Morning time.ππ
It was around five to six o'clock. The train that Pavan was traveling in slowly entered the railway station of Bengaluru. ππ
The sky was just beginning to brighten with the soft light of early morning. The cool breeze of the southern city touched Pavan's face as he looked outside the train window. Everything around him felt new and different.
As the train slowly stopped at the platform, Pavan picked up his bag and stepped down onto the platform of the busy station.
The moment he stepped out, he noticed something unique about the atmosphere.
People were walking around with energy, travelers were meeting their families, and vendors were preparing their stalls for the day. But the thing that caught Pavan's attention the most was the sound of the language around him.
Everywhere he went, he could hear people speaking Kannada.
The sound of the language felt musical and warm to his ears. Even though he could not understand the words, listening to Kannada made him feel strangely happy and curious.
Pavan slowly walked around the railway station and observed everything around him.
On the walls and boards inside the station, he noticed maps of Karnataka and posters of tourist places. Beautiful pictures of mountains, temples, forests, and waterfalls were displayed.
These images attracted him a lot and made him more curious about the land he had just arrived in.
By then it was getting closer to six-thirty or seven in the morning. Feeling a little tired from the journey, Pavan decided to sit somewhere and drink something warm. Inside the railway station he saw a small hotel stall where people were drinking tea and coffee.
He went there and ordered a hot cup of coffee. β
While he was drinking the coffee, the morning newspapers arrived at the stall. One of the newspapers placed on the table was the Kannada newspaper Prajavani.
Pavan picked up the newspaper and looked at it with curiosity. The entire newspaper was written in Kannada, so he could not understand the words. For a moment he thought of keeping it back. But suddenly something on the front page caught his attention.
There was a large photograph printed on the newspaper. The picture showed lush green hills, thick forests, and vast coffee plantations covered with morning mist. The beauty of the image immediately attracted Pavan.
He looked at the photograph again and again.
"What is this place?" he wondered.
Right next to him, another man was sitting and reading the newspaper. His name was Dinesh.
Pavan politely turned toward him and said in English,
"Hi⦠can you explain what this place is in the newspaper?"
Dinesh smiled and looked at the picture. Then he replied in English.
"That is our Malenadu region's pride β Chikkamagaluru."ππΏπΏπΏ
He continued explaining....
"The coffee you are drinking now mostly comes from there. Chikkamagaluru is famous for its coffee plantations. The land is full of green mountains, forests, and misty weather. It is one of the most beautiful regions in Karnataka."
As Dinesh spoke about the place, Pavan listened with great interest.
Dinesh also told him about several famous places near Chikkamagaluru. He spoke about the ancient temples of Belur and Halebidu, the spiritual town of Sringeri, and the beautiful hill region of Mudigere.
He also mentioned natural attractions like Hebbe Falls and the scenic mountain road called Charmadi Ghat.
Dinesh described how the region receives frequent rain, how the coffee plants grow on the slopes of the mountains, and how the lifestyle of the people there is simple and closely connected to nature.
The more Pavan listened, the more excited he became. The green coffee plantations he had seen in the newspaper picture were now creating a strong curiosity in his mind.
Pavan slowly finished his cup of coffee.
He thought to himself,
"This morning coffee that I drank here in Bengaluruβ¦ this should be the beginning of my journey across Karnataka."πβ€οΈ
With a new sense of excitement and curiosity in his heart, Pavan decided that his next destination would be Chikkamagaluru.
Soon after finishing his coffee, he prepared himself for the next part of his journey and set out from Bengaluru toward Chikkamagaluru. πΏπΏ
What kind of experiences would Pavan have in the beautiful land of hills and coffee?
We will see that in the next chapter.
To Be Continued.....πβ€οΈ