Human action seldom treads down the well-laid path of logic. Most of the time, it takes a bumpy ride through a pathless land with an enchanting view. So, that explains why I head to Perumbakkam hill at 9 a.m. on a day when the sun seems perfectly capable of giving anyone a three-aspirin headache. The trek up the hill at this hour is foolhardy for another reason. I have been warned that the trail up to the top is not clear and the possibility of getting trapped in nettles and shrubs is high. If I had undertaken the trek in the evening, my path would not be lonely. People from surrounding localities are said to climb up this hill.
I access the foothills from Indiranagar Main Road, after reaching it via Nookampalayam Main Road. Later, I will make the discovery that it can also be accessed from Karanai Main Road.
When I take a narrow pathway and step into a clearing, the warning rings loud in my ears. There isn’t one trail, but many. After going down a couple of them and seeing them disappear into bushes, I take one that leads me to a sight that sends a frisson of excitement through me. In front of me, I find a huge receptacle of water set against the background of a mountain resembling a half-cut boiled egg. It’s a breathtaking sight and I spend long minutes taking it all in. From there, the trail up is clear, only to play hide and seek after a while. Markings on the embedded rocks on the trail reveal that it is a well-travelled path and somebody has tried to help others to the top. Holding the rocks, I clamber my way up to discover a pile of gigantic stones, arranged as if giants from another galaxy had attempted to play seven stones.
Perumbakkam hill is not as tall as I would have liked it to be, but it affords some good views. At the back of my mind is a niggling thought that they would have been grander had I experienced them in the evening, under the gaze of a tired sun. On some of the stones, I notice names that have been marked, probably to officialise the conquest of Perumbakkam hill. The descent is easy, but finding my way back to my car at the foothills isn’t. For, at the foothills, I have taken a path that leads to Karanai Main Road. A resident helps me find my way back to where I have parked my machine. A few others even volunteer to help me explore the foothills again, this time for some medicinal herbs.
(This column shows you how to be a tourist in your own city)
