Tag: Munnar

The Supernatural.

supernatural
adjective

caused by forces that cannot be explained by science:
Ghosts and evil spirits are supernatural.
She is said to have supernatural powers and to be able to communicate with the dead.
———————————————————–

This Friday’s Two On One topic has been chosen by Shackman who perhaps has been influenced by the highly popular television serial of the same name!  I have never seen it nor have any intention of seeing it in the future.

I personally have no experience of the supernatural nor have I met anyone who has had one.  I have heard vague stories without any proof and have never taken the subject seriously except once in the Southern State of Kerala, when after an evening of swapping stories at a club’s bar up in the Munnar Hills, on a dare I spent a night in the verandah of an abandoned bungalow which was reputed to be haunted.

I slept blissfully without even a dream and woke up with a hangover, not due to any supernatural forces but due to the previous evenings excess. I proved to the sceptics among my hosts that the haunted story must have been planted by someone interested in the real estate and since nothing happened to me, perhaps, they should have a good strong look at what is the story behind the rumours and beliefs.

Having shared that piece of my experience, let me conclude this post by saying that since I have neither belief nor personal experience of any supernatural phenomenon, I have nothing further to say in the matter.

I am sure that Shackman will have something/s more interesting to say and request my readers to go over to his blog to read that.

Tea In Kerala.

One of India’s 28 states is Kerala. Kerala is the most literate state in India and is a classic example of a remittance/ money order economy. Local industry is almost nil as Kerala has a militant trade union movement strongly supported by the ruling left front. The left front consists of communists and socialists of various hues. Most Keralites, also known as Malayalis leave Kerala to work elsewhere in India, the Middle East and send back money for the family. You can read about Kerala here.

Kerala’s preferred beverage is Tea and its grown up in the mountains around the head waters of a river called Moonar meaning three rivers. The British Tea Planters called it Munnar and made the tea famous for its unique flavour.

People from Kerala speak a language called Malayalam. They are therefore affectionately called Malayalis or Mallus for short. They have a very high sense of humour and are delightful conversationalists. They are also known for thier sangfroid. I have intimate connections with this wonderful state due to my mother having come from there and our own posting there for a few years.

In the picture below, you can see the Malayali sense of humour, their sangfroid and the local favourite beverage being vended from a mobile tea shop atop a bicycle, with aplomb.

tea in Kerala