Trip to Ooty in 1995

Going through my photo albums, I found old pictures of a trip I went in 1995, during my college days with classmates. It was a 4-day trip to Ooty and Bangalore, we went by train from Chennai to Mettupalayam and from there we took the famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway, which in 2005 was awarded as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On return, we went to Coonor, then went by a private bus to Bangalore from where we caught another train to Chennai.

Going through the 1995 photos, I recollected my trips to Ooty after the 1995 trip. In the last decade, I have been twice to Ooty Hills, once in 2015 and another in 2019 as an invited guest of Sterling Holidays. I realise a lot has changed in Ooty, it has become more crowded & touristy, but all is not bad – the infrastructure, roads, facilities, hotels are more and better; it appears more cleaner too.

Here are some photos from the 1995 trip:

Nilgiri Mountain Railway from Mettupalayam to Ooty in 1995

Ooty Hillside in 1995

Venkatarangan – Ooty Lake in 1995

Cycling with my classmates around Ooty lake in 1995

Boating with friends in Ooty lake in 1995

View of Ooty lake in 1995

9th Mile Ooty in 1995 – a popular film shooting spot

Sim’s Park, Coonoor in 1995

Beautiful flowers in Sim’s Park, Coonoor in 1995

Venkatarangan posing for a picture in Sim’s Park, Coonoor in 1995

Venkatarangan Thirumalai in front of Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore in 1995