Nallamudi Poonjolai in Valparai was just another view point in the hills until Velu’s tryst with the divine . The destination now has a different name. A board at the entrance read “ Seen God “ with a footnote below it – ”Om Adi Muruga.” Velu ‘s shrine was just around the corner .

Read more about Velu’s tryst with God here 

God is this beautiful landscape of Valparai

Meet BV Gundappa who is passionate about slender loris

I was in Nagavalli , a village near Tumkur recently to meet BVG sir aka B V Gundappa , a high school teacher whose passion and mission is to create awareness and conserve the species of slender loris that live in the villages around his home.

I ask him about his interest in slender loris and he says ,” I am a science teacher and am interested in wildlife and bio diversity.. But it was my 8^th standard students who told me about three slender lorises that they had seen in the school compound. Fascinated by them , I started researching and then creating awareness about them. “

A slender loris posing

Today the master is almost synonymous with the word ,” kaadu papa “ as the animals are called in the local language .” It’s like a baby ,” he says, adding that people call him from all over Tumkur if they sight one .” We have rescued a lot of them from towns and villages and release them into the wilds. We also have a local veterinarian who takes care if they are injured,” he adds.

Read more about BVG Sir as he is called here 

Xavier and his neighbours who make boats for a living

Xavier doesn’t remember when he made his first boat . He says he was probably a teenager when he learnt the craft  from his father more than four decades ago  .“ In those days, every family in Chellanam used to make boats “ he reminisces , looking wistfully into the small canal that borders his house and flows along the village. Small wooden boats float aimlessly in the waters, tossed by the winds. But Xavier’s Kerala has changed over the many decades. Now there are just a handful of people eking a livelihood through this small scale industry in Chellanam, a small hamlet located close to Kochi.

It is not the same anymore, “ says Xavier.” Only fishermen come to us these days, most villagers have left for towns, hardly anyone needs them anymore , “ he adds . Xavier makes about four to five boats a month and manages to earn  just a few thousands from them .

Read more about the boat makers of Chellanam

Meet the weavers of Narayanpet

This town was once famous for its cotton and silk sarees, but today the weavers have hardly any buyers . I meet Ramchander, one of the old weavers who speaks about the days when the streets were draped with sarees. The houses used to echo with the rhythm of the handlooms and almost everyone was a skilled artisan. They came from every community and religion. There were Telugus, Marathis and Kannadigas and both Hindus and Muslims worked together to create magic with their fingers. But today, there are barely 2000 looms in the entire town. And most of the younger generation have left Narayanpet to pursue their fortunes elsewhere.

Read more about Weavers of  Narayanpet

Coming up – More people stories from India..