride paid Rs 300 for three hours. We split into groups of four to board the shikaras. The seating is ornamental, comfortable and customised according to individual comfort.

The boatman rows with amazing shrewdness and as we sail along, our eyes catch the attention of a dredging vehicle deployed in the middle of Dal Lake, removing and disposing weeds. Vendors travel in exclusive shikaras to sell Kashmiri silk saris, dry fruits and ornaments to travellers. Passengers get to visit a park nearby as the boatman rests. In the park, one can wear Kashmiri robes and get themselves photographed to treasure cherished memories.

We get back to our respective shikaras and reach Village Bazaar. This is reminiscent of the water-laden streets of Venice. Muttons, stationeries and toiletries and Kashmiri silk saris, you have them all there, besides super markets, barber shops and cobbler shops — all housed in exclusive boats. Tourists plying to houseboats with luggage in shikaras catch our attention. Though the houseboats are anchored, they are moved to other places as per customer requests, to areas as far as Jhelum or canals of Srinagar.

Post-lunch was reserved for exploring gardens and shopping. The first garden on our itinerary was Shalimar Bagh, which is 15 km from Srinagar. In Shalimar Bagh, canals made of fine polished stones run in the middle of the first and second terrace, whereas the third terrace has a black marble construction. Mughal emperors entertained their guests here, we are told, whereas the fourth terrace was meant for Mughal queens and royal ladies. Our next stop was Pari Mahal. This garden is a 10-km drive from Srinagar.

There are six terraces and the notice board informs onlookers that the monuments are protected by the government (though only ruins are left now). But the ruins too are beautiful and we could only imagine their grandeur in the days of yore. Chashma Shahi, another popular garden here, is a five minute drive from Pari Mahal and the water here, which flows in from a local spring, is said to be rich in medicinal properties.

On our second day in Srinagar, we started early to procure jackets, hoods and snow protection shoes, on rent, before visiting the Gulmarg snow peak, which is an hour’s drive from Srinagar. We could see several adventure junkies trying to reach the hill top.

The most amazing feature of these snow peaks is that sun rays, somehow, do not melt the ice. We left Gulmarg late evening, after playing our hearts out in the snow. Early next morning, our last day in Srinagar, we decided to seek some adventure by white water rafting on Lidder River. It is offered in two stretches. A two-km ride costs Rs 200 and a seven-km ride Rs 700. A rower and a life saver accompany passengers in boats of varying capacities; some can accommodate four, the others six, and some others even eight people.

Later, we head to Pahalgam by bus. The horse ride here is also quite adventurous. And as we retired for the night, we looked back and realised why people call Kashmir ‘heaven on earth’. It definitely is. Green gardens, snow-covered hills, beautiful lakes adorned by shikaras, and of course, warm locals. Kashmir is a paradise you need to savour at least once in your lifetime.


This travelogue was published in Sunday Herald ( a supplement of Deccan Herald) on August 28,2011.

Careers in Content Marketing

Careers in Sales and Marketing were long restricted to a few designations like Salesmen, Marketing Executives, Cold-callers, Sales Managers. But, now there are a plethora of opportunities and one can be an Account Manager, Ad-Sales/Operations Manager, Marketing Communication/Brand Communication Manager, Pre-Sales person, Customer-care Representative, Business Analyst so on and so forth. The opportunities for marketing professionals are endless and it is ever-expanding with the emergence of a multi-million dollar industry, namely Content Marketing.

What is Content Marketing?

Content and Context are the buzzwords these days. Content Marketing is a judicious mix of traditional and modern marketing to engage customers. In simple words it is the application of social media tools, effective use of online medium for creating and promoting “Thought and Action Leadership content”, not to influence customers regarding buying decisions but to keep them informed about industry trends, provide clarifications and address their needs. Content Marketing aims to provide customers with what they want in terms of information products rather than trying to sell a company’s product or services/dump the prospect with the company’s sales literature.

Content Marketing is a million-dollar industry. It is a by-product of the Information Technology revolution in the Marketing arena. Content Marketing is the precursor to revamping messaging themes, conveying the essence of large text in few lines, irrespective of which part of the globe readers are. Content Marketing essentially addresses increased consumer awareness, constant demand for in-depth and research information, the opportunity to enhance a company’s brand etc and serving global audience.

How does it work?

If one were to buy a car or plan a holiday what would one do? One would browse travel-related websites, or websites of different companies manufacturing and selling cars, evaluate prices, features, go through user reviews, customer testimonials and then arrive at a purchasing decision. The whole process happens through a click of a mouse and irrespective of whether the person is at home or travelling. Content Marketing provides users with what they want and in the place and through the device preferred by them. For instance all the above steps can be executed either through a laptop or a mobile phone with an internet connection.

In comparison, in the past, buyers had to contact different dealers or travel agents over phone as the case may be, get competitive quotes, meet them at their place, and negotiate and so on. Content marketing provides the convenience of doing all that immediately as compared to the earlier time span of weeks or months for the same process.

Job Opportunities in Content Marketing

Web/Content Writer

A content/web writer’s role involves writing crisp and concise copy such that it immediately grabs the attention of online readers. Surveys claim that most of the readers decide to skim through an article only if the headline is impressive, since they do not have the luxury of time anymore. These writers are employed by companies across all sectors. With the digitalisation of newspapers, magazines, websites of television channels offering live-updates and the increasing online advertisements, even advertisement agencies employ them. A knack for writing, attention to details, ability to work under tight pressures and deadlines, multitask and coordinate are some of the prerequisites for the job. Graduation/Post Graduation in English and working experience in the same sector are preferred. Journalists and Writers with some relevant experience are the ideal candidates for this job. The salary could range from `12,000 to 15,000 for freshers whereas experienced candidates could fetch a greater sum ranging from `30,000 to 45,000 (experience of 4-5 years). In India, we do not have any specific institute offering courses in web/content writing, and even the veterans in the industry are either from journalism/advertising background. The ideal career growth could be Senior Content Writer, Content Manager, Content Lead and Content Head. Content Heads with experience of 13-15 years draw a salary of `18, 000,000 to 20,000,000. Content writing also involves the effective use of instructional design techniques to create storyboards, presentations that can be uploaded online and provided to readers. There are several institutes offering courses in instructional design or web content writing through the online medium, but the fees are highly expensive and it may be worth to pursue a program, only after several years of relevant work experience.

Online Marketing Executive

An online marketing executive is expected to almost everything if not more than that of a traditional marketing executive right from generating leads to conducting specific campaigns to providing sales support to gather marketing/business intelligence. The only difference is that he or she has to do it in an online medium. Important job skills include the ability to research information on the internet, awareness of cyber regulations like spamming, effectively using online alerts like Google Alerts in the interest and towards fulfillment of business objectives. An MBA from a reputed institution is the most sought after qualification for this job. Salaries could range anywhere from `20,000 to 30,000 and as one moves up the career ladder, they can earn much more handsome rewards. Online Marketing executives can also consider moving into areas like adwords, demand generation through online content.

Webmaster

This is one of the newest job profiles and is a very niche skill required in the industry. A webmaster’s job involves managing the website, ensuring that the organisation’s goals and objectives are kept in letter and spirit in the online medium, comfortably manage different online tools like Google Ad words, Content Management Tools developed in-house, and coordinate with writers, designers and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to ensure timely delivery of content on the web. A graduate in any stream is eligible to apply for this job. Since it involves a high degree of coordination and creativity, aspirants are required to have a deep orientation towards planning and execution. A successful webmaster is one who uses the web as an effective marketing tool. The salary range for freshers could be anywhere from `8,000 to 12,000 but with 3 to 4 years of experience candidates can earn a huge sum as much as and even more than `50,000. Since this is a widely growing phenomenon it would not be possible to define a certain career path but is undoubtedly a very promising opportunity.

SEO and Social Media Specialist

Large organisations employ a SEO/and Social media specialist in addition to a webmaster, but in small organisations the task is often taken care by the webmaster. SEO expands Search Engine Marketing and it involves effective use of keywords to ensure that the company’s website is ranked high among search engines. They procure keywords that are searched frequently by web crawlers. Web crawlers are tools used by search engines to spot the keywords relevant to a particular industry/area of interest. On the other hand a social media specialist works towards ensuring timely delivery and consistency of the company’s messages across social networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, internal and external blogs etc. Since both jobs are a sub function of the previous, the aspirants could lose interest and feel that it is monotonous unless they are able to think out of the box and exhibit zeal in the creative ideas that they could come up with. Salaries and career growth possibilities are similar to the former jobs listed above.

This article was published in the October issue of STC India's newsletter.

Content: The News Marketing Tool

The rules of marketing undergo significant changes, as time passes by. From a seller-dominated market to a buyer-dominated market, it has come a long way to ultimately crown the consumer. Other ancillary functions like marketing communication and advertising undergo a sea-change. So, “blowing one’s trumpet” is no more the way of selling, as everyone, right from the consumer to the competitor, is well equipped with information, facts, and figures.

The dramatic shift in marketing is characterized by the advertising language that uses the tone of informing than selling. In today’s world a seller needs to be proactive, anticipate changes, and create awareness among the community. To reach everyone in the right time, place and to convince and provide a multitude of options is the goal of every seller and marketer. Content Marketing empowers one to do that.
What is Content Marketing?

Content Marketing is the creation of engaging, compelling, and customer-centric content, effective use of various modern media (internet, website, blogs, social media marketing) to communicate the focused information to target buyers. Content marketing is an improvement over traditional marketing (print, advertising, and magazine) and yields fantastic results at nominal investments and minimal maintenance costs.

To be explicit, content marketing involves viral marketing for your campaigns – remember the SMS virus created by BJP asking people to vote them to power, during the 2004 elections or the electoral magic created by Obama through effective campaigning in social networking sites and online media? The intended communication reaches the target audience through the click of a mouse. A successful content marketing strategy involves offering information products to end-consumers. Servicing customers, achieving increased user satisfaction in a highly competitive scenario amidst expanding overseas presence is possible easily through content marketing.
Content Marketing industry

Content Marketing is a multibillion dollar industry. There is a thin line between Content Marketing and Traditional Marketing. It is not a substitute but a supplementary function that improves the effectiveness of the latter, phenomenally. A point to be noted is that most of the newspapers, magazines, and even advertisement agencies and TV channels have established an online presence. Having embraced the philosophy of integrated marketing communication, they are offering the benefits offered by content marketers in addition to what they have been offering from time immemorial. However, there are niche areas like Search Engine Optimization and Pay Per Click (PPC) that only content marketers offer. Content marketing has enormous potential in terms of generating employment opportunities or simply put change the face of marketing.
The competitive edge

Why do the leading television channels play recorded videos of their programs in their websites? Why do magazines publish their news articles online and in social media marketing tools like Facebook? Why do CDs and DVDs accompany the media kits of corporate? Why do companies invest more and more money in creating their own content? Why are regional websites attaining popularity? Why are blogs and twitter posts in the limelight? Limited attention spans, constant urge for information on products are some of the reasons. Added to that is the viability to access content at any place and time – for instance travelers read mails during flight journeys. Content marketing helps reach the audience conveniently be it during their leisure or while attending a board meeting or even when driving a vehicle. It does not surpass traditional marketing, but helps your target audience access information in the shortest time span. Added to that, other factors like user-friendly language, mechanism of crisp communication and the possibility of providing actionable items are some of the factors that favor content marketing. For instance, there are options to read related posts or contact a subject matter expert by email or chat in most of the websites.
Adopting Content Marketing

A judicious mix of traditional and content marketing will help in achieving your company’s objectives or ROI from marketing budgets. That said, it is not easy to transform the mindset of a company’s top management to publish all their customer-centric information on the internet, or post thought leadership content on their inventions in a public-domain, more so in the case of traditional organizations. But one needs to communicate the success of solepreneurs, multinationals, and even non-profit organizations who have utilized this powerful medium to achieve marketing objectives by spending only a fraction of their marketing budgets. Above all making an effective use of the content marketing devices involves only a one-time investment and thereafter it is only maintenance and content creation costs, for instance in the case of a corporate website all that an organization needs to invest is in buying a domain name and for the initial layout, design etc. Organizations that fail to consider content marketing will lag behind their competitors, no matter the quality of their offerings, reputation in the market or any other factor that has been influential to the organizations growth, till now.
The future of Content Marketing

Content marketing is here to stay. But what will happen to it in the next ten years is anybody’s guess. Just like every technology or invention there will be improvements over Content Marketing. But, until anything of the sort happens, it is an important marketing mix. If you have not yet looked into implementing it in your company so far, it is high time you act upon it.

This article was published in STC(Society for Technical Communication) India's Newsletter(August Issue).

Courtrallam - The spa of the south

Everybody's talking about Coutrallam now. The irrepressibly majestic waterfalls have put the tiny town on the international tourist map. This also happens to be the best time of the year to visit Courtallam – the temperature is just right and the roar of the waters, which are infused with rare herbs, cascading onto your body is guaranteed to chase your stress away.

Here is the Guide to the place known variously as Tamilnadu's Niagara and the Spa of the South!

Situated in the foothills of the Western Ghats, Coutrallam is a part of the Podhigai Hills of Tirunelveli district in Tamilnadu. This is one of the few waterfalls in the country where tourists are allowed to bathe. A cool breeze, a drizzle and the imposing range of Western Ghats greet you when you enter Coutrallam. The annual 'Saaral Vizha' marks the beginning of the tourist season.

The Must-See Waterfalls are:

1) Main Falls: This is the most popular and perennially crowded waterfall in the region. When water cascades down at its full strength, the stretch equals the width of 15 persons standing next to each other!

1) Main Falls: This is the most popular and perennially crowded waterfall in the region. When water cascades down at its full strength, the stretch equals the width of 15 persons standing next to each other!

2) Chittaruvi/ Forest Falls: Locals fondly call it the 'Bathroom Falls'. As the name signifies, you will find plenty of bathing rooms right beneath the falls, though only a few people can be accommodated at a time.

3) V.I.P/ Orchard Falls: Straight out of a beautiful dream – that is how picturesque the Orchard Falls are! But you require special permission from the tourism office to bathe here. Psst, several important personalities were denied the privilege.

4.) Five Falls:

Rated as one of the most popular falls, the temple nearby adds to the appeal. Water from the V.I.P Falls directly flows down here and gets diverted into five different falls and hence the name.

5.) Tiger Falls:

Untill 1950, water was flowing without restrictions here. But, thanks to the efforts of renowned industrialist Sri.Karimuthu
Thyagaraja Chettiar, the falls were made suitable for public bathing. He was the one who had constructed the tiger caves. It is believed that in those days, tigers use to rest in the caves at night.

6) Old Courtallam Falls:

Inaugurated by Shri K.Kamaraj in 1960 when he was the chief minister of the state, the Old Courtallam Falls has its own set of loyal fans.

7.)Shenbaga Devi Water Falls:

Named after the Shenbaga Devi Amman temple located nearby, water from the falls flows over a deep pool beneath. Dangerous rocks line in the floor of the pool. There have been several instances of deaths due to careless plunges. Still, even statistical displays of death tolls, haven’t stopped over-enthusiastic tourists from jumping in.



8.) Honey Falls:

Situated above Shenbagadevi Falls, you need to swim a few yards in a pool to bathe here. The falls are named after the cluster of bee hives above them.

9.) New Falls:

At an elevation of roughly 1000 ft, the New Falls are situated above 2 Kms from the Main Falls. The pristine waters and the sylvan landscape all around have ensured the popularity of the falls among tourists.

Apart from these, there are other waterfalls here which are in privately owned farmlands and gardens. Public transportation
is not available for all the waterfalls. You might have to trek.

A plethora of massage parlours dot Courtallam. For a taste of rustic boho, get a vigorous massage, bathe in the falls, have a spicy meal and sleep all the day exactly in that order.

Mythical Courtallam? Yes, that too!

When all the gods and goddesses converged at Mount Kailash to witness the celestial wedding of Lord Shiva and Parvathi, their combined weight was so heavy that the northern plate tilted. Lord Shiva summoned Maharishi Agasthya and asked him to proceed south of the Vindhyas to balance the weight. So immense was the Maharishi’s yogic powers that the north-south balance was quickly restored.

With his divine vision, Agastya witnessed the wedding right from Courtallam. There are many who still believe that he still lives in the jungles.

Another narrative has it that the deity at Courtrallanathar temple was initially that of Lord Bramha. It was later transformed into the deity of Lord Vishnu. In its current form, it is the deity of Lord Shiva. The Lord and his Consort are Parvathy are known here as Courtalla Naadhar and Kuzhalvaimozhi. Courtallam is also known as ‘Chitra Sabha’, one of the five celestial dancing halls in which Lord Natraja performed his divine dance.

References to the Courtallam temple are found in the literary compositions of the last Sangam era. Many miracles are attributed to the place. In the year 1949, a 12-year-old speech-impaired girl named Meenakshi suddenly found herself cured of the disability. Devotees believe that Mother Parvathy had cured the little girl. The fact that the news was published in London journal named ‘prediction’ in 1950 might make you want to reconsider the instinct to dismiss it as gossip.

The Europeans were the first to call it the ‘Spa of the South’. In memory of Lord Casa Major, a neighbouring village was named Kasimejapuram. You will also find many magnificent bungalows built by the English officers of the East India Company and the subsequent rulers. The British were also the ones who had constructed the arch through which water flows to the main falls.

Water conservation:

There are about 70 tanks to save the water from the falls for irrigation and drinking. Courtallam hills also boast of about 350 rare and exclusive herbs.

Accommodation and Food:

There are as many as seventy lodges, 100 hotels and 450 houses with paying guest/ cooking options to choose from. Book in advance, else you might not find a place to stay! Visitors often end up buying properties in the area to construct expansive retreat-style homes.

You might find the local cuisine very spicy. Fret not, because all the extra spice will prepare your body for the cold waters!



Prominent places of stay are:

1.) Isakki High View Resorts-04633283773
2.) Kurinji Villa – 04633 083267
3.) Dalavoi House – 04633 283027, 04633283447
4.) Hotel Tamilnadu – 04633 283003

Shopping…..

Don’t expect to do any exotic souvenir shopping in Courtallam. Still, you might want to buy fruits like mangosteen, custard apple and of course , the local spices. Chilli bajji is the most popular local snack. And don’t forget to treat yourself to the inimitable Tirunelveli Halwa!

Season:

June to August is the peak season for tourists, but the best time to visit is September. This is the month when Courtallam is not very crowded and you can enjoy your trip in leisure. It is not a good idea to visit Courtallam between October and December; the water would freeze your bones!

Other places of interest near Courtallam:

Kasi Viswanathar Temple: 5 Kms

Milk Falls at Ariyankavoo , Kerala : 30 kms

Upper Dam at Papanasam : 54 Kms

Nellaiappar Kovil at Tirunelvelli : 60Kms

Kanyakumari : 140 Kms

Transport:

Madurai Airport is 120 kilometers away while Trivandrum Airport is 160 Kilometers away from Courtallam.

This article was published in RITZ magazine.

KNOW YOUR BUILDER - Quality servicing and end-to-end solutions.

MDS Prabu

Gayathri Punjabi Mirza Director of KG Developers and Promoters talks on the fundamentals of real estate industry.

She happens to be one of the few woman leaders in the field. And more importantly she heads one of the biggest firms. Gayathri Punjabi Mirza says she was always involved with the industry and proudly informs us that she did her bachelors and masters in Real Estate Finance from USA. KG Developers and Promoters is one of the oldest companies that has completed more than one hundred projects since its inception… and carrying its success story ahead is gayathri leading the path set by her founder father.

“We help the buyer in everything right from tenanting to resale and we cater to both commercial and residential properties,” she tells us stressing on the priority of providing high quality services. She has a high regard for buyers and notes that they are knowledgeable and well exposed. Gayathri points out that one of their USPs has been to offer facilities for future and growing needs. “As a matter of fact we make use of high quality raw materials and we utilise those that are at least 3 or 4 times higher in quality than the standard ones,” she quips.

“Instead of buildings that face roads we construct in such a way that they face the inner side. This is an international model and it has been highly appreciated by property enthusiasts,” says she and adds that in their projects many facilities like clubs, gyms and other amenities are an in-built feature. Today people do not have the time practically to go out for each activity and therefore it is these areas we address to make a difference.”

While discussing about the kind of service they offer she says that a lot of planning goes behind the scene and that they have always ensured transparency with the clients.” We maintain relationships even after the project is completed,” she tells us. On the kind of sectors the builder targets, Gayathri says that they cater both to commercial and residential properties. Explaining about the kind of services that they undertake in IT projects she says, “We offer all modern infrastructure and amenities to the full satisfaction of the clients. For instance our mega project in Perungudi the landscape, exteriors and entrance have been constructed on the basis of eco friendly standards. It even has an independent service building.”

She also explains about their forthcoming-gated community project, KG Green Meadows in Velachery, “It is the first of its kind in the city with 100 semi detached villas. We have provided for a healthy living environment with oxygen parlours, jogging track, sauna, steam, foot reflexology pathways, amphi theatre and swimming pool. We have also put up hydraulic unique plumbing system that avoids the use of overhead tanks above each villa”.

On the scope of real estate market she is extremely optimistic and says that disposable income among people and the willingness to buy homes will always remain. When asked about the moves she would suggest for the benefit of the industry she called for better infrastructure development and private public partnership.

She has an important piece of advice to buyers “Choose your buyer with discretion and pay proper attention when you choose a location”.

This article was published in ET Madras Plus dated 6.4.2007.