Chikmagalur with Sahana Kulur

I V M Life may be a thing. The first thing is very important. The first memory, first love, first heartbreak, first work. Friends, I am Gopal Dutt. And this is my first podcast. The first first time is Gopal Dutt. The release on IVM Pop. I will talk to those ticker people who know their work. So come to my YouTube's IVM Pop channel or wherever you listen to the podcast. Listen to my podcast. Meet interesting people. Hello and welcome to a brand new episode of the Massafer Stories India's Very On Travel Podcast where each week we share the journey of travelers in their own words and relive their experiences with you, Alasnars. Hey guys, welcome to a brand new episode of the Massafer Stories. Hope you're all well and keeping safe. On the podcast today, we have a returning guest, Sahana Kulur, who has been on the podcast previously giving us some really popular episodes that were enjoyed and appreciated. So let's hop on to the episode and find out where Sahana has taken us to today. It feels like everyone's talking about two things right now. Picklebone and podcasts. So what happens when someone who's lived her whole life on the court decides to bring those two worlds together? I'm Sanya Mirza. And I'm bringing you a brand new podcast. Serving it up with Sanya. I've had some incredible conversations with friends, fellow athletes, artists and entrepreneurs. Each episode starts with a game of pickleball and once the rallies are done, the real talk begins. Serving it up with Sanya, watch and listen on YouTube and wherever you get your favourite podcasts. Are you looking for finance, products and services that can enhance your personal finance experience? Are you looking for a space to talk about your financial product or service? And are you looking for a crisp talk show where the conversation is all about money? Well, your search ends here. Hi, my name is Anupam Gupta and I'm host of the Pesavasa Podcast and I invite you for the conversation about your personal finance on each Monday on the IBM Podcast app or the website or on any podcast streaming platforms. See you folks. So with that introduction, we'd like to welcome back Sahana Kulur from the blog www.vekwork.com. Sahana, thank you so much for being a part of the Masafat Stories again and welcome to the podcast. Hi, thank you so much and it's always good to be back on Masafat Podcast and I keep listening to all the other podcasts which have been released recently. It's a pleasure always. Thank you, Sahana and for listening to Sahana for the first time, I would urge you to go listen to the previous episodes that Sahana has done with us to brilliant episodes. One on Bijaapur in Kanataka as well as another one on the temple town of Madurai. Both of them wonderful episodes and Sahana's back to do a hat trick episode and I think in cricketing terms if I were to say, you're probably one of the ones with the quickest hat trick. I don't know, probably in about a year's time or so, we're recording for the third time. So, good Sahana has been and that's how great her episodes have turned out to be very popular episodes as well. So, really, really glad and excited to be talking to you again, Sahana. Just in terms of your intro, I was pretty brief and concise. But for the first time, Lesna, would you like to share a quick intro, Sahana? Yes, sure. So, I'm from Bangaloo, Kanataka and I'm an architect by profession and I teach history of architecture in an architecture college. But right now, I'm focusing on my travel though and I write monthly articles for Dick and Harold. So, the articles I write for the newspaper mainly revolves around GITAC products of India because I'm a huge, huge fan of handicrafts, handlooms made in India. So, it's some kind of an addiction, you can say, where I really want to see how the things that I'm buying is made. So, that's my passion. Right now, I'm working on writing stories about mainly GITAC products made in India. Wonderful. We'll definitely make sure to link Sahana's blog as well as the other work she's been focusing on recently. So, Sahana, you know the drill you've been here a couple of times already. We usually try to pick up on a place and discuss as much as possible about it in terms of things to do, things to see and the like. With that in mind, where are you taking us today? First thing, I'm not biased this time because many people are going to say, "Oh, you're talking about your hometown, so you're biased." So, obviously, you're going to say, "Go only good things about them, but it is my hometown, but it's people's favourite also." So, I'm taking you to Chick-Muglut, the heart of Western Gods in India. Wonderful. I mean, always great to hear about places from you either way. Like we've seen in the past two episodes, but doubly excited this time, given that you're also speaking about your hometown, that we're getting it from the perspective or from the viewpoint of a local. So, let's jump into the conversation, Sahana, and tell us for maybe first-time listeners who are also not very familiar with the place itself. Can you also give a brief orientation of where this is located? Sure. So, Chick-Muglut, it's one of the districts in Karnataka. So, it's probably 350 kilometres from Bangalore, about 300 kilometres from Mysore. If you look at the aerial distance between Bangalore, the port town of Karnataka to Chick-Muglut, it's hardly actually about 30 kilometres, I guess. So, there is a huge mountain between the two towns. So, if you Bangalore, Mysore, Bangalore, there are some of the famous places where people usually land when they come to Karnataka or southern India. So, it's about 300 kilometres from the state-capital Bangalore. Okay, wonderful. And in terms of, I think you already mentioned about other places close by, just getting to Chick-Muglut, what would you recommend, how one can get there, and also in terms of an itinerary for somebody planning a visit here. What would be a suitable size or a suitable length of that memory? So, the good news is there is no airport. I'm happy about it, okay? Because I don't want my hometown mountains to get destroyed to make an airport. And there is a huge wildlife. So, the best way would be to get to the nearest railway station, which is either Kadur or Beirut. I think they are probably about 1.5 hours from Chick-Muglut main town. So, if you get to either Kadur or Beirut by train, it's easy to get to Chick-Muglut by a taxi or a private car. And there are plenty of buses to many parts of Chick-Muglut. So, even when I travel from Bangalore to Chick-Muglut, I take a night bus. There are sleeper coach buses which you can peacefully go. So, even from Bangalore, from Bangalore, there are day buses. From Mysore, there is night bus. And even from Bangalore, there are plenty of buses. So, either bus or train would be the best way. And another good thing is the roads are very nice when you go from Bangalore to Chick-Muglure. So, first you will cross the highway and then comes the guard section and things. If people want to really, people who enjoy driving. So, road trip is also a good option. Okay, brilliant. And in terms of the length of the itinerary that you would recommend, obviously you are local here. So, you have a good experience about somebody planning on visiting here first time. What length of an itinerary would you recommend? Here, it may be an unpopular opinion. Chick-Muglure is treated as a weekend getaway from most of the people who are around the thing. But I really feel you should spend at least five days here. There is so much in terms of hiking and these temples and Chick-Muglure are really not that famous. So, you can really have the entire temple for your own at times. And most people stick to the Chick-Muglure town and the resorts nearby. So, I really suggest you keep at least five days. I would say one week is wonderful. But, majorly, especially from banal people consider it as a weekend getaway. Okay, brilliant. So, let's dive into the itinerary and find out a little bit more about what different aspects one has to see. Beyond, usually you tie Chick-Muglure to good weather and coffee plantations. And probably leave it at that rate. Like you mentioned, most people come here for the weekend and most people enjoy it in the resorts and then go back. But I'm really looking forward to finding out about the other very diverse aspects of the world. an experience, a travel experience that one can have while visiting Chick-ma-Glood and whatever of the year would you recommend as best to visit? So October to February end would be the best because the temperatures are really nice like October November is the October to December is the peak winter but another crazy thing is for example my husband loves to visit Chick-ma-Glood during the rain. I don't know how come I am being a Chick-ma-Glood and I'm scared of leeches. I hope people are aware of that insect that gets stuck onto your foot and skin and sucks your blood. So there they grew plenty during this and August the rain season okay. So if you are a crazy person like my husband who wants to ride a bike in the rain climb the mountain when it's slippery then August is your time to end. Another part about August is it's the greenest time of the year so it's like the play of rain and clouds and the little bit of sunshine so and you constantly hear the music of peacocks singing during rainy season. Yeah I can tell you your husband is not alone there's a lot of us who love. Oh my god. Enjoy your trekking in the rain now. Obviously not rain pouring down like anything but when there's a light drizzle and you get to walk in the greenery especially the weather is also really nice at that time. The play is an enjoyable experience so different options for you to check out depending on the time of the year you're visiting as well. Also just about the name right. I know for us Kannada's and Kannada's speakers Chikmagloor will easily translate to what that means right but you want to just provide some yeah inside of the map. Yeah there is a story that say yeah there is a story that says what we call as Palegara or person who takes care of the town had two daughters so he gave one part of the town to his elder daughter that became Hiré Magaluru that means town of elder daughter and the other town which he gave to his younger daughter became Chikmagaluru that means younger daughters are town so many people confuse Chikmagaluru with Chikmagaluru because Mangaluru Magaluru sounds same but Mangaluru got its name from Mangala Devi temple it's Mangala where this is it's Mangaluru so there is a story that says that it belongs to the town of elder daughter of Palegara or somebody like that. Yeah actually this is the reference I came across as well and like rightly mentioned people I think even now I see people they confuse Chikmagaluru right they confuse and pronounce it as they do so don't be surprised but I had the right pronunciation is Chikmagaluru or the younger daughter is town. Awesome so with that context and background both geographic orientation plus background historically perspective etc now being set where you want to stay to take us to like for somebody visiting here for the first time what do you recommend based out of the experience with? Sure would you would you like to start with the adventure or just chilling what do you want to start with? Maybe we get started with the adventure so that we have time to chill after that sound. Sure that sounds perfect actually you need to rest after hiking. Yeah exactly. In Chikmagaluru it's mainly the mountaineer's region highest peak of Karnataka which is called as Mulangiri is kind of an emblem of Chikmagaluru so Mulangiri Chikmagaluru the moment you say Chikmagaluru everybody knows Mulangiri and it's super super famous on the truckers and hikers around. I would like to take you guys to Mulangiri peak first and when we talk about hiking or trekking it's not as difficult as probably I would say in my experience it's easier than hiking in Petra but you just have to be a little cautious and because you will be walking a lot by the cliff side and there are steps at some places and there are two trails which is one this called a Sarpadhari trail which is like a serpent and you have to walk a lot and things so when you reach the peak of Mulangiri it's like you reach the clouds so and you'll see the green patches there are paddy fields coffee and many many things which is totally green so Mulangiri would be like my top recommendation and for those who can't walk to an extent you can take your car and park till a temple and then if you really want to reach the topmost peak you have to walk the next would be the next famous peak which is Baba Budengiri so there is a very nice story about it not stories though in fact the fact so a Muslim saying named Baba Budeng who had gone to Mekha for his pilgrimage he was coming back and he smuggled some of the coffee beans from a port in Yemen to India and he comes to Chikmaglor so and he comes with the coffee seats and he plans it in the mountain called as Chandradrona Parvata so I don't know what was his intention like if he wanted to convert the entire area into coffees or what but thank God he did so from there the coffee planting cultivation began in India actually it's the first place where coffee plants grew in India so it's spread like that and during British time the coffee was taken to Kurg also Mudikiri so in Baba Budengiri is another peak where again you are on the cloud and there is a beautiful lake called Dalikere which really you never know the lake exists there okay because especially during October to December it will be covered with clouds and fog so suddenly opens up so you see a water body then you see the valley so it's something literally like somebody painted the entire earth green so and in Baba Budengiri there are two temples so Hindu temple and a Muslim Darga they they're attached to each other they share the common wall so one is Dattatreya Peter and the other is the Darga of Baba Budeng so both Hindus and Muslims consider this place as sacred also yeah one of the very popular places right like you mentioned even from a pilgrimage perspective a lot of pilgrims was at here and I believe 1670 AD is one is when Baba Budeng did that journey and while returning from his Hajbal pilgrimage he smuggled those coffee beans but I don't know like one way or the other the origin of coffee in India began from there and this region right and then around the southern part of India is also one of the highest coffee producers in India awesome so we've kind of touched upon a couple of interesting hiking trails now one with one being the highest peak in Kenataka and the other one also having this marker in terms of being the place where almost coffee came to India from plus the religious significance of it as well where next to Osana the next one is my husband's favorite and I find it little hard to climb this foot it's called his Bhallarayanadurga and it's not as famous among all the weekend travelers as much as they would go to Mulan Giri or Baba Budengiri definitely I'm not saying it's an offbeat place nobody knows that it's a hidden hidden gem but kind of a hidden gem because it's a little difficult to climb here so probably it's one of the most beautiful places in Chikma view it's closer to a place called Mudgiri so this uphill trek takes about three hours and as you are reaching the top you see the remains of an old fort so there is no fort or walls or palace kind of a thing but like how you see Hadrian walls across you care right the there's a long probably three feet height stone wall passes across the mountain so it's again the valleys and greens and it looks that green and smooth so the shades of greens that you never know existed you can see here this is my favorite place in Chikma view yeah I can definitely say it's definitely not an exaggeration and like you mentioned sometimes you wonder whether so these places really are in India and I'm glad that you got to cover some of these this place also has been like in the past ruled by the Hoi Salas right so I'm assuming there's some connection there is probably one of the forts of the Hoi Salas in the past right so yes definitely definitely yeah possible so where next to so the next it's pretty famous and I would say it's little crowded so it's a it's a place called Aetina Bhujah it remains ox so Bhujama in shoulder so it's like ox's shoulder so the peak looks like that big bump we see on the bush rules, right? So it looks like that. So it's closer to the famous Charma Degat, the Gat section. And it got really popular after one of the Canada movies called Laumakta Hill 2 or 1 I'm not sure. One of the parts got filmed there and people go there like crazy. And sometimes I really feel that there should be some kind of restriction on how many number of people can truck. So it's definitely a beautiful place, but remember people are mad about this place too. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've seen both part one and part two to go back and see which one covered this. Awesome. So yeah, a lot of different types of hiking options too, right? Like we've been touching upon even depending on the time of the year you go, you may find like a completely different phase of the locale or the region you was doing perfect. Okay, let's keep going. So the next is Kudremuka. So kudremuka was known for as like it was the mining town, right? Which got shut. So now it's a ghost town, but the kudremuka, kudremuka means horse face. So the peak here looks like resembles the horse face. So when you go from some village called Samsa, you can break this trail. There are many small lakes, ponds and you go beside Bhadrariva and reach the peak. There are smaller shrines. People are crazy because kudremuka trek is super famous among people during grainy season. People love to go on to the top, put a tent when it's pouring. Get up in the morning, have mag in the rain. So it's a very popular mountain trek. So there are many companies in Kannada who can take you to the kudremuka peak during rain. Yeah, definitely. And I'll probably age myself here, but I think it was like almost 30 years ago that we had done a trip from here. It was a road trip. When I say road trip, not like a couple of hours or three, four of us traveling, it was like a good group of some 20 people in those temple travelers that we used to have in their day. Everybody from my cousins to all of us had done a road trip. And I think my uncle, one of my uncles used to work in Bhadravati. That also has the Vishweshwara and in the steel that used to have back in the day. We did a trip from there through I think I don't know where we ended up, we passed through a bunch of places and kudremukas for other stops. That's how long ago it's been, but yeah, completely, yeah, you had to take me back to those memories. I used to spend my summers in Kudremuk for about 10 days. My uncle used to live there. So Kudremuk is so fascinating that when you pass an area called Karekate, then you take a left home to Kudremuk, the scenery changes totally. And you never know when an Indian girl or the bison like we call it, they just cross the road like, "Dude, it's my road. Why are you there?" As a kid, it was the most fascinating thing I ever did with my father. Like I used to say Hanuman Chaliza and pray to all gods saying that I need to see a bison. I never saw an elephant, but people do see. But bison are common sites when you are driving to Kudremuk. And even the town was so well planned. It was, I think, built by French. The town planning was done by French. And it was so well developed with the hospital, with the CBS school, and there was a mosque, there was a temple, there was a church. So Kudremuk was one of the best towns in India, which I really feel sad for that being a ghost town now. It really breaks my heart. So, yeah, some good old memories. And I'm glad that we're getting to touch upon that in the podcast as well. So Kudremuk probably has a bunch of things you could do here too. And like you imagine, for the other tracks, it can easily be like one iconization around the different tracks and things you could do in a round Kudremuk. But anything else? The last, there are many more hiking trails, but I'm going to end it with a place called Nasimha Parvata, which is near the place Shringeri. So that's my grandparents house, their house is much more in the remote place near Shringeri. So, it really doesn't make it to everybody's list, who visits Chick-muggler or Shringeri. But it's a beautiful place. I won't say you see the Meadows, but you see the Gaj of Agumbe here. So, it's weird how Agumbe is actually far, but from this moment, it's like I'm almost in Agumbe. So, it's another hiking trail. You can even camp there if you have permission, you have to have pre-op permission from the police. And most of the these trekking trails require you to take pre-op permission. One of the reasons why you need to take is people keep thrashing these places. It really breaks my heart to see the trail littered with plastic box, kurkure, fruity, and whatnot. And even sometimes beer bottles too, they do throw that. So, all these places to maintain the really sanity of the place, sanity of the place, they require you to take permissions to most of this trail. So, if you really want to set any tent in a simple at the top, you really have to take permissions from the local authorities. Good point that you called out as well, and it is really important for especially places like these that are also, I mean, even otherwise, but especially places like these that are also like ecological hotspots, right, with all the different flora of fauna. It's really important that we try and preserve that and not litter and pollute them. So, thank you so much for covering those, Sahana. And like once we've covered a few of these hiking or adventure type experiences, what else would you like to recommend, in Chikmoglod? So, many people who go to Chikmoglod are like, I really don't want to hear anything. I don't, I want to hear zero noise. I want, I don't want to see anybody. I really want to be alone. So, and trust me, it's really a good place if you pick a remote place. Probably the next best thing to do in Chikmoglod is do nothing. So, pick a Koji homestay in the corner of a forest area remote village. And I remember my grandfather's younger brother used to run a homestay. Every year, one of the very famous Canadian newspaper editor used to come. He used to climb on of the, what we call a chapra, the place where they dry are a kind of things. No, he used to climb there and stay at infinity for probably three to four hours, because you really don't hear anything in remote villages, probably birds chirping or the dog in the house or two or three people chatting, that's also. If you really want to hear the silence, you really can pick a very nice homestay in the remote area and do nothing. Or there are people who want to do something but not too much. There are a few Ayurvedic Ashrams also. One of the famous is Panchajanya Ayurvedic Ashram. So, they also conduct yoga retreat and things like that. People whom I know have gone there and they say that it's really refreshing. Another one which my and my family take Ayurveda treatment is from, it's called as Ayurveda Ashrama. It's in a place called Hari Harapra. Hari Harapra is a town located on the banks of Rewartunga. So, if you want to get any Ayurvedic treatment like Snayhapana, Panchakarma and things like, you can pick any Ayurvedic Ashrams. There are plenty in Chikma group. So, probably for a week or five days or two days depending on what you want to do, you can do that and really have a relaxing, like I'm away from everybody. I'm away from all the noise. I'm just focusing on myself. So, you can do that in Chikma group. Yeah, for sure. Definitely something to consider as well, if you want like a true break from especially if you live in a nausea city like Sanah and I have lived mostly in Bangalore. I think even in terms of other experiences, one can enjoy while, let's say, putting up in a homestay. Anything in particular you'd like to recommend in terms of trying out? Actually, another interesting thing about Chikmunglur is, I realise this when I went to Salzburg. So, Salzburg is I think at 424 or 425 Bitov, altitude and Chikmunglur is at about 1,090. So, the altitude level of Chikmunglur is much higher than Salzburg. So, imagine how hilly and fertile land, rainfall and it's like on heaven for growing coffee, paper, cardamom, beaten nuts mainly and partly tea also. So, whenever you go to Chikmunglur, I really feel visiting any of these plantations and they're curing centers, no? It's really part of the experience. So, and Chikmaglu is full of mansions. You won't believe it. I have been to my dad's friends house and all. Do they have Teeq food furnished, Teeq food bed, Teeq food door, which we cannot afford in a valued household. So, you'll really understand why the culture of Chikmaglu is that way, because it's full of estates. So, there are coffee estates, tea estates. So, you can go to Teeq factory too. Then if you go between probably November to February, you can ask your homestay or resort owner to take you to any nearby house where they're actually taking the Brittlenuts or Arrekanuts out of the tree, dry, and how they cure everything. So, Arrekanuts too, Teeq factory and coffee plantation. So, I would really recommend, based on the season, you are in Pick One. And you will be in for trade, if you visit Chikmaglu during probably January to March. That's when the coffee flowers bloom, okay? So, it's really magical. You see the white flowers, they look like marigold, but in white. And there'll be so many bees, like you can really hear that typical bees buzzing. And the fragrance is a basic hue. Maybe people who are sensitive to smell might get a headache, but it's the most beautiful time in Prabagli in Malad when coffee bloom. So, if you're in between December to January, because I'm giving a huge wind of three months, because when these coffee flowers bloom depend on the rain. So, it varies season with every year, as per the rainfall. But I would say it's really magical to visit coffee plantations when they're in full bloom. And then tea plantations, I would say it's, well, we don't, Chikmaglu doesn't produce the greatest tea in India, of course. But it does exist for those who have never been to a tea estate. There are plenty of tea estates that can let you, inside the factory for a small amount of bees for a group, and they'll show you around how they make anything. So the next best thing would be taking plantation tools. - Yeah, I know this is an audio podcast. So there's obviously no video element to this to see how beautiful some of these things are. But more than that, the senses where you can smell, right? Be it, like you mentioned, the smell of the coffee being said, sorry, the coffee flowers, is they blooming or the spices and the arachnid and everything. And estates are just lovely for somebody who wants to just get away, break away, and enjoy some peaceful time. And just enlighten your senses. I think this is the perfect getaway. So thank you for covering all of those wonderful experiences as well in Chikmaglu. What else would you like to cover? - So the next is wild animals. You can spot a lot of wildlife in Chikmaglu. So if the best way is to go to Badra Wildlife Sanctuary or Bhagavathi Nature Camp in Kudremuka. So it's the usual jeep safari where they take you to places and show you along with the guide. So it's a safer option. - Yeah, I mean, for wildlife enthusiasts, there's definitely some options like Badra Wildlife Sanctuary and others that Sana mentioned. And overall too, like you mentioned at the beginning too, it is a ecological hotspot. So there is a variety of birds and animals and insects. And yeah, the ones who like to go on treks you'll definitely get on into leeches as well. That's not going to come as a surprise. But for somebody wanting to go on safaris and stuff like that, there's options there too. And yeah, having covered some of the wildlife/nature type of experiences, where next to? - So the next would be my favorite topic, temple architecture. It's because I've interacted and I teach history. A beauty of architecture, temple architecture in Chik Mahogur is, it's not destroyed. And you don't see colonial trail at all in Chik Mahogur. So if you think of let's say UT or Shimbla, where it is hilly, cold and lots of spices grow and things like that, everywhere British have gone. But I don't think there exists even one single bungalow named after the British or something like that. There is no traces of British. And much of the temples, which are here, are hoisala architecture. So you have star shaped temples, usually made up of black soapstone and exquisite carving. I think everybody knows Belor, halibut, which is in Hassan district, which is very close to Chik Mahogur. They got UNESCO World Heritage Tag in 2023. So those are the two most famous places. And for sure, they'll be crowded. So Belor halibut is like every school will take their kids to Belor halibut for an excursion. And today I have also been. So it's kind of crowded, definitely worth. But there are many temples, like people don't know much about. For example, Belor, which is near halibut. Again, it's a similar temple to halibut, but not with less crowd. And there is one temple called as Lakshmi Naran temple near Jaugal. So not many people know about it. Then another favorite is Amrutheshwara temple in Amruthapura. It is little far from Chik Mahogur town. But it's one of the most beautiful temples where you can't believe that the temple is not made with machines. Then there is one more temple in Hirinalur called Malikarchana temple, which is, again, I think it's a blackish brownstone temple. You can keep staring at them for us together. Yeah, absolutely. And I think, like you rightly mentioned, pretty much one of the unique characteristics of temples of this time in this region, right? But the Huesala's primarily is the black soapstone and just the shine they have about them, right? Architecture wise also, like closer to the other Dravidian structures you might say. But the soapstone part of it really makes them stand out. And I'll just add a subtle plug here. We did an episode on the Huesala architecture and the temples in the region, right? So especially in Kanarkar, be it Hassan or Mysore Oshamoga. Like all of these places have a bunch of those. And obviously, they're very low-reliable to ones that Sana mentioned are the most popular ones. But there are a bunch of the lesser-known ones that one should definitely check out. So we'll link the episode there, like in the show notes too. So definitely check that out. Initially, you may only think, OK, Chitmaglor is coffee. His estate is resorts and having a nice time. But just in terms of options, there's so many beat adventure to wildlife to now, when temples add to the mix. But when we are doing all of this, Sana, I'm sure one is also exhausted doing one thing to the other and will be hungry and will want to check out something to eat as well. What would you recommend? Or what is your experience as a local that one should definitely try out when visiting Chitmaglor? So you want vegetarian or non-vegetarian? I go both ways. So let's try both of them so that even the listeners can get a sample of it. So I'm a vegetarian. So I'll talk about vegetarian first. It's my saying by mother, OK? We mallard people-- Chitmaglor is called as Malena Do region-- will never let even one part of Jackfruit go waste, OK? So Jackfruit, which is, I think, from April to June, July. So we eat the flesh of when it's ripe. Then if it's overripen, we'll make dosa batter of it. So maybe we make halsanan in dosa, jackfruit dosa, jackfruit kadbu, we make kind of an idli kind of a thing. Before it gets ripe, when it's raw, we make jackfruit chips. And we make raw jackfruit sambar. And then we won't let the seeds of jackfruit go waste. We dry that and make a snack out of that also. Apart from the outer shell and the little things, mallard people never let any part of jackfruit go waste. So Jackfruit is like the king of vegetarians in mallard. So I'm talking about a seasonal fruit. Other than that, you will have mir dosa, then idli is obvious. And akiruti. That is my favorite. You may find akiruti in kurg also. It's a very popularization kurg. But it's very different from what we prepare in Chikmaglor. So in kurg, it's just the rice flour with the sambar kind of a thing they eat. But here to the rice flour, we add finely chopped cucumber, dillies, carrot, onions, and many things. So and we make roti out of it. That's under those. Malnath special. Other than that we make many steamed food. I think people must have heard of something called as 'unjlege' and different types of chutney, coconut chutney, coriander chutney, onion chutney that goes with all this and we make another rice dish called as 'shavge'. So it's like long noodles, thin noodles made up of rice which is very tasty. You can make it in the sweet or spicy, both you can make. So as of now I can think of these many food and of course golly bhajik. Whenever it's raining it's a mandatory thing in Chikmaguroor household to make bhajis, made up of chilli or banana and of course with this dish called as golly bhajik. Yeah absolutely. I was I was telling I was complaining to Sahana when she sent me the list of things she wants to discuss in terms of food. I think when I checked my email or whatever it was like a Friday night I was like why did you have to send it to me at this time or why did I have to open it at the Friday night that like all of these like literally mudwatering dishes that you feel like you have to go back up now you're after dinner and eat and something just to fullfill your cravings and remember we are only touching upon the vegetarian side of the offering. Yeah. So far and you would be surprised at the kinds of non-vegetarian offerings also that the place has to offer and do you want to touch upon some of those Sahana? Sure so whenever I was writing about Chikmaguroor I'm like hey do we even have non-vegetarian food? No I think we are all vegetarians I probably claim okay then I call my friend she's a vocalist she's a goda then I'm like hey you also eat vegetarian food only right you don't eat anything non-vegetarian she's like why should I eat vegetarian food I make non-vegetarian food or people do make non-vegetarian food in Chikmaguroor then she gave me a list and she explained how they make and I was shocked that Chikmaguroor has so much non-vegetarian food so it's almost like they make near dosa but they with near dosa they make something called as Bhutai means are so it's a typical type of fish because Chikmaguroor fish is I mean the fish you get in Chikmaguroor is not sea fish it's not marine fish so Bhutai bangde and all these most popular the river ones or the pond ones so they make side dishes for near dosa with these fish and they make kadbu like something like idli and they make nati koli sir that means the local chicken curry with that and we eat yeah and then they make shavgiv with mutton curry where we make shavgiv with coconut chutney as vegetarians then there is a huge variety of local fish that they there are names which I never knew that those species of fish existed kadi minu halad minu so there is a huge variety of fish items they do like a curry or with the rice and dosa another thing is having so much of wildlife it's obviously Chikmaguroor hunting was part of Chikmaguroor culture before which is totally banned now so they used to make something called as apparently huri momcha okay so there is a made out of wild boar so she says I mean she she says my friend Megavi she says she misses that because they can't eat it anymore because hunting for wild boar and all is totally banned out of all the things the most peculiar one I found and I didn't know people make that is something called as chigali chutney okay so chigali is red that so people who are really really experienced climb the trees are wearing gunny bags and all kind of protection over their head dents and legs then they break the nest of this red dance fry it along with their larva so it's like kind of a tangy chutney apparently which is very very famous among the political community and also other communities so probably if you I mean I have heard of I have seen things in Thailand and Japan where they make things like this but chikli chutney which is made up of red dance is really apparently a popular non-vegetarian cuisine in Chikmaguroor yeah I mean reminds me of the only other place I have heard of in India is Chatti is good sahana that place also has red and chutney that is very popular right they sell this in the markets and it's just fascinating to look at how it's made and actually I was surprised hearing about this in Chikmaguroor I did not know I thought it was only that part of India that this like more of the tribal regions and I'm actually very surprised and glad that it's available much closer to home as well for somebody in South India who we want to try this so yeah a lot a lot of things and yeah non-vegetarian food of South India like be it here in the coastal areas of Karnataka or even Tamil Nadu non-vegetarian right it's it doesn't become very it doesn't very obvious people I don't know for some reason we think that only vegetarian food is very popular and common and I guess to the most part but non-vegetarian food is it has like cult yeah very popular and has like a cult following here and amongst South Indians in terms of people who really like and appreciate it so if you're visiting here do try out some of the options that and she mentioned one more dish which is called his motte alugide siru so it's like you want to eat meat but you don't have access or meat is over at home or something or unannounced guests come so it's like potatoes and the boiled eggs I eat it so I really want to try this and they add seasonal beans to it and make a gravy out of it so it goes with the akirati and rice also so it's motte alugide siru it's another very popular thing people eat in chick maglour yeah it's like never ending the listed the variety especially big eggs or pork or fish or mutton or whatever it is and obviously of the vegetarian options too so cuisine wise you're definitely covered here you don't have to worry about it too much just come there with a little bit of an open mind and be ready to experiment and you have all the options available yeah I know I said this on a Friday night and recording this on a Monday morning and the feeling still remains the same but you have to go down and eat something now to get over all of the mouthwatering dishes and the cuisine that Sanna has mentioned and Sanna like we have pretty extensively covered food aspects of the offerings any places in particular you'd like to call out like restaurants or smaller places one can try most of the places in chick maglour are locally run and you ask your homestay people to cook all this but one of the places where my father loves eating dosa is called as town hotel in chick maglour is that the town canteen like I keep hearing about the town canteen yeah the masala dosa or the bennedos say from there a lot wonderful exactly town canteen yeah you pretty much have everything available and yeah sorry if I kind of derailed your like the thought train in terms of what you wanted to cover yes it looks like you also want to touch upon places in the vicinity right if you want to make quick digits from the region yeah but you share some of those now so chick maglour has tunga and batra river both so in shingiri tunga river flows and near balehanur it's the batra river so both of them take birth in one of the place called ganga mula in kudremok so batra is known to be having very corrosive effect on the on its way so there is a place called batra river for place for batra river rafting somewhere it's it's closer to a place called balehanur it's really what do you say adrenaline rush I would say so if you're in chick maglour you can start your day as early as possible hit the river rafting and then come back to balehanur have some breakfast in the locally place then I would say you had to shingiri that's where I studied and it's one of the very famous temples one of the temple established by shankaracharya and the unique thing about this temple is the main temple is not architecturally beautiful but the shiva temple in the same compound it's truly magical it like how you see those high hoysel architecture temple right so when you say shingiri the picture that emerges is not the main temple but another temple in the vicinity if you are staying in shingiri next I would say you can go to the falls nearby like magebell falls ceremony falls and the hiking trail what I mentioned as impervatha is also close very close to shingiri so you can plan just two today is itself in and out of Shringeri. So that's one place to visit Nia Chikma Group. Then would be Kalasa and Hornado. Kalsa has lots of tea estates. And near Kalsa, there is a place called Kyaatin Maki. Again, it got over popular because of, I think, Gali Patat, two movie and also love Mokta. So it's a very terrible road, like the bumpy road, my road I have ever seen. So you have to take a Jeep and reach the top. It literally looks like Switzerland with the meadows. So it's the green rolling hills everywhere. And another place called Spanchamikallu. It's a Jane bus city. So you have a small shrine on a giant stone boulder. And you can sit at the cliff or the edge of the boulder. And the scenery there is very beautiful. So you have flat lines of paddy and rice fields all around. And suddenly, a patch of color appears. And then again, it goes flat. So it's like the combination of flat rice fields and aracatris. So I would say it's best to be there during the sunset or sunrise the most beautiful time. And the next place-- The picture is stunning. Interject and say the one that you're sitting at the edge of the cliff and the bus city or the structure in the back end, right? And obviously, the hills and the farms and paddy fields, like I mentioned, in the background. Now, beautiful place. And I can already imagine being there for sunrise and sunset. So I'm sorry to forget. Interject, but-- No problem. The picture is really beautiful. The other would be, obviously, we mentioned Beluru and Halabidu nearby, which is in the Hasan district. And people who really love driving and are good at driving, I would say you should take a drive on Sharma Degat. So in Karada movies, if you remember, they used to show there are huge clouds. And Nara, the character, walks on the cloud right, doing Pajan. So every time I go to Sharma Degat, I imagine that, because it's a narrow road with mountains on one side and huge cliffs on the other side. So at times, you see the part of Konkan Railway tracks. You see river. And then you see valley. So it's one of the most beautiful tracks. I think I travel there a lot, at least twice, or twice a year, not just for the sake of pleasure, but it's the road to my husband's house. So every time I go there, I make a video. And I feel, wow, such a nice place. I have never gotten bored of Sharma Degat. Yeah, definitely worth it. And obviously, the sceneries will keep you occupied. But make sure you also keep your eye out on the road, because the bus drivers also have a day out on Sharma Degat and Shirdi Ghat. Like whenever you're making that trip to my road, I always cover across these crazy bus drivers, right, who are really driving rash. But yeah, thank you so much for covering all of these wonderful places, not just in Chick-magnore town in the vicinity, but also well beyond that for somebody visiting this place and has time on hand. They can definitely make some day trips out of here. And also in terms of things one can shop for or souvenirs and things one can pick up while in Chick-magnore, what would you recommend, Sana? So many people know banana chips from Kerala. So Chick-magnore is also another banana chips haven't. And most of the time when I was in college or even now, the first thing people ask when I come back home is did you get banana chips? So the kind of banana they use here is different. And they mix it with a little bit of chili. I'm not saying there will be a lot of chili powder. And they add a pinch of hint to it. So it's really a thing in Chick-magnore, especially in Schringeryside, where we do banana chips. And if you get a chance, there are places where you can actually see them chopping banana and making. So you can really do that. And the next thing would be, I say coffee powder. Obviously you have to buy coffee powder from Chick-magnore. And it's filter coffee. So I have tried making black coffee out of it, but it didn't come out well. So you buy a filter and filter coffee powder. So the most famous one brand is called is Panduranga Coffee. So it's available in almost all the shops in Chick-magnore. So if you're not visiting any coffee curing center or a street, you can pick up the brand Panduranga Coffee. And then of course, spices. India itself is a home for spices. So pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, betel nuts, yeah. And even what do we call gooseberries? And there are many oils made up of the herbs which are available. I don't even know the names of it. For example, as a kid, we used to use something called as Matisopu. I don't know what's it called in English. So these kind of herbs and spices are plenty available in Chick-magnore. So I would say green pepper, cardamom, betel nuts. So you should grab those. And if you really want to keep something very-- like a show page in your house, I would say you should buy highlight of it. So highlight of it is something made up of the sheet of Areka leaf after the fruit is taken out. The leaf sheets they make a hat out of it. Usually, the farm workers had the use to get protection from heat, rain, and whenever they're working, if they fall, it protects them. It's really kind of a hallmark of Malad region. And then of course, there are Areka leaf plates. You do get this in Bangalore and Uttarakhanda and other places. But as a lot of Areka plantations around, these are one of the things to buy. And actually, you can put it for good use. And if you're there in Chick-magnore during months, and of course, you have to eat and buy jackfruit chips. Yeah, wonderful. A lot of interesting things there. Be it a little pee or obviously your banana chips. Very unique and different from the ones that you get from further down south in Kerala. So thank you for covering up some of these things that you can either buy or take a souvenir home so that you can remember Chick-magnore after a long, after you've made the trip. Again, Sana, thank you so much. It was the light and the pleasure to visit with you to your home town this time. And go and explore Chick-magnore beyond the usually spoken about things like coffee and the states and results in home states. We really enjoyed the nature aspect of it, the cultural and religious and temple architecture aspect of it as well, as well as the other things you had to share with us. Looking forward to having you back for a full time, hopefully, not too far from now. But thank you so much for being on the podcast and blessing us and our audience with these wonderful personal experiences, Sana. Thank you so much. Have a nice day. And it's always a pleasure to be on Mustafa's podcast. I am also looking forward to being on the podcast again. A pleasure to have you in the future and anytime that you wish. Thank you so much, Sana. I'm looking forward to connecting with you and following your work again. That was definitely a great episode on the Mustafa Stories. Make sure to show some love by sharing the podcast with your friends and family. We are on Instagram and Twitter at Mustafa Stories. If you like this podcast, don't forget to check out other interesting podcasts on the IBM network. If you listen to us on the IBM Podcast app or the website, follow us on our social media. We are at IBM Podcast on Twitter and Instagram. Life may be something. First thing is very important. First memory, first love, first heartbreak, first work. Friends, I'm Gopal Dutt and this is my first podcast. First first with Gopal Dutt, which will be released on IBM POP. I will talk to those people with their own work, whose name we all know. So come to the YouTube's IBM POP channel or wherever you listen to the podcast. Listen to our podcast. 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