To me, the Perumbakkam lake symbolises two truths. One, the best things of life come our way when we are busy looking for something else. Two, we often miss out on a fortune because we did not walk that extra yard, dig a foot deeper or take that one simple, but crucial turn.
I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have hit Nookampalayam Main Road, but it took me a serendipitous ‘right turn’ last week to discover a side of Perumbakkam lake that I never knew existed. At one point, Nookampalayam Main Road forks into two and I have had reasons to take the one to the left. On that day, I took the one to the right which tightly hugs the ankle of the Perumbakkam hill. I did so to explore this hill, which I have learnt from friends has a trail leading to the summit. As I drove down this road to the right, known as Indiranagar Main Road, I chanced upon a conch-shaped waterbody — the Perumbakkam lake.
Driving down the Medavakkam-Mambakkam Road, I have had glimpses of the western side of this lake. But it did not make for a pretty picture, probably due to the squalor on the road. From Indiranagar Main Road, the view was much better, even impressive. A long, winding bund on the eastern side of the lake led me to reconsider my plans for the evening. The hill can wait for another day. And before I realise it, I am on the wide and reasonably clean eastern bund of Perumbakkam lake. When I turn my gaze to the left or to the right or look back over my shoulder, I am greeted with sights that I can only describe as calming. On my right, the Nookampalayam Main Road runs parallel to the lake’s eastern bund. Between the road — largely defined by tall concrete structures — and the bund, there are patches where nature still rules. On this side, there is a small-sized paddy field, another small parcel of land where a few eucalyptus trees stand like straggly hairs in a rapidly balding pate and another piece of land which resembles a clearing in a wilderness. These patches of green draw birds. My checklist for the evening includes crow pheasants, pied bushchats and swallows. On the bund, there are occasional trees, including palms. Increasing the greenery on the bund will improve the lake’s avian quotient. Turning to the placid waters on my left, I find a few spot-billed pelicans swimming around languidly. A few people fish with a rod and a reel. The stroll down the eastern bund, which seems to me to be nearly two kilometres long, is pleasant and other inquisitive footsteps join mine. Two young IT professionals are on the bund with their cameras. Towards the end of the walk, I come upon another body of water, much smaller, that is situated cheek by jowl with the lake, very much like a diacritic placed close to a letter. It doesn’t seem to be connected to the main waterbody, but I am told the two are treated as one. As I head back, I hear bleats of goats, watched over by a goatherd. A pastoral idyll in the midst of mad development.
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Nookampalayam Road branches off Perumbakkam Main Road (also known as the Medvakkam-Sholinganallur Road), which can be accessed at Medavakkam and Sholinganallur.
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