Gavi, such a lost in time place. A tiny village in the middle of 7 dams, big and small. Populated by tamils from ceylon repatriated by Indira Gandhi. Not a village 45 kilometres on one side and 150 on the other.....people who once built the dams and worked the cardamom plantations and factories now run the tourism facility. Their families still work the plantations, their kids study in the tiny LP School.
It's a scary place in a way...not coz of the wild animals. It's a place where the people are moving out or wanting to. Our guide Palanisamy son lives in kochi. He wants to buy a place and settle down somewhere there. Palanisamy has built 4 out of the 7 dams here. The last about 15 years back. The wages were good he says, 9 rs a day. But then in 150 rs groceries for an entire month could be bought. Now even 2000 is not enough...
The place once had 5000 families ..now only 100. Palanisamys one of them...not for long probably, only till the son manages a housing loan and buy something in kochi.
Samys father came here from ceylon..he was born here in the jungle..grew up here..his son was born here too..Though he did go out to study. Samys has lived here his entire life. In a tiny village in the middle of the jungle....alongside the wild animals, the tigers and the elephants, the bears and the wild boars...it is his jungle in a way...
I doubt he will be happy in the city...exactly as I doubt his leaving will be good for gavi. The project 15 yrs old....in another 15 it all probably return to the jungle...the creepers will conquer the living quarters..the bus stops will be bulldozed by the elephants...and in a few years it will almost be like Samy never lived here at all.
But then change we all must.....for the better I hope
