Tribes Of Nilgiris, Ooty

The Nilgiri Hills stand at the lush green border where Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. The mountains get their name from the blue Neelakurinji flower, which blooms once every 12 years. 

Long ago, these hills were unapproachable, covered in thick, wild forests. Today, tea gardens and holiday resorts cover much of the landscape, a legacy of the British era.

Despite these changes, the Nilgiris remain home to several tribal communities which include, the Todas, Irulas, Kotas, Kurumbas, Paniyars, and Kattunayakans who live in pockets along this hill. Their lives have changed greatly since colonial rule, when ancestral lands were transformed into plantations and many were drawn into plantation labour. Today, the few who remain in these hills balance the modern life and at the same time preserve their ancestral culture and traditions.

Protecting this tribal heritage matters to us as these communities carry generations of knowledge about the land, medicinal plants, and ways of living in harmony with nature.

To preserve and document this heritage, the government established the Tribal Research Centre (TRC) in 1983 at Muthorai Palada, about 10 kilometres from Ooty. Its campus includes a Tribal Museum showcasing traditional weapons, pottery, jewellery, and other cultural artefacts, along with life-size replicas of indigenous dwellings, including the distinctive barrel-shaped Toda huts. With newly laid roads, this museum is open to public and is must-stop for anyone exploring Nilgiri Hills.

In a landscape transformed by roads, plantations, and modern tourism, this establishment quietly reminds us that the oldest stories of the Nilgiris do not live in its tea gardens or colonial buildings, but in the people who have called these hills home for centuries.

The TRC is situated along the Ooty–Avalanche Road, open Monday to Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The entry fee is 50/ for adults & 25/ for children. It also offers a small collection of GI-tagged Toda embroidery for sale. 

Victoria Public Hall, Chennai

This crimson red building was a reminder to get off the bus during the mid 80s for my badminton training at the Corporation Indoor Stadium—now the Nehru Indoor Stadium. Back then, my journey would begin outside the Ega Theatre -waiting on the roadside to catch the MTC Route 15 or 15B bus. As the bus rattled down Poonamallee High Road—past Kilpauk Medical College and the grand old Dasaprakash Hotel—you didn’t tell the conductor you were heading to Victoria Public Hall. To every commuter and bus crew in Madras, this familiar transit landmark near the Ripon Building was universally known as the Picnic bus stop or the Ripon bus stop. While generations of young athletes and daily commuters used it as a visual milestone, none stepped past its gates as the building had  slipped into decades of neglect and bore an abandoned look.

Fast forward to today, those familiar red walls have finally awoken from their long slumber. The old Picnic hotel structures on its leased land are long gone, cleared to make way for the underground Chennai Central Metro station, but this heritage hall has been saved.

Following a massive ₹32.62-crore restoration under the Singara Chennai 2.0 project, the Greater Chennai Corporation has now officially reopened its doors to the public. The building has been completely transformed into a dynamic civic and cultural museum, ensuring its spaces echo with life once again. Visitors can now explore the ground floor's immersive exhibits showcasing Chennai's theatrical, sporting, and political evolution, as well as the magnificent first floor, which can seat 300 guests for grand cultural events.

The Victoria Public Hall is a striking masterpiece of Indo-Saracenic architecture, constructed between 1883 and 1888 to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee. Designed by British architect Robert Fellowes Chisholm and built by legendary local contractor Diwan Bahadur Namperumal Chetty, it quickly became the cultural epicenter of colonial Madras. The hall is renowned in history as it hosted historic public addresses by Swami Vivekananda in 1897 and Mahatma Gandhi in 1915. It was also the cradle of regional social evolution, serving as the birthplace of the Justice Party in 1916 and also hosting Chennai’s very first public motion picture screening in 1896. Complete with vintage, Madras-themed outdoor photo spots featuring classic trams and rickshaws and with an audio show, this revitalized masterpiece seamlessly links the 1880s with the vibrant energy of modern Chennai.

This place definitely did, and will continue to, make me sojourn back to my nostalgic days walking around the lanes of this crimson town hall. It stands as a living bridge between the 80s youth who used it merely as a landmark to get off for daily sports practice, and the curious visitor who returned today. 

In a rapidly changing city, it reminds us that while time moves relentlessly forward, our memories are deeply anchored. When young, we rarely pay attention to the soul of such heritage spaces we pass through, but as matured adults, we look much more closely and reminisce ...

Hours & Tickets

Sunday - Saturday: 8 AM to 6 PM 

Tuesday - Closed 

Tickets -  Slots to be booked online at GCC website 

Escape To Thekkady, Kerala

Periyar Reserve, Spice Gardens, and Lake Safaris make Thekkady the ultimate Kerala escape, which can easily be combined with nearby Vagamon for a complete regional itinerary. 

This beautiful detour was an addition to our Vagamon weekend trip. Because our visit to the Periyar lake safari was unplanned, we had to wait in line for spot tickets and could only secure seats for the afternoon cruise. Yet, every journey holds its own unique charm, and this impromptu drive to Thekkady was no exception. 

Leaving behind the misty meadows of Vagamon, a scenic 1.5-hour drive covering roughly 45 kilometres via Elappara and Kuttikkanam took us down a winding, roller-coaster road framed by lush green streams and rolling tea estates. Nestled in the stunning Cardamom Hills, this area perfectly blends wild nature with agricultural beauty, where local spice plantations sit right next to the deep, protected Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.

To reach the safari itself, visitors must leave their private vehicles at the Anavachal Parking Area and board the mandatory forest department shuttle buses. These eco-buses transport you directly through the protected forest zone to the boat landing and back. 

The highlight of this travel circuit is the 1.5-hour boat safari on Periyar Lake. This sprawling 26-square-kilometre artificial reservoir was formed in 1895 after British engineer John Pennycuick constructed the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River to divert water to drought-prone regions. This historic project submerged a dense river valley, leaving behind the iconic dead tree trunks that still poke above the water's surface today and transforming the man-made lake into the vital heart of a thriving forest ecosystem.

Cruising these waters gives us a front-row seat to wildlife gathering at the shoreline, making it highly likely to spot herds of wild elephants, sambar deer, gaur (Indian bison), wild boars, and smooth-coated otters. The lake is also a haven for vibrant birdlife like darters, egrets, and kingfishers resting on the submerged trees. 

To experience this smoothly, my advice to travellers is to plan a comprehensive itinerary, touring aromatic cardamom and pepper plantations and watching traditional Kalaripayattu martial arts in the evening. 

The park schedules five daily boat departures at 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:45 PM, and 3:30 PM, with the 7:30 AM morning slot being the absolute best for spotting animals in the crisp air. Because seats sell out rapidly, booking tickets well in advance online via the Periyar Tiger Reserve official website or the KTDC platform is highly recommended, costing around ₹150–₹255 for adults plus separate sanctuary entry and shuttle bus fees.