Ooty- Queen of South India is one of the loveliest places on the planet. Photographer Akshay Ranjhit shines the light on why he loves it so much.
We all are aware that Ooty gets its identity from oh-so-beautiful tea plantations and The Nilgiri Mountain Railway toy train. But we wanted someone from the inside to tell us more about this beauty which no other tourist guides can tell. We had the opportunity to know sneak peeks of Ooty from Photographer Akshay Ranjith.
What is Ooty for you?
Ooty is the queen of Nilgiris. It is a hill station in the western ghats situated in the Nilgiri district of Tamilnadu. Britishers discovered it and it was their summer habitat. Still, now it is the most important tourist spot in South India visited by thousands for its greenery, cold climate, and garden with beautiful flowers.
What is the best part about this beautiful place that travel guides don’t tell us?
The most valuable things about this place are its greenery and climate. As a photojournalist, the thing I love most is the people of Ooty with their hospitality and respect for outsiders. To feel this you have to visit the rural villages of Ooty.
Which are the places you personally love to visit?
Tiger Hill Lake, Emerald Lake and Nunthala Temple viewpoint
We adore authenticity. What are the local’s popular delicacies and where can we find them?
Ooty’s Barfi -Rajan bakery, Chocolate – King star Chocolates, Charmraj tea, and for Tamil dishes you must visit Ooty’s coffee house.
As someone who knows about this divine place, how do you feel about tourists?
Visitors are polluting this wonder too much. Every year the pollution increases and the second thing is that they really don’t try to know about the real Ooty. Most of them just visit the usual places like the botanical garden, the lakes, etc. I don’t think these places are cliche but they should try to visit the rural places where you can find the real Ooty, its beauty and the people.
What would you like to tell future visitors of Ooty?
Don’t be a tourist, be a traveller. Try to understand the culture and beauty of the place you visit. Don’t pollute them.
Akshay Ranjhit spoke to Gautami Jadhav from Team Travel Secrets
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