Charms of a nowhere Karnataka town

I got posted to Davanagere in Karnataka in 2005. Situated on the Pune-Bangalore highway, the nearest airport was Hubli, which was perhaps the smallest Indian airstrip then, having no lights on the runway with porters transferring the baggage physically. it took me four hours from there to reach a guest house in Davanagere.

It was a small sleepy town in middle of nowhere. It took me barely 20 minutes to tour the whole city. Coming from north, the weather was a pleasant change. After the initial shock, I slowly settled into a life in the slow lane.

The morning walks at nearby Bapuji College campus had to be over by 8 am, otherwise you were whistled out. Coconut trees would look picturesque but the overhanging fruits dangled like the sword of Damocles over my parked car and often proved nightmarish.

The small town was, however, a tourists’ paradise with much to offer nearby — the coffee estates of Chikmagalur, Jog Falls, beaches’ of South Goa, Agumbe, known as the “Cobra capital” of India but famous also for its rainforests, Hampi and Chennakesava temple in Hassan district, with its more than 80 Madanika sculptures. There was much to explore.

Language, though, was a challenge. All highway milestones, billboards, etc, were in Kannada. Picking up the basics was the only option. Once I told in Hindi to my office staff to get some ‘nariyal paani’, he came back with a bottle of mineral water. As I was getting used to the idlis and chutney there, I was transferred to Panchkula after a year. The taste of nariyal pani and idlis is still fresh after so many years.

Jaspal Singh, former IRS, Chandigarh