Conversations with Malnadati – The Soul of Western Ghats

 Conversations with Malnadati – The Soul of Western Ghats

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Straight roads. Never-ending lines. My car cruised past 100 km/h, slicing through the dry plains like a hot knife through butter.

But the rhythm broke.

The wheels began to slow. The road curved. Then curved again. And again.

Right. Left. Left. Right. A hypnotic zig-zag of bends—welcome to the gates of the Western Ghats. The artificial chill of my car’s AC suddenly felt out of place.

Kushalnagara. The place where the plains end and the soul of the Ghat begins.

I rolled down the windows. The crisp fragrance of blooming coffee flowers filled the air. A scent so rare, you wish you could bottle it forever. As the landscape turned into a green sea of coffee plantations, pepper creepers, and tall trees dancing in the mist, I felt something surreal.

A gentle voice beside me. A woman sat there—mid-aged, serene, her eyes as old as the hills.

"Who are you?" I asked, heart thudding.

She smiled.
“You were thinking of the Western Ghats. I am her. I am Malnadati.”
“Call me Sahyadri, Nilgiri, Anaimalai… I have many names. But across 1,600 kilometers, I am one spirit.”

"Where do you live?"

Malnadati: “From the southern tip of Kerala in Agasthyamalai Hills, I rise like a spine through Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, and end in the green hills of Gujarat’s Dangs. I’m home to millions—people, trees, rivers, animals, and stories.”

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"You give birth to rivers?"

She nodded. “I am the mother of rivers. My tears become life for millions—east and west.”

• West-flowing Rivers:

  • Kerala: Periyar, Chaliyar, Pamba

  • Karnataka: Sharavathi, Netravathi, Kali

  • Goa: Mandovi, Zuari

  • Maharashtra: Vaitarna, Ulhas, Savitri

• East-flowing Rivers:

  • Tamil Nadu & Karnataka: Kaveri – “I hold her like a lifeline.”

  • Tamil Nadu: Bhavani, Vaigai

  • Karnataka: Tungabhadra, Hemavathi, Arkavathi

  • Maharashtra: Krishna, Godavari

Kaveri is sacred. “She flows from Talakaveri in my Kodagu hills, nourishing Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. She's not just a river. She’s emotional. She’s survival.”

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"You seem vast. How do you stay connected?"

“I’m woven by Ghats. My folds connect east and west, forest to city.”

• Agasthyamalai, Thenmala, Ponmudi (Kerala)

• Palakkad Gap – a crucial ecological bridge

• Nilgiris – Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri

• Bisle, Shiradi, Sampaje, Bababudangiri, Agumbe, Charmadi (Karnataka)

• Amboli, Tamhini, Lonavala (Maharashtra)

• Chorla, Anmod (Goa)

• Saputara, Barda Hills, Dangs (Gujarat)

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"What about the towns and hill stations we visit?"

“They’re part of me too.”

• Romantic escapes: Munnar, Kodaikanal, Wayanad, Ooty

• Coffee cradles: Chikmagalur, Coorg

• Cool getaways: Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Saputara

“These places stabilize climate, attract rain, and offer refuge for flora and fauna. They’re my crown jewels. But they’re fragile.”

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"Are you hurting?"

She looked away for a moment.

“They cut my trees for roads and real estate. They build resorts. They call it development, but it chokes me. Deforestation, commercial farming, mining, and tourism without ethics—they’re all wounds.”

“I see fewer hornbills. Fewer elephants. Even the monsoon doesn’t dance like it used to.”

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"Why should people care beyond just nostalgia?"

Her gaze turned sharp.

“Because I am not just your past. I am your future.”

• I am one of only eight ‘hottest hotspots of biodiversity’ in the world.

• I shelter over 7,400 species, many found nowhere else.

• I anchor the monsoon, regulate rainfall, and protect coastal aquifers.

• I store carbon, purify air, and keep your rivers alive.

“If I fall… so will you.”

• No forests = no rain

• No roots = dead rivers

• No trees = barren soil

• No hills = urban floods

“What Himalayas are to the north, I am to the south.”

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"So, what can we do?"

“Don’t just visit me—understand me. Defend me. Respect me.”

• Support sustainable tourism.

• Say no to illegal land grabbing.

• Plant native trees, not ornamental.

• Oppose destructive highways and monoculture farming.

• Speak up. Stay informed.

As I turned back to the road, she vanished. But her scent lingered—coffee, monsoon, wild ginger.

Every bend on that road was her whisper.
Every drop of rain—her song.
And her voice? It lives in every river. Every forest. Every sigh of wind that runs through the hills.

Will you listen to Malnadati before her voice is lost?

Where Are You Going, Pinky?

Where Are You Going, Pinky? 

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All I wanted was to return—to a world where happiness didn’t need reasons, where smiles were contagious, and where even the silence had warmth. As I rolled over on my bed and drifted into sleep, a strange peace pulled me in—like being carried gently into a dream not of my making.

And then, I heard voices.

Not loud, not urgent—just soft murmurs, like a conversation you accidentally overhear when walking past a quiet room.

Voice 1: “Good to see you again.”
Voice 2: “Where… am I going?”
Voice 1: “You have done well. You’re going to… hxxxxxn.”
Voice 2: “Oh… thank you.”

The words echoed in my dream like whispers across time. I started walking toward the source, unsure of what pulled me forward. Then, suddenly… I saw her.

Pinky.

She was standing there—bright-eyed, tail wagging, her ears perked just like they always were when she spotted someone she loved. My heart skipped. Wait… why am I seeing her now? Where exactly am I? And more importantly—where is Pinky going?

Before I answer that, let me tell you who Pinky was.

She wasn’t just a dog. She was family. She was love. She was courage.
She was the one who stood guard when the monkeys came. The one who welcomed you with a little dance of her paws and a tilt of her head. She wasn’t just a pet; she was the heart of our ancestral home.

A white Indian local breed—strong, stunning, graceful. Elder to me. When I was four, she was already grown, prancing around the farm with my uncle like a guardian angel in fur. She was there before mobile phones, before the internet, when the only network we had was the human-animal connection—pure, unfiltered, and full of trust.

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The Forest Incident: When Pinky Became a Hero

It was a calm day at my grandmother’s home in the middle of a dense forest—jackals, snakes, deer, monkeys—it was their land, and we were just respectful visitors. That morning, the milk had run out. My mother left to fetch some from the distant neighbor (a good half-kilometer away), leaving me and my little brother to play.

But, as fate would have it, my three-year-old brother trailed behind her—unnoticed.

The path he took? A winding trail with steps that rose and fell through the forest—an unpredictable route where danger could lurk at every leaf rustle.

None of us knew he had gone.

But Pinky did.

She followed him quietly, keeping a distance yet never losing sight. By the time he reached the gate—just steps away from the forest shadows—Pinky was already there, standing like a wall of protection.

Ten minutes later, my mother returned to a sight that would remain etched in her memory: her toddler playing happily with Pinky, unaware of the danger he was just saved from. My mother still speaks of that day, often with a tear in her eye and a smile that says, “She was sent to us for a reason.”

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The Snake Duel: Loyalty in the Wild

Why do snakes come out more often during summer?

As temperatures rise, snakes become more active. Emerging from brumation (a state similar to hibernation), they seek:
- Warmth from the sun to regulate their cold-blooded bodies
- Water and cooler hideouts like bathrooms, shaded gardens, or dense underbrush
- Food and mates, since the warmer season triggers their instincts

This makes farms, orchards, and rural backyards their favorite haunts during summer—especially during early mornings and late evenings.

We—me, my younger brother, and our ever-crazy cousin gang—were on one of our typical fruit-plucking missions near the cashew and mango trees. Laughing, barefoot, careless, we stormed through the passage like we owned the place.

Then came the hiss.
A sudden flash.
A tail whipping through the dry leaves.

A rat snake—long, muscular, non-venomous but aggressive when cornered—had slithered into our path.
Before we could react, Pinky leapt in front of us, barking ferociously.

The duel had begun.
Pinky vs. the Snake.
Protector vs. Predator.

What followed was a whirlwind—tail slaps from the snake, fierce dodges by Pinky, her white fur puffed in courage. The snake hissed, Pinky growled. She grabbed its tail, shook it, released, dodged again.

We didn’t want Pinky hurt.
We didn’t want to see blood.
All we wanted was to get our mangoes.

So we picked tiny stones—not to harm, but to distract—and tossed them. That broke the standoff. The snake slithered away, bruised but alive. Pinky turned to us, tail wagging, a victorious spark in her eyes.

She had done her job. Again.

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Time Passes, But Legends Stay

Years passed. We grew. Pinky aged.

She had pups—Pepsi, and a few more who carried her legacy in their eyes. As time caught up, Pinky began to limp, slowed by a tumor and age. But her spirit? It never dimmed. Even when she could no longer chase snakes or guard the gate, her eyes followed us, making sure we were safe.

We—me, my younger brother, and our ever-crazy bunch of cousins—had changed too.
But in some ways, we hadn’t.

We were the kind of gang that laughed before thinking and forgave before fighting was even over. My brother was the quiet observer, always curious but calm, while I usually played the dreamer, leading the pack into made-up adventures. Our cousins? Well, they brought the spice—loud, loving, competitive, and full of mischief.

We’d split into teams and play cricket with sticks, argue over who got to bat first, and then end the day under the mango tree, talking nonsense and stealing unripe guavas. Pinky was always there—sometimes lying in the shade, sometimes joining the madness with a bark or a leap, as if she too wanted to be part of the team.

Even during those fights among cousins—the ones that lasted all of ten minutes—Pinky would nudge in, trying to break the tension with her eyes or just sit between us like a peacekeeper.

Those summers weren’t just holidays. They were chapters in our lives—written with love, laughter, and the soft footfalls of a white dog named Pinky.

One day, quietly and gracefully, Pinky left us.

My uncle buried her beneath a tree at the farm—her land, her world. We planted memories in the soil along with her, watered by tears, and lit by the warmth she left behind.

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Back to the Dream… and the Message

As the dream faded, I realized what I had seen.

Pinky wasn’t just walking away. She was moving on.
That “heaven” the voice whispered about? It wasn’t just a place—it was a celebration. For every time she protected us, loved us, stood by us… she earned her place among the stars.

When I woke up, I wasn’t sad. I was… grateful.

Grateful that in a world full of noise and chaos, love like Pinky’s still exists—pure, protective, and permanent.

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Why This Story Matters

We all have stories like this. A dog, a cat, a bird, even a cow—like Gopi (read that blog if you haven’t:-A Ride Down Memory Lane: Summers, Hills, and Gopi – The Gentle Soul ). Animals don’t just live in our homes; they carve spaces in our hearts. They remind us of what it means to love unconditionally and to stand by without words.

So if you’ve had a Pinky in your life, share it. Don’t let those memories fade.

Comment below. Share this story. Let’s celebrate the silent heroes who made our childhoods magical and our lives meaningful.

Infographic on the Indian local breed Dog 

Till the next story… stay kind, stay connected.

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