QUEEN OF HILLS

Queen of hills, Ooty, Udhagamandalam, My hometown is a well know tourist spot less than 100 km from Coimbatore - The Manchester of South India. It is well-known for its toy train, tea plantations, chocolates, eucalyptus oil, varkeys, and many more. People who live here are tribes of the Badagas and the Thodas.

WAY TO THE BLUE HILLS (The Nilgiris)

You can reach The Nilgiris by bus or any of your own vehicles. It takes almost 3 - 4 hours to reach Ooty from Coimbatore Airport / Railway Station. Travelling by bus rather than any other vehicle as you sit on high seats would be more adventurous. If you are a rider you can definitely take an incredible ride through the hairpin bends.

THE TOY TRAIN

It is the only mountain train that operates daily. You can travel from Mettupalayam to Ooty through Coonoor in the most famous toy train the experience you get through this travel will remain in your heart forever.

YOUR RELAXATION COMES FROM HERE

The tea that boosts your immune and that stays as a drink of relaxation comes from the plantations in The Nilgiris. The source of income for the people here is agriculture. It includes tea, coffee, vegetables and fruits. Tea plays a major role in their daily life and our lives too. The tea leaves that are plucked from the plantations go directly to the tea factories. It undergoes many processes and comes to you as a bag of dust. The dust itself has various grades and flavours.

SPEND TIME WITH NATURE

Ooty is a place in The Nilgiris but is known better by everyone. There are many places to visit here, some are known and some are still hidden. Some are lakes, some are viewpoints, and some are gardens. You can always visit the Botanical garden, Rose Garden, Boat House, Sims Park, Dolphin Nose, Dhoddabetta, Avalanche, Mudhumalai, etc., So, if you notice, you can find that none of the places you can visit is buildings or man-made, these are all made by the nature for you.

THE COOL BREEZE

Ooty always has cooling weather, where you can enjoy the breeze throughout the day. Early mornings are bliss, and afternoons here are amazing - you don’t have to run away from the sun in search of shade. Evenings here are perfect with a small brisk walk and a cup of tea.

BUILDINGS & PLACES

Most of the buildings in Ooty were built during the British period and you can see all the evidence in the buildings. You can easily differentiate between a normal building and one built by the British. The places here like Fern Hill, Charing Cross, etc., are named after places in England.

OOTY & SCHOOLS

The educational institutions here provide the best facilities to their students. There are many best schools in the world but boarding schools in Ooty have a different impression. There are more than 50 boarding schools in and around Ooty. The Students from Ooty boarding will have a different level of fluency in English than you expect, it is because English is forcedly spoken in schools not because it is required, but because children from other countries come here to study and the only language they can all speak is Engish

PEOPLE OF THE HILLS

The people who live here are mostly tribes. They depend mostly on agriculture for their living, the rest work in the factories, and some in schools. Their lifestyle is so simple not because they can’t afford it's just because it is their way of living. The literacy rate here is nearly 80%. People here speak Tamil, English, Malayalam, Kannada, Toda, Kota, and Badaga.

LIVELIHOOD

Like other farmers across the country, farmers in The Nilgiris also suffer to cope with climate change, and natural disasters like landslides, and heavy rain. They try hard to satisfy customers according to their preferences. They also fight for a fair price for their raw materials, but like every other farmer, they also end up failing.

HEAVEN TURING HELL

Though the tea industry is booming with smart technological support, it doesn’t reach the farmer fast, it takes time a very long time. As it takes a long time and they do also face manpower issues it is hard for the farmers and their families to survive. Due to the low price of the raw materials and less manpower, the farmers here are forced by themselves to sell their agricultural lands to the people who come from other places only to get a fair price at least for the land. People from the hills start migrating in search of jobs and livelihood leaving their own houses and other assets.

The people who buy agricultural lands start building their private resorts. But it is not safe for them to have a building on agricultural land as it is easily slidable. As there are many buildings coming up, a huge amount of raw materials are required and these raw materials are brought in tonnes in lorries. The weight and the vibration of the vehicles are a reason for the easy landslide.

Tourists who come to visit are also unaware of the pollution they are causing through plastic and pollution. Now the usage of single-use plastic like water bottles, food packets, etc., has been banned in the Ooty region for the wellness of forests and reservoirs. Instead, the tourists are asked to carry reusable bottles which can be filled in water ATMs.

CONCLUSION

It is our responsibility to save and take steps and protect nature. It is not only the responsibility of the residents, it's every human’s responsibility to take care of what nature has given us. You should always be careful when you do something against nature because karma is a boomerang. We can’t do anything if nature starts reacting to our actions. Nature has given its best, make good use of it and don’t hurt it for personal enjoyment and development. Though you can’t give back to nature what it has given to us at least try to be kind, plant a sapling, avoid using plastic, and use public transport. A small change for you and nature.

.    .    .