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 OOTY 1The road well travelled By Sheila KumarThey tried as hard as they could, but the Brits just could not say ‘Udhgamandalam’. The Todas, original owners of these lands, tried even harder to say ‘Ootacamund’, but all they could manage was ‘Whadacamund’. The British thought they reached a compromise with ‘Wotkymund’. Fortunately for us all, the Todas dismissed the effort outright and today we can save much time, energy and copy space with the simple, practical Ooty. A perfect little name for the perfect Big Queen of the Blue Mountains.
Ooty, the Scotland of the East, is one of the most popular holiday destinations in South India. In season, it’s all about a crush of tourists on bad roads, taps running dry and shopkeepers out to fleece you. But there’s a secret to getting the best out of a trip to Ooty and it is this: go off-season (March to May). Go discover an Ooty that veils herself in season.
This Ooty is a series of piquant montages: the sun lighting up one hill even as the other beside it remains shrouded in green velvet; ponies contentedly chomping grass by the kerbside; the sharp fragrance of pines lining a mist-laden road; the aroma of hot filter coffee and sambar. | | This article appears in Outlook Traveller Getaways’ Romantic Holidays in India. For more about the book, and more excerpts, click here. |
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