Day 15 of 20

What?...you are asking, why a day's delay? Oh well, you know i can find some excuse.This time's excuse is...is...oh well, i couldn't get the time to write it or if i have to be honest, i couldn't make time to write it.

Getting on, to our final part..OK, before sunset, we had to leave Dada pahad and the guest house i was talking about is in place called Kemmangudi..like i mentioned its on a higher altitude than the dada pahad.After another twisty and turny journey,thanks to non existent road, we reached there.It was our taxi driver, who suggested this place. It was a plain guest house, not the sophisticated, upscale one. Very basic, had a few rooms with double beds.We were given our room,we freshened up and came out. And beautiful instrumental music was playing...on top of mountain, about an hour away from sunset, nice cool breeze and beautiful flower garden...as i walked closer to the garden , i realized it was more of a rose garden, the light sweet smell of the roses floating in the air...was one of the beautiful experiences of my life, i still cherish it and long for it. When my father appreciated the caretaker for the music , he said, it was for the plants and the plants responded really well to the music.We were surprised, this was the first time, we were hearing that music was being played for plants, and they play it twice a day, morning and evening.And it was a good consequence that humans enjoyed it too.

There were not too many people staying, there was a group of men, to be honest, i was a little scared looking at that group, another couple and us, and there was a caretaker.In my mind, there was some fear of security and the thought that there was no security or lot of ladies in the guest house, made me a little uneasy. I remember not being able to sleep well, because of cold and a little fear.

The specialty of this place, is the food is cooked fresh on premises for every meal. The caretaker cooks it with the supplies that come in once a day, from the towns below, no fancy meals, simple, fresh and yummy. Around the garden, there is a small look out place with a few benches, you could sit there and all you will see the mountain ranges, and beautiful nature God probably molded with his own hands. No, there are no perfectly manicured lawns or strategically placed flower plants, this was nature in its rugged best, raw and beautiful.

I sometimes used to lament at how our facilities are bad and how India has so much of natural treasure and is not promoted for tourism, but now i think, its for the good, otherwise, for the hunger of money, this place will be commercialized, there will be shops selling all kinds of souvenirs, people ready to spend money for comforts and we will start robbing from the nature.I hope in the last 10 years, things haven't changed for worse, one change i would definitely want is better roads.And I hope it has become more family friendly, not a booze hangout for men.

This part of the trip was totally unplanned and was a pleasant experience. We woke up the next day, took bath and went back to Dada Pahad. After again paying our respects at the Gavvi and did i mention that there are some tombs in the Gavvi, there are different theories of who they are, ask my mother, she would say they are brother's of Mama Jigni and others there say they are followers of Baba Budan.

Oh, i now realize, i haven't mentioned about Baba Budan.He is said to be disciple of Dada and it is his descendants who are the caretakers of the Gavvi. I haven't heard anything about Baba Budan from my mother or grandmother, but the internet will give you lot of different kinds of information.

This place is popularly now called Baba Budangiri,or Dattagiri. I personally dont care, what its called, as long as they don't fight over the name and ownership and leave the holy places to holy men and their devotees.They are enough other reasons to pick up a fight, just spare the holy places, will be my humble request, if anyone cares to listen.

I can try to explain to you what salt tastes like and go on and on about it, but you will never know what i am saying, until you put a small grain of salt on your tongue. Similarly, i can go on and on about this place, though it is of special attachment to me, it is a place that one should visit.I can try to tell you about the peace and tranquility that prevails here, but until you experience it, you will know not what i am trying to say. If not to Dada Pahad, try going to Kemmangudi...just make sure, you go there as big group(for safety purpose) and enjoy the nature, sit quietly on the bench in the sit-out early in the morning and late in the evening and feel one with the nature.In the rush of life, we often loose connection with ourselves and this is one of the place, that will help you get in touch with yourself.

Remember, I was mentioning how this memory kept coming to me, time and again recently. I think i now know why.I am longing a sense of peace, a sense of tranquility and my brain is bringing up this memory to appease me.And to remind me to look inwards, as opposed to outwards.

Hope you all enjoyed reading about how i got my 'not a last name' and about the trip which i took almost 10 years ago.

Some information about this place from the internet
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baba_Budangiri
http://members.tripod.com/baba_budan_hills/otherplaces.html

Google and you will find different versions of the story i said and some pictures too. Seeing those pics, makes me want to go back.I pray before i leave my physical being, i get a chance to visit this place again.

Before I end this series, i know , in the quest of knowing the story behind my last name took to me a very beautiful place and i am passing it on to my daughter.While she has her father's last name, she has a very unique middle name.A name, that will stand as a mere initial in all her official records, and when she will be old enough to know it, hopefully she will follow the same trail as i did.