The serene greens of Nilgiris give an ascetic touch to Masinagudi and this has attracted crowds and tourists for a long. Masinagudi is just 30 km away from the most sought-after southern hill station of Ooty. The Dulquer Salman movie ‘Kali’ made Malayali audiences more aware of the less explored green pastures of this icy terrain. ‘Kali’ was released way back in 2016 but it took nearly 7 years from then for Malayalis to start packing bags to head for this place. Just from the start of December, Kerala's Instagram pages started filling with reels about Masinagudi, unlocking a new tourist destination for the Malayalis to explore.
The Masinagudi to Ooty route consists of a narrow road, steep climbs and 36 hairpin bends. Only small cars and bikes are allowed to pass through these steep curves. Malayali’s were fixated over the reels which showed the green picturesque background filled with icy fogs; lakes with canoes; deer leaping every road and elephants smeared in dust ambushing near trees for the vehicles to pass. It was enough and more for people to fall for these beautiful edits on Instagram that came accompanied by soothing music.
Sadly, the reality was heartbreaking for many. People thronged in masses to the idyllic spot but got the surprise they less anticipated. The narrow roads of Masinagudi were filled with vehicles such that the traffic congestion took hours to disentangle. It was a horrid time for people who yearned for some respite from their hassle-filled work days.
However, the biggest revelation was not the traffic congestion, but the sham that was Masinagudi itself. The place is a beauty and the roads are scenic and tranquil, but it is miles away from what was seen in the Instagram reels. According to many visitors, the leaves looked dry, and no lakes were found, while no deers or elephants ventured out to the roads. The biggest downfall of all, the climate was humid, unlike the icy fog seen in reels.
This editing sham through reels quickly turned ‘Masinagudi to Ooty’ as meme material. Instagram is now abound with trolls related to Masinagudi and Malayalis are top contributors in that list. For many people, their much-awaited winter vacations were ruined for the trouble they had to encounter in Masinagudi. After all the hullabaloo, reels coming out now are showing Masinagudi in its true beauty without any added filters. Whatever the trouble, the comments to reels related to Masinagudi will leave you in splits.