u/Alquaso

I added this track to my OST playlist as soon as they released the OST. But in the movie, when Isaignani’s vocals come in for this track, “Kanaga mani ondru” epaaa, I literally had tears. It reminded me of poovar senni mannan kinda vibe!

Team Dorothy, please release Piriya Vidai with Raja’s vocals soon.

Isaignani proves once again that he’s still the GOAT when it comes to rerecording and background scores. He played really well with silence, and in some scenes, Background scores really elevated the moment and brought immense tension to the sequences.

This was a last-minute plan. We decided to do this hike the day before and went on 26/09/2026.

I initially thought Thalaimalai was a Puratasi Saturday-only hike, so I expected it to be crowded. And it was. This hike can be done every Saturday throughout the year. For weekday hiking, contact the temple authorities. We started from home at around 4 AM, but it still took us nearly 4 hours to reach the foothills. We stopped for breakfast at Tottiyam and then headed towards the base.

Thalaimalai is located roughly between Namakkal, Karur and Trichy. At the foothills, there is the Sanjeevi Perumal Temple, and the place was already packed with people.

We started the hike around 8:30 AM. It was already sunny, and the trail was narrow and completely dry. There wasn’t much greenery or shade along the route.

The first section took us around 1 hour 45 minutes to reach the pond. From the pond, it took another 15 minutes to reach the summit temple. On the way, we stopped at a viewpoint for a while, where we got a nice view of the Cauvery River and the Kolli Hills. The final climb looked intimidating from a distance, but it was actually easier than it looked. At the top, there is a temple dedicated to Venkatachalapathy.

While climbing up, we spoke with a few locals and came to know that there are multiple trails leading to the pond. Since the main route, the Neeliyampatti route, was crowded, we decided to take a different route back down through Erumapatti. Further along, the route split into Erumapatti and Varadharajapuram. We chose the latter since it was the closest point to where we had parked.

Honestly, there were only around seven people on that entire route. The Erumapatti route was a little more breezy and much quieter. It took us around 2 hours to descend.
Once we reached the foothills, we had annadhanam. The people there treated us really well and made us feel very welcome.

Then came the funny part.
There is no direct bus service from Erumapatti to Neeliyampatti, where we had parked our car. The village president even offered to drop us at the bus stop. But instead, we decided to walk around the hill for another 3.5 km to get back to our car.

And that walk was brutal. The sun was absolutely scorching.
But somehow, we made it back to the parking.

Ascent: 4.5 km
Descent: 5.5 km
Total distance: ~10 km
Elevation gain: ~2,400 ft
Total time: ~4.5 hours

Overall, I’d call this a moderate-level hike. The climb itself wasn’t too difficult, but the sun really roasted us. There is very little shade along the trail, so the heat makes a big difference.

If you’re planning to hike Thalaimalai, I’d suggest contacting the temple authorities beforehand and planning it on a weekday if possible. You might get the trail almost entirely to yourself.

Carry sufficient water and snacks, especially if you’re going during the warmer hours.

And as always, please hike responsibly and leave no waste behind.

I’ve been doing weekly hikes around Coimbatore during Puratasi Saturdays last year, and last Puratasi Saturday’s pick was Vaasimalai, somewhere near Usilampatti. Hiked on 11/10/2025

I’d sent my hiking buddy the location three days earlier, but he didn’t reply - so I thought the plan was dead. Then on Friday, I called him, and he casually said, “Let’s try it.” He had no idea about the place. Even I couldn’t find proper blogs or vlogs with clear trail details.

There are three routes to the top - Elumalai, Chettipatti, and Ethakovil. Locals recommended Chettipatti as the easiest, but said we might get lost without a guide. So we went with Elumalai, which has arrow marks painted all the way to the top.

Locals also told us there are 7 checkpoints: Palasunaipparrai, Kathikal, Senguthiparrai, Kadukappanai, Yanaikal, and finally the Vaasimalai Temple.

I’d say this hill has 3 phases:

1. Forest path with rocky trails
2. Open rocky path with a short deep forest stretch (about 10 mins)
3. Vazhukuparai - steep, slippery rocks with handrails in some sections.

We started at 8:45 AM from the parking spot. It was blazing hot - after a 4-hour drive, I was already drenched in sweat. We reached Palasunaipparai (Murugan Temple), the start point of the hill. We reached Kathikal after too much effort. The first phase took around 1 hour.

Somewhere in between, we lost the trail twice but eventually caught up with two other hikers - a local guy and another from a different group. These guys were flying up the hill. It instantly reminded me of that Velpaari Novel where Neelan guides Kabilar and swiftly climbs up. Second phase took another hour.

The final rocky stretch - though steep - was surprisingly smoother to climb than the first two phases. We reached the top at 12 PM.

The view was surreal. Panoramic view of Theni, Andipatti, Vaigai dam, Usilampatti, Sathuragiri hills was overwhelming to witness. After darshan, we sat on the rocks, had puli saadham we brought, and took a quick nap. Clouds rolled in and blocked the sun. Then came the rain - light at first, then full-on downpour.

We started descending around 1:10 PM, me dodging raindrops like I was in The Matrix. There was nowhere to hide, and we got completely soaked. The first half sun roasted us, and the second half rain drenched us - as I joked, “Sothulayu adivangiyachu, sethulayu adivangiyachu.”

We rested under a cave-like rock for 15 minutes before continuing down. The rain weirdly recharged us, and we made it back to the vehicle by 4 PM.

Total: 10.5 km up & down | 3600 ft elevation gain Water is scarce, so carry 2.5 litres per person and some food with you. Also this place is open for hike only on Puratasi saturdays and women aged between 18-60 are not allowed.

I’ve never hiked in the rain before and it made everything more memorable. Also, love how you meet random strangers on hikes and share quick stories.

Also, I’m genuinely grateful for my fav shoes - they almost tore off while we were descending, but held up just enough to get me back safely!

Rant time - Even though there wasn’t much crowd, the plastic litter along the trail was bad. We collected whatever we could. Please, if you carry plastic, carry it back. Don’t ruin these trails.

Best Gourmet Pizza Experience in Coimbatore!

I’m not a big fan of pizza, but they might have just changed my mind. My cousin wanted to check it out on my sister’s suggestion and I’m glad we did!

They serve well-curated gourmet pizzas with a unique twist. Everything they served felt fresh

What we ordered:
• Half & Half Pizza (Kerala Roast + Chicken BBQ) - Neapolitan (hand-tossed) crust
• Half & Half Pizza (Margherita + Paneer BBQ) - Thin crust
• Slice of Pink - Thin crust, pork pepperoni
• Crispy Fried Oyster Mushrooms
• Crispy Fried Chicken Strips
• Peri Peri Fries
• Iced Mocha
• Hot Chocolate - Extra Thick

Food Highlights:
• Neapolitan crust – 10/10. Perfectly done - airy, soft, and flavorful.
• Thin crust – Light and crisp.
• Kerala Roast Pizza - A brilliant fusion. Spicy and well-balanced - loved it.
• Chicken BBQ & Paneer BBQ – Good, but didn’t stand out much.
• Slice of Pink (Pork Pepperoni) – Rare to find pork pepperoni and absolutely delicious.
• Margherita – Classic and satisfying.
• Crispy Fried Chicken Strips – Crunchy on the outside, tender inside. Comes with a sweet-spicy chilli honey dip.
• Crispy Fried Oyster Mushrooms – Even better than the chicken strips. Will choose this over chicken next time!
• Iced Mocha – Rich, refreshing. My cousin even ordered a second.
• Hot Chocolate – Extra Thicc – A bit too rich and cloying. Should’ve gone with the regular version.

Ambience: Cozy and inviting. A nice place to unwind with great food.

Overall: If you’re in Coimbatore and love good pizza (or even if you don’t!), this spot is definitely worth a visit.

I’ve been writing Google reviews for a while, and I’m currently in the top 10% of eatery reviewers. Should I start writing more food reviews on Reddit too?

Edit : This is not a promotional post! This is my genuine review.

Pottu Vaitha Kadhal from Singaravelan

Happy Birthday, U1! 💥

U1 was my first real exposure to music. Back in my school days, I used to groove to his bangers all day. Some of his songs, and especially his voice, were so unique.

Sometimes the lyrics wouldn’t even sit perfectly on the meter, but somehow he’d still work his magic and make the song click. That’s what makes U1 special. ❤️

Isaignani composed this tune for the Telugu song “Abbanee Tiyyani Debba”, which was later dubbed in Tamil as “Sammadham Thanthuten Nambu.”

Interestingly, the same tune was later used in the famous Bollywood song “Dhak Dhak Karne Laga”, composed by Anand-Milind, and in the Tamil song “Kannathil Kannam Vaithu”, composed by Deva.

I’m posting this song again just for Malaysia Vasudevan’s vocals. 🫠

When MV goes, “இனிக்கும் தேனே எனக்குத்தானே”, pure eargasm. 🥹

Watch till the end for an interesting trivia about the song!!!

Poove Ilaya Poove - one of my fav fav fav songs of Isaignani and Malaysia Vasudevan. Also I consider this one lil underrated. Everything is perfect. Be it Isaignani’s composition, MV’s voice, Arunmozhi’s flute, strings, mridhangam, and even the chorus. Very soothing!

Another day of being grateful to have lived in the Ilaiyaraaja era.

Long live Isaignani magic❤️‍🔥

Heard about this place two years back from a friend’s Insta story. Tried to plan it last year but couldn’t make it. So last year Puratasi month 2025), I’ve been on a hiking spree, and Melmudi was a must (Oct 4, 2025)

There are two routes: Palamalai (longer, less steep) and Chinna Thadagam (shorter, steeper). We took Chinna Thadagam. Started early, had breakfast at Annapoorna, and drove through a bumpy 2–3 km off-road stretch to the parking area. It was already packed, so we parked a bit before it.

Started the hike around 8 AM. The crowd was insane, way more than any of my previous hikes this month, and the humidity was next level. Felt like hiking inside a steam room and suffocating at times 😭. Couldn’t even keep track of the phases properly this time.

After about 1.5 hours, we reached a water point (too crowded to refill) and finally made it to Aranganathar Temple in 1 hour 50 minutes. Did the darshan, skipped the annadhanam since it was still breakfast time, and continued towards Nadukandanpoli (Shivan temple at the top).

The route from Aranganathar Temple to Nadukandanpoli was beautiful, about 25 minutes through dense forest and another 20 minutes through a lemongrass stretch. It had rained the previous night, so the path was slippery. Reached the top after 45 minutes and literally stood above the clouds. Magical view.

After worshipping, we came back down
to Aranganathar Temple for lunch annadhanam. They served ven pongal in the morning, and for lunch: rice, sambar, rasam, curd, kesari, and puliyodharai. Everything was delicious. Huge respect to the temple management and the five nearby villages who take care of the food.

Descended after lunch, stopped briefly at a viewpoint, and finished by 2 PM. Towards the end, the trail was finally empty. No one around for almost 200 m.

Total hike: 13 km up and down
Elevation gain: 3,450 ft

One of the tiring hikes (other than Vellingiri) I’ve done. Tbh, I didn’t feel the same joy as my previous ones, probably because of the crowd, narrow path, and humidity, but still a memorable experience.

Mini rant: People seriously need to stop littering. Forest officials check for plastic, yet some still sneak it in. If you can carry chips and water bottles uphill, you can carry the waste back too. I picked up as much as I could. Please, don’t trash nature.

And a funny thing, I met three people from my previous hikes! Including the same guy I wrote on r/IndiaSocial, that inspiring 48-year-old from Trichy who rides solo on his bike just to hike. I met him the previous week on the Kambathrayan Giri hike. Crazy dude.

I made a post in r/Coimbatore saying that we can meet on the trail. I’d be wearing a black Naruto T-shirt, and if someone spotted me, they should scream “Powerhouse!” and I would reply with “Naan dhan da Leo Leo Das.”

Still, no one from Reddit spotted me though 😅. I was secretly hoping someone would shout “Powerhouse!” at me.

Amazing poster design!

Ithana naal i was singing the lyrics way too wrong😹