Gavi became famous with a Malayalam film titled ‘Ordinary’. It tells the story of a KSRTC bus that connects Gavi to the district capital, Pathanamthitta, a town in the south Kerala. I was really moved by the breathtaking beauty of the landscape of Gavi from the visuals of the film. I took a night bus from my hometown, Calicut to Pathanamthitta. I decided to take a KSRTC ordinary bus which starts at 6.30 from Pathanamthitta. KSRTC depots of Kumily and Pathanamthitta, operate two bus services daily via Gavi. Gavi is a hill station between Kumily and Pathanamthitta. I was not able to collect much information about the landscape of Gavi from the websites before embarking.

I reached Pathanamthitta early in the morning by 5.00 am. I confirmed form some website that there are buses to Gavi at 6.30 am and 11.30 am. I decided to take the early bus as I did not have any plan to stay on the hilltop. After taking a light breakfast from the bus station, I began to spot the bus to Gavi. I walked up and down many times and became restless as I was not able to locate it. One lottery seller in the bus station observed me  and figured out that I was waiting for the bus to Gavi. He told me to wait till 6.20 am for the bus. Though I do not like lottery sellers in general due to personal reasons, I liked his kind gesture of support. I found a few youngsters in the platform waiting for the same bus. I got into the bus and made sure that I got a window seat. The bus was not crowded and surprisingly, most of the young people in the platform have got into the bus. A foreigner got into the bus and occupied a seat that is reserved to the women. The conductor asked him to find another seat in his broken English. He came and sat next to me and soon got involved in his mobile phone. He appeared to be a typical thinker with long hair and casual dress.

It takes at least 5 hours to reach Gavi from Pathanamthitta. Gavi is about ninety kilometers away from Pathanamthitta and sixty kilometers is all through the dense forest path. Pathanamthitta is well-known for its greenery and spiritual places like Sabarimala, a Hindu pilgrim shrine of Lord Ayyappa. The bus enters into the forest region of Gavi after Aangamuzhi which is thirty kilometers away from Pathanamthitta.  As the bus reached Aangamuzhi, the conductor told us to have breakfast as nothing would be available on the hilltop. I did not take it for the face value as I hoped that there will be facility on the hilltop based on the information I gained from the film. The foreigner asked me whether I am going with him for breakfast. As I humble rejected the call, he asked me to take care of his luggage. When he came back after ten minutes, he brought some sandwiches for me. I try my level best to eat less while travelling as I am doubtful about the hygiene and the subsequent problems with food infection. I had some water and biscuits with me. I was really doubtful whether to accept the sandwiches offered by the foreigner or to reject it. Finally I decided to accept it. This act of sharing food opened a space for dialogue between us. He was from Portugal and asked me whether I knew something about Portugal. When I said that I was from Calicut, he tried to connect it to the arrival of a Portuguese mariner called Vasco de Gama at Calicut in 1498. The arrival of Vasco de Gama opened up the whole reality of colonization.

The road becomes very narrow as it enters into the forest region. The forest department does not allow much expansion of the road and infrastructure to preserve the ecosystem and wildlife. Hence only, the state-run KSRTC bus operates through the forest and private vehicles are allowed only with prior permission of the forest department. Two wheelers are not allowed due to the threat from the wild animals. It is not safe taking your new car to Gavi as the body will be full of scratches from the sharp stones on the road and branches hitting the vehicle from both sides. The road is just enough for a bus to pass with some effort.  The forest officials get into the bus many times to check whether something goes wrong, and they are vigilant about anything and anyone enters the forest region. The condition of the forest path is very pathetic as it is not scientifically constructed.

 Almost all the animals, except lion can be found in the forest region of Gavi. According to some officials, there are about 42 tigers and 75 black panthers there. Gavi forest region is situated in the Western Ghats region of Kerala which is rich with a number of rivers, dams and wildlife sanctuaries. Exploration of the forest with a two-wheeler will be a great experience, but it is not practical due to threat from wild animals. Cars are allowed with prior permission from the forest department. As far as I am concerned, taking a KSRTC bus either form Kumily or Pathanamthitta is the most safe and economic way to explore the beauty of Gavi.

As I was exploring the wild beauty of the bamboo forest, a bamboo stick hit my forehead. The Portuguese who was comfortably sleeping got up as he heard my shout…. “Fuck”. He said, “It is not safe sitting at the widow and you can’t sleep at the window seat.” He seemed to be very familiar with the landscape of Gavi. He was sleeping all the way as everyone else where excited about the scenery outside. After a couple of exchanges with me, he continued to sleep.

I turned my attention to the thick and dense forest cover outside. The projecting branches and bamboo sticks created a lot of trouble for me. Finally I had to wear my sunglass for the sake of safety. Still branches hit my head many times during the travel. Some parts of the forest are very dark and practically we cannot see much at the dim light. The bus kept its steady speed from one hill to another. There are no major bus stops in between. The bus stops at some forest check posts for delivering newspapers and other goods. It becomes very bright as we enter into open grasslands from the thick forest of tall trees. Deers and bisons can be found in the grasslands. Deers stare at the bus with ears wide open and eyes steady. Bisons are least bothered about the bus and the tourists.

The bus stopped near a hill of rock which is known as echo rock. The bus crew asked us to spend a few minutes around the rock before proceeding further. We spend some time for roaming around and I asked some young guys to click some photos of me standing near the bus. I have a very special love for KSRTC bus and I depend on it during my travel in Kerala. The conductor asked us to stay away from the bushes as there is a threat of blood-sucking leeches. They just jump on us and suck blood quietly without being noticed and unfortunately we find them as we remove the clothes and undergarments. I found that the Portuguese was engaged in a conversation with the conductor. He was talking about a tiger that killed a bison during the previous week. As I was visualizing the scene of a tiger stalking and killing the prey, I became scared and immediately got into the bus. We resumed the journey in a few minutes time.

 The entire hill terrain is breathtakingly beautiful with dense canopies, lush green grasslands, rivers and dam sites. There are many hydroelectric projects on the hill ranges. The bus goes along the Kaki dam which is the second biggest dam in Kerala. The road gives a stunning view of both sides of the dam. It is really scary too. The dam site was so captivating that I wished t spend some time there, but the bus did not stop there. Since the road on the dam is rather longer, the passengers would get a substantial time to enjoy the beauty of both sides. The most interesting fact is that the dam itself acts as a bridge that connects the two hills. The human constructions like dams have added beauty to the forest ranges of Gavi. I never found any human made waste material or plastic waste on the way. Gavi region is rich with hydroelectric projects and we can see penstocks carrying water to the power stations in the downhill. The forest is cleared wherever high-tension electric lines are passing. We find thick dense forest on both sides of the electric lines.

We reached Gavi after five hours of bus journey. As soon as I reached the spot, I found that I was really misguided by the film, Ordinary. To be frank, the film is a distortion of the reality of Gavi. Gavi is not a populated village as it is portrayed in the film. The Portuguese had already booked a room in the forest resort there. Many others came to Gavi with me reached there without much information regarding the infrastructure at Gavi hill top. No shops, hotels or urinals are found on the hill top. Forest resort is available for a rent of 3000/- per day. It can be booked in advance online. There is a small dam at Gavi hill top and boating service is available only for the tourist who  visit with the package of the forest department. The boating is not open to the public. I struggled a lot to find a place to urinate, but there was no place. I began to walk along the Kumily road hoping to find a place to urinate and refresh myself. I found that the others came with me too had no idea to what to do after reaching Gavi hill top. The reality is that Gavi is not a typical hill tourist station open to the public. It offers no facilities for the public to keep the ecosystem intact. If at all we like to stay at Gavi, we need to depend on the costly rooms of forest department. As I was aimlessly walking around, I found some others and we started to walk towards a small dam site. Some tribal man asked us not to proceed as there is a threat of elephants. The man with a head load of firewood told us that elements would appear at any time for attack. He also warned us that the forest officials would arrest the people who aimlessly walk around. Immediately we returned to the Gavi dam site. The taxi drivers at the dam site told us that we need to go to a place called Kochu Pamba which is another ten kilometers behind for food and other facilities. Some of them agreed to take us for a rather high amount. We had no option but to depend on them. The driver told us that many people like us visit Gavi without much idea about the landscape and hence they all have to go to Kochu Pamba for food and toilet facilities. There is strict surveillance by the forest officials.

The taxi driver dropped us at Kochu Pamba. It too is not a residential area. There is a resort by the forest department where food and other facilities like boating are available for the public. Some offices of forest officials, some local school and huts can be found nearby. The school building looks rather shabby. The school is located within the range of Seethathode Gram Panchayat. Some of the passengers commented that Seethathode must be the largest Gram Panchayat in Kerala considering its area. The guards at Kochu Pamba told us that there are food, toilet and boating facility available for the public. I ran towards the rest room without much reflection on what to do next. I became very close to a few couples, lovers and guys who were with me in the same bus. The couple from Ranni invited me to share lunch that they brought from home. I humbly rejected the offer as I already had booked a meal at the resort office. I had a typical vegetarian meal with the lovers from the resort canteen. The boy and girl were engineering students and I was very comfortable with them. They too were very upset about the reality of Gavi and the collapse of the plans. The boy and girl were interested in photography and were talking about photography and Instagram. I tried to initiate some discussion on politics and I gave up as they did not show much interest in that.

Immediately after lunch, we went for boating in the nearest river, which is the starting point of the holy river called Pamba. This is a beautiful and clean water body with lush green forest on both sides. Six of us including the couple and the lovers got into the boat. The boatman, Mr. Kutty welcomed us to the row boat with lifejackets. Kutty told us that the green color of water is due to the greenery on both sides of the river and water is very pure. Kutty was very interactive and the husband went on asking questions regarding the wildlife to Kutty. Kutty was struggling in the beginning to move the boat with rowing the boat on both sides. Motor boating is not available on Kochu Pamba as it pollutes the nature. Primitive style of rowing the boat is possible in the river. Kutty told us that rowing the boat against the current is extremely difficult. The husband made a comment that Yamaha engines would be a better solution to the problem. Kutty did not respond to it. Perhaps the forest department does not want commercialization of Gavi which may disrupt the rhythm of wildlife in Gavi and Kochu Pamba. Later the bus conductor said that in Kerala, purest air and water can only be found in Gavi. As Kutty went on narrating the sanctity and purity of water in Kochu Pamba, I poured some water on my head with a sarcastic comment that the holy water may wash away the stains of my sins. Any river is beautiful and pure at the origin, eventually it gets polluted as it reaches the populated regions. It is the same for all the world religions. Religions in its purest form can only be found at the origin of the religion. A famous Indian thinker Sebastian Kappen gives this analogy.

As we were enjoying the boating under hot sun, I thought I would faint and fall into the deep waters. I tightened my grip on the boat as I was sitting on one edge of the boat. I was very tired of a sleepless travel in bus. Kutty rowed the boat to a place where there is a possibility of finding elephants. H showed some rocks on the sides of the river that are used by the elephants for rubbing their body while having fun in the waters. He showed us some openings in the bamboo forest through which the elephants enter the water. Kutty went on narrating the characteristic features of elephants. He said that the elephants love to eat bamboos found near the river. According to him every elephant walks at least 36 kilometers a day to digest food. Elephants are rather very fast in swimming and in chasing people on the land. According to him, elephants cannot attack anyone as they are in the water because they can’t launch attack by floating in the water. They always need a strong place to stand for attacking. It is possible for human beings to float on water and to attack someone, but it is not possible for elephant. He said that we can even row the boat over the elephant in the water. Elephant can take revenge only when it is on the land. His description was disrupted by the loud noise from the near bamboo forest. Kutty said that there is one elephant behind the forest which is breaking the bamboo for food. Luckily we located the elephant completely involved in eating bamboo shoots.  It was for the first time myself finding an elephant in its original habitat. In Kerala, elephants are brought from the forest to the land for timber industry and temple festivals and as a result many people are killed when the elephant gets wild due to biological conflicts and extreme torture of human beings for making money by exploiting the animals like making it stand in the noisy temple premises and making it stand under the hot sun, carrying the idols of the Divine.

The boating was a soothing and refreshing experience. The lush green forest, clean water and pure air make the mind fresh and relaxed. I always long for clean air and water as I dwell in the polluted atmosphere of Delhi. Delhi air becomes toxic at times at it affects the normal functioning of lungs. One of my friends shared that every five year in Delhi cuts one year from your lifetime. A short time at Gavi hills will give us a feel of life in our original habitat which is not torn apart by pollution and material development. As capitalism exploits the nature for profit, we are deprived of clean air and water.

As we were waiting for the bus back to Pathanamthitta, some of us expressed there desire to buy honey from the tribals there. They hoped that they get pure honey from here rather than the adulterated honey from the market. It was difficult to for us to figure out the place for buying honey as it was almost the time for the return bus. It is really time consuming to go to the huts of the tribals to buy pure honey that is collected from the forest. We got into the bus at 3.15 pm in front of the resort. The bus was not crowded. It was the same bus returning from Kumily. I tried to stay away from the window seat this time. The guy who was sitting at the window seat had to face all the troubles from sticks and branches.

The road is extremely bad and some parts of the road are flooded with rain water. The bus was moving rather fast in spite of the bad condition of the road. I just spotted a spare tyre kept inside the bus for emergency use. As I was lost in the beauty of the landscape, I heard a loud noise from the rear tyres of the bus. Unfortunately one of the rear tyres got punctured. Fortunately there was all the necessary instruments for replacing tyre in the bus. We all got down and helped the driver and conductor to replace the tyre. Within half and hour we loaded a new tyre with much effort and resumed the journey. Unfortunately many leeches got into our body as we were replacing the tyre. The driver stopped the bus many times so that the passengers can remove the leeches by lighting match sticks. Since I was wearing jeans and shoes I was spared from the attack of the leeches.

Though I was enjoying the journey back to Pathanamthitta, I felt the way back is longer. At last we reached the residential area after covering a distance of 60 kilometers through the forest. The road is not scientifically constructed. The curves are very sharp and if something goes wrong the bus will fall into the depths on one side of the road. It is also possible that the sticks from both sides will hurt the passengers in the bus. The journey through the forest path is always risky due to the possibility of the attack of wild animals, fall of trees or landslides. Still it gives an adventurous travel through the forest at cheap rate. Bus service though the forest path is not economical as there is extreme maintenance cost. More than that tyres need to be replaced very often. Still KSRTC depots of Kumily and Pathanamthitta offer four services a day. The main concern of KSRTC is not to generate profit but to offer bus service to the people where private bus owners do not reach.

by

Joseph Kala