Deconstructing the Half-constructed: June 2012

Cool as the dewdrops, fresh in the morn

Painted on a canvas of green

Nature’s divine beauty at work

In the ghats, to lonavala – nature’s jade artwork, I’ve been

The month took me places in and around Delhi but the surprise that was in store for me for a week’s getaway to the Western Ghats happened to be something out of a dream. While the railway tickets played spoilsport in the beginning (and later at the end) we did manage to get RAC seats to Mumbai. The train ride of more than twenty one hours turned out to be fun (rather unexpected!). After a rather heavy breakfast as we crossed Faridabad, we settled down to sleep on the berths that the TTE had allotted (his pockets a bit warmer, of course!). The body made good of the rest that it had sought for the past three days, and I felt strangely refreshed when I woke up around noon. The slumber itself hasn’t been a sound one courtesy, a very loud kid nearby who could only think of one thing and that was calling out to his sister who lay on the berth below. Each time I woke, it was to his shouts of “Pari! Pari!”. When I finally raised myself from the berth and peeped through the curtain to enquire who Pari was and why hadn’t she been replying for the past four hours, I found an infant curled up in deep sleep in her mother’s arms! (Well ,what can I say after that?)

Lunch and two movies later mom and I got down to a game of antakshari. It is common knowledge that I am the worst player in this game. My ability to recall songs reaches an absolute zero and it was this prowess which I put up for display again. An hour later with mom being the obvious champion and with nothing better to do we decided to make faces and sing funnily resulting in a quite intense yet hilarious endeavor! The stomach did not complain at dinnertime as we had continuously fed with the junk one normally devours on a train. So, after some discussions as to who would sleep where (I got a lower one, the air conditioning was too cold for my liking) we finally got down to the final task of the day, sleeping.

An early morning call from my uncle was what woke me this time around. We had to get down at Dadar. Packed and ready we waited for an hour before the halt at Dadar. After what seemed like a long time bargaining with the taxi drivers we finally set off for Lonavala. Mumbai is silent and beautiful in the morning (no traffic!) and it was this half awake city that we left behind as we took the famous Mumbai-Pune expressway through the Ghats for our destination. On the winding roads we travelled among the Ghats, through tunnels. It was the perfect beginning I must say (I said it too soon!).It so happened that ‘travelling luck’ wasn’t on our side and the car was heating up pretty quickly forcing us to make frequent stops. My uncle and aunt picked us up from the exit to Lonavala and in no time we were at their home. The ride all along had been a blur.

Taken from the Mumbai Pune Expressway as we pass through the Ghats

One of the many tunnels that we passed through

Out of the intense heat of the north this paradise was a welcome break. I settled down to enjoy the cool breeze that blew in through the living room window. This was heaven. A peek through the windows confirmed that we were in the lap of Mother Nature surrounded by the most beautiful hills, green and lush, dotted with cottages and bungalows.

In this wonderful retreat, what do you expect after a hearty breakfast? Why, a nice sleep of course! Taking no heed of what everyone was up to and leaving all cares to the world, I jumped into bed for a long, peaceful and uninterrupted slumber (call me lazy, I don’t care!)

With not much happening in the afternoon, we decided to go to Tiger Top, a viewing point near Khandala. It definitely had some great views. The pictures say it all. Under the blue sky, surrounded by beautiful hills, now isn’t that the perfect setting? It is, and this is a big reason that many Bollywood scenes have been shot here.

A view from Tiger Top

Steep drop below

Hills and lakes in the surrounding region

Another great view

Just something different

Not picture perfect, I know!

Having that Bhutta (YUM!)

Just so beautiful!

The night had something special in store for us too. My uncle and aunt took us out for dinner to a roadside dhaba Kinara. The old school village setting and a live ghazal performance set the mood for a very enjoyable night. The ghazals did not let us down and it was quite often that we found ourselves swaying to the gentle rhythm. Some excellent non-vegetarian dishes in that raised wooden hut turned out to be just what was needed. I spent all my time clicking photos and licking my fingers!(I just realized that I was too busy savoring the delicacies and did not pick up my camera during the meal!) The comfortable jhoolas were too much to ignore and we settled on them after the delicious meal. The enchanting ghazals continued.

Finally giving in to the clock’s gentle reminder that it was eleven we returned but not before having the biggest paan of our lives filled such that I had to take multiple bites to get it all in!