Having lived in Bangalore for the past 25 years, I had missed Mysore
Dussehra all these years. I always longed to visit, but somehow it never
worked out. And at the back of my mind I was, may be worried about the
crowd, rush and the heat. My husband would ask every year whether we can
go and my reply would be always in the negative. Especially when the
kids were young, I visited Mysore several times but never during Dussehra.
I am sure they would have loved and enjoyed the festivities,but I would
rather take them to palace and Zoo when the things were sober.
I had another issue. Because of our varying schedules and of both the
children, we could not plan very well in advance and book the lodging.
And once the planning was made, we could never get the accommodation.
This happened for 3-4 years in succession. Last year I had almost
planned everything in advance but God up there disposed my plans and I
had to spend the entire year running around the hospitals and finally
going under the scissors myself.
Once I had made up my mind, but things were not turning out favourable,
it sort of became a challenge. I had to fight against all odds and make
it this time. So I started very very well in advance and tried to book
my office guest house in Feb itself but they were not yet ready and
advised me to come back after 3 months. OK, on
1 St May
I shot them another mail. No sir, that was also quite early and they
asked me to get back after 2 months. When I tried to book in July and
was advised to get back later, I saw red.
This has been the paradox. Either I would be too early or too late. But
fortunately God had better plans for me this year. On the advice of my
friend Sandhya and her son Samarth, I approached one service apartment
just 10 days before Dussehra. You won't believe, I got a confirmation that
2 rooms were in fact available! This is called luck. Since last 2-3 years I
have been searching for home stay, service apartment and lodges during Dussehra but was never successful, and this year it was just a fortnight away from the festival and I was offered a best service on a platter!
Earlier I was always told that no such
facilities are available in Mysore and you can find them only in Coorg district . So when I landed at Mysore with my family, I had a sense of
apprehension whether my family would be happy with my choice. Believe
you me, they were delighted.
The place we stayed was GOOD TOUCH serviced apartments, a building
constructed just three months back and one can expect as much comfort
here as at one's home. The building is ideally located at Gokulam
third stage, a serene and peaceful locality, but not very far from the
hub and happenings of the City. It is just 4 kilometres away from the
Palace and 3 kilometres from the Railway station.
Being looked after by Mr. Ganapathy and his family, a courteous and
friendly couple. the place can be a home away from home. They provide
all the facilities like Wi-Fi, flat TVs, AC, car parking and a kitchen.
The kitchen is worth mentioning because it is very well kept and is neat
and tidy. They offer complimentary breakfast every morning, comprising
regular South Indian delicacies with piping hot tea and coffee. And if
you like to try your hand in cooking or would like to heat the food you
have ordered, there is always oven and the gas stove.
The place is so calm and peaceful, you can spend hours sitting on the
terrace. We had a splendid time going around the city, decorated like a
bride, with colourful lights dazzling from each and every building. The
palace with all lights was just heavenly. I am extremely happy that at
last I could make my trip such a pleasant and memorable one and wish to have
another opportunity to visit this wonderful city soon!
