An Ordeal During a Kodaikanal Trip
When the movie Manjummel Boys was released, I had no idea what it was about, and to be honest, I didn’t even like the title. I’m a movie buff, but this title didn’t excite me at all, so I wasn’t planning to watch it. A couple of days after the movie’s release, one of my friends from Dubai messaged me, “Do you still remember the Kodaikanal trip? I just watched the latest movie, Manjummel Boys. Brother, it was spine-chilling to remember everything.” He also asked me to watch the movie. That brought back memories of a trip we made twenty years ago.
One evening, my cousin, who was pursuing engineering in my hometown, approached me about taking a trip to Kodaikanal. He and six of his college friends wanted a break after exams, and they thought someone like me would be ideal to guide them on the trip. Naturally, I agreed. We booked a vehicle, and off we went, excited for the adventure ahead.
Now, Kodaikanal was a place I knew well. I had been there many times before. The beautiful lake with its cycling paths, the fresh scent of eucalyptus in the air, the thrill of horse riding, Coaker’s Walk and its viewpoint, age-old Pillar Rock, and even the mysterious Suicide Point — all of it was familiar to me.
While exploring the hill station, we visited almost all the major spots. At Coaker’s Walk, I met Joseph, a street hawker. Joseph was a middle-aged Tamilian who was born and raised in Kodaikanal, and he spoke passionately about the town and its history. During our conversation, he mentioned that he lived near where we were staying and that he would visit us in the evening.
Later that evening, while the boys and I were relaxing at our place, Joseph came by. He shared stories about his life and mentioned that the tea shop he runs isn’t his only source of income — he also helps the police. Curious, I asked him what he meant by that. He explained that he assists the police in recovering bodies from the Suicide Point. He shared numerous stories about retrieving bodies from there, along with the local beliefs, customs, and rituals surrounding them. It was one of the coldest evenings, and we were all scared listening to his stories. Even though we were excited to hear him, there was an atmosphere of fear. After some time, I suggested it was time to sleep and have dinner. Joseph had dinner with us and, before leaving, offered us something. He said he would show us something special the next morning if we joined him. We asked what it was, but he said it was a surprise and didn’t want to reveal it yet.
The next day, we were ready to join Joseph for the surprise. He came to our cottage, and our driver dropped us near the main road leading to the Guna Caves. Joseph guided us along a different route, through an area filled with tree roots, and from there, we moved further into the forest. Initially, there were bushes, but as we progressed, we entered a dense forest with tall trees. It was difficult to walk because of the dry leaves and logs scattered around. The boys were excited about this adventurous journey and happily followed me and Joseph. I knew they had all had a bit too much to drink the previous evening and were still a bit hungover. I had a bad feeling that something wasn’t right about this. Suddenly, I heard a noise and saw my cousin, about to fall. I immediately grabbed his hand. I couldn’t believe how I managed to catch him in time, as he would have fallen into a gorge otherwise. The mouth of the gorge was hidden by tree stems and roots. I sighed in relief, and Joseph, shocked, told us to be careful. I asked him if it was dangerous to go further, and he just said, “Be careful when you walk.”
At that moment, my instincts kicked in. I started questioning everything. Who is this guy? I had met him just the previous day — where was he taking all of us? Is he part of a gang? Why should I take this risk, bringing a group of young boys who are yet to graduate from engineering college? If something happened, what would I tell their parents? I’m their big brother, and I shouldn’t have come this far. I decided to ask Joseph again, Tell us where you’re taking us. He said it would take another hour. I became angry.
“Joseph, we are not moving an inch further unless you disclose the destination. Enough is enough!” I saw him getting angry, and he said, “If you guys don’t want to go, let’s skip this here.” I replied, “No, I don’t want these guys risking their lives — they’re my brothers.” I shook him and requested him to take us back. After a tense moment, he agreed to turn back.
we started walking back the way we came. It took almost an hour, and we walked carefully, holding hands and not speaking.
After reaching the main area, everyone was shivering, and we ordered tea from a shop. Joseph wasn’t with the group; he was having his tea alone. I walked towards him and asked him politely, “Joseph Anna, where were you taking us?”
What he said next shocked me. He softly replied, “A girl committed suicide yesterday. I was taking all of you to see the body.” I was stunned to hear that. I didn’t tell the boys, as some of them were still struggling to come out of the horrific state.
That evening, we went back to our place. A week later, there was an after-party, and I shared this story with everyone. They were speechless as I told them what happened. That night, I felt a huge sense of relief after sharing it with them.
After watching Manjummel Boys, my wife told me it was foolish of them to do all that — that’s why they fell into the gorge. The elder one should have noticed it. While she was blaming the character Kuttettan, the elder one in the group, I was thinking about myself. Even after covering a distance, I said no to Joseph. If we had continued, if we had seen the body, we might have frozen in fear right then and there. It could have been dangerous, and we could have been stuck there.
That was a life lesson for me — not to violate rules and instructions, especially in places like these. There are several warnings for tourists that we usually don’t take seriously. We were young, eager for adventure, and looking for thrills, but if something had happened, we could never have reversed it.
Today, those boys have grown up. They live in different parts of the world, but whenever they visit, we always talk about that day — a close call with life that we’ll never forget.