Rainy days in raipur

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In monsoon， Miss Squelchy Shoes is never destination-confused. She knows where the country’s largest waterfall thunders down black boulders and where she would joyously walk down 200 steps to get up， close with a waterfall. It is here that she can hear the hill mynah trill， her warble piping through the dense sal and moist teak forest. When jaded， she can slurp on aamath， a heady broth of basta （fresh bamboo shoots） and dig her fork into phooto， the pebble-shaped chewy mushroom that can easily nudge off the truffles and chanterelles from the dinner plate. And yes， there are the pink lotuses that blanket the innumerable ponds and the farmers who hunch over the fields， hum a tune and sow 23，000 varieties of paddy that lend the state ‘the rice bowl of India’ sobriquet. Ah！ In monsoon， there would be no salfi， the heady sap of the salfi tree， but there would be the red ant chutney on the menu and pandavani singers on the streets. Miss Squelchy Shoes’ monsoon itinerary might seem cluttered， but she would not barter her rainy bliss in Chhattisgarh even for the heavens. Never.

There’s something about the rains in Chhattisgarh. And you notice that even before you touch the tarmac. From the aircraft you can admire the emerald green of the grass， the rectangular lush patches of paddy， the felled logs slanting on a dark green rug， the thick green lotus leaves that blanket the ponds in Raipur， the state capital. They say， if you came to Raipur 35 years ago， you would have needed an abacus and several days to count the number of ponds in raipur. There were 130 of them. Now， the town is left with merely 40 such ponds and every rainy season they get laden with dainty lotuses and look magnificent in their pink sheath.

From Raipur， you need to drive about 7 hours to Jagdalpur， the headquarters of Bastar district， to see the rain gods at their glorious best， for herein lie the Chitrakote and Tirthgarh waterfalls. Often referred to as the country’s Niagara， Chitrakote is a horse-shoe shaped waterfall where the water of Indravati river thunders down 90 ft from black boulders. Perhaps the angels turned farriers for a day and nailed this horseshoe amidst the ebony hills. The mouth of the waterfall is almost 1，000 ft wide. On an ordinary day you can see three streams， during rains， at least seven streams pour down， creating a deafening rumbling sound and a mist that can completely mesmerise you. Chitrakote has been lit artificially now， but it looks best in when the sunrays pierce through the mist to create a kaleidoscope of colours.

Not too far away is the seven-tiered Tirthgarh waterfall that sits smug within the Kanger Valley National Park. Here， the Kanger river gushes down 100 ft hurriedly past smooth cliffs， bruising and chiselling simultaneously. Within seconds the white froth that cascades with a crescendo turns into a languid turquoise stream vanishing into the dense forest that surrounds it. As if to complete the pristine picture， an ancient Shiva Temple stands stoically amidst the verdant hills. Tirthgarh is not as massive as Chitrakote but its location is stunningly panoramic. It is from a flat， rocky ledge that the water falls into what looks like a pond. If you want to see the waterfall at close quarters， you need to walk down 200 steps that lead to a pool which is roughly 70 ft deep.

If you are not tone deaf， amidst the gurgle of the falls， you might catch the trill of the hill mynah—the black bird adorned with orange and yellow wattles and a repertoire of 13 calls. The hill mynahs have made the dense forest of Kanger Valley their home. You don’t need to strain your ears to hear their whistles and the wails， they are literally piped through the forest. Of the four species of the hill mynahs found in India， the Bastar mynah is considered the smartest mimic of the human voice.

But what’s monsoon without the cuppa and the fritters？ In Chhattisgarh， try aamath， the bamboo-shoot broth， specific to the Bastar area. You might find the aroma of basta（fresh bamboo shoots） very heady， but the tribals of Bastar fuss over this broth which is made by boiling bamboo shoots with the herb/spice of choice. Or， opt for a ladleful of madiya pej， a grain gruel， Try phooto， a pebble-shaped mushroom that pops out of the earth like a blessing after the first shower. Phooto that is only found during monsoon sells for the price of gold， but ask a gourmand and he would tell you that it is an absolute not-to-miss in Chhattisgarh.

Miss Squelchy Shoes knows where to go in monsoon. You might want to slip into your Wellingtons and follow her.