‘have a good time’

I didn’t wish to write about this weekend’s trip. ‘I don’t think I have enough stories and experiences to put them to words this time’ I said to a friend.

When I uttered these words to him is when I realized my mistake. I said so because the experience I had was not like my usual two-day trek kind. When I removed the two-day trek reference in my mind, I got many stories to write about the two happy days I had.

We began to drive towards Jawahar, around eight in the morning. There were four bikes and a car and of course I was on the bike with my cousin Sanish. The sun was kind in the beginning and then got harsh on us, but the beautiful road kept us going.

I and my cousin sang a variety of songs as we rode across the beautiful landscape. Our happiness matched the level of the madness of Shammi Kapoor’s dance moves and so perhaps we sang his songs all the way. The playlist altered to some random travel songs as we reached our hotel.

The hotel had a swing, I didn’t get off it until the lunch was finally ready and night stay was looked after. When we sat down to eat, it rained. The cold breeze with the smell of soil felt refreshing. I don’t enjoy eating much, but I loved this lunch, I felt full.

After lunch when we left for Dhabosa Waterfall, the sun was out again, as if the rain just came to help me eat well. We saw it from above, we didn’t go near the waterfall as we had to see some more places, so after clicking a few pictures we left.

I felt so low, I was quiet on the ride to the next place in mind. I sang a few songs still, as the road was so pretty! We reached the sunset point, a noisy crowded place. Not being able to feel the water and then in this crowd, I was about to break down.

I had a walk around the place and felt better. I went back to my people, we clicked a few pictures and then left to the Jai Villas Palace. We reached late and so couldn’t go in, but a walk around was enough to fall in love with its structure.

Jawahar was a princely hill station of the British time ruled by the Munke family. Jai Vilas Palace was their seat of power. It has around 80 room. The structure, the pristine pinkish stone used does give a glimpse of the mighty aura the Munke family lived in.

After kind of living a British history chapter, we entered a mythological one. We went to Hanuman Point. Legend has it that Hanuman loved this hill station had rested here. We can all take this myth with a pinch of salt.

We had ice cream and then left to our hotel. I played the swing again for a while before it was time for dinner. We walked around the place as the moon kept a watch on us. We went back to the hotel and decided to listen to some music before we slept.

We heard a few songs, then one of us wanted to watch the video of the songs played. And that is how it all began, one video and another and in time we were grooving to beats of the song.

We didn’t have a speaker, but the playlist was such that almost all knew all songs and steps perfectly to do it right. It was so relaxing, I forgot all about the day, and just sang and danced.

After a while, I went to the room and crashed. My body asked me to sleep but the room was filled with laughter, there were constant jokes and comments and so much more happening. I was laughing at all the madness happening and didn’t realize when I dozed off. It was the first time ever I slept while laughing so much!

I got up, got fresh, and had a walk outside with a friend. We came back, saw the sunrise from our hotel’s terrace. It was a beautiful start to the day. We had a quick breakfast, took all our bags and left to Shirpamal.

It was a gateway made to keep an eye on the surrounding by the Marathas. Shirpamal was a stopover point for Shivaji Maharaj when he headed towards Surat. The structure and the view are as enticing as the story behind it.

Almost like a laughing gas was on, the jokes kept happening as we laughed our way out of Shirpamal. Joyfully, we headed to Bhupatgadh next. The ride was tricky but the landscape beautiful.

The climb of half hour to the fort was tedious due to heat yet I smiled. I couldn’t stop grinning as I was on a mountain, there were trees around me, and I was heading to an old structure, walking with my crazy bunch.

Bhopatgadh fort was mainly used for official meetings and planning. It has good water storage, a few wells and a small pond. The remains of the structure, the view from the top is all worth the visit.

I wanted to stay on the mountain for longer and so walked the way back to our vehicles but didn’t help. I was feeling a bit low to let go of the mountain. Just then one of us pops up with ‘one rupee Pepsi’ I don’t know what else its called.

It is what I always had a kid. That little ice candy thing is a small joy of life. I got it at the right time, in the right place. I remember I hopped a little and took one out of the bag in my friend’s hand. True joy is indeed in small things as such.

We were on our way to Suryamal now, it is the highest point in Thane district. We saw wood carving on our way in Bhuritek village. There were two logs of wood with warriors carve done on each, one had a man other had a woman. I haven’t seen anything as such before and couldn’t find its purpose either.

Now we reached Suryamal, I clicked a few photos then I ran. As I ran, I let go of every single thought in my mind. I felt free, I stopped at a place and sat down for a while. There were at least twelve layers of mountains in front of me, the sun was about to set, there was a cool breeze and since I ran, I was away from the chitter-chatter of my group.

Life is so chaotic, decisions I am making, future decisions and so much more I keep over thinking about. But this trip was till now trying to calm me down, trying to say you deserve to chill, smile, and relax too.

For around five minutes as I observed this layered landscape, I was one with nature. It told me to have a good time. It told me to enjoy the chaos in order to be less troubled by it. I felt enlightened and then went back to my group.

After a lot of pictures and also my signature London Thumakda moves, we left. The next few km bike ride was super amazing, a good road with trees on both sides. I was happy high and it was time I did something more.

I stood on the bike and sang so many songs. I even managed to do a few hand waves. I did stand on the bike a while ago with fellow bike mates but this few km was something I’ll cherish forever.

As I stood on the bike, I let go of a lot of nonsense in my mind, I had no thoughts whatsoever. It indeed was my ‘jo bhi ho so ho’ moment!

The ride back home was crazy. I sat with my younger cousin for a change and we are real idiots. We scared random humans on the road while driving. Might not be morally right but was hilarious.

If I have to write it, personally, observing the people I was with, the situations we were into, I learned and have made notes.

I felt stronger in my mind by the end of this trip, as each person I was with had something to give which I lacked and I did have a good time.

October 22, 2018

The Konkan Kind – III

Various gods and goddesses are worshipped around Konkan region. Believers flock in from many states for blessings. I saw a few of these deities during my three-day trip. Hope you enjoyed the journey so far and love this last read in the series.

One friend was supposed to leave us after dinner but her thing at work got sorted and she could stay. I asked her to treat us all with ice cream. After a wonderful day at so many forts and then the beach and now I ice cream. ‘I was dancing of joy inside’ could definitely be an understatement!

We went to the place we were spending our night. I didn’t even keep my bag down as I got busy with a fur ball. And there were two of them, two furry cats! I got busy playing with them and in a while slept.

The room was small for us and heat was terrible. I got up after an hour’s nap, irritable and angry because of incomplete sleep. I asked a friend awake for a similar reason and we stepped out. The moon was there, calm and as if awaiting my arrival.

I realized there is no way out and I have to sleep in there and went to give it another try. The cats and other nuisance woke others sleeping by now. So five of us awake stepped out. Unable to sleep, unable to do anything, damn irritable, we decided to have a walk.

We walked, talked about music, shared random thoughts and stories and finally went in and got a few hours of sleep in that hot pot. Five of us turned an irritable night of restlessness into a memorable one where we talked, laughed and shared. Moments as such with people you travel adds to the glory of a trip.

After morning tea we left for Ratnadurg fort. We had been to this fort before, yet saw it in a different light this time. This is a must visit fort if you plan to land in Konkan anytime, the placement of it, the structure, the view, it is all a delight not to be missed!

Next, we saw the Velneshwar Temple. The Shiva idol is the prime attraction of this place, especially during the Mahashivratri celebrations. The pristine clean beach behind the temple is mesmerising but not open for tourists now, perhaps why it has managed to stay clean.

We now went to the famous Kalbhairav Temple, also known as Bahiri Temple. It is constructed by the Gujar family. This temple is known to have not only Hindu devotees but also Jain and Islam origin devotees.

After this, we quickly saw the Jogeshwari Temple, commonly called the Jugai Temple. This is a shrine of Shree Jugaidevi. The structure of this temple is beautiful and has a calm ambience for anyone to sit and connect to the superpowers.

We now headed to Ganpati Phule. This is a Ganesh Temple on the base of a small hill and has a beautiful beach in the front. I loved the various kinds of Ganesh idols on the structure of the temple.

We had a quick breakfast and then went to a fort finally. I was done with watching various deities. And Jaigadh proved to be love at first sight. The fort has a deep pit at the entrance (khandak) and the fortification walls still stand strong around the fort.

There are many structures still in good condition in the fort, including temples, wells and even a few rooms. Our timing I felt was perfect as the light’s romance with the structure made for many beautiful frames.

I felt very content after exploring this fort. Now, we took a jetty ride with our sumo in it. It was an amazing experience to be in sumo, then have the sumo in a jetty and then again riding the sumo to the next place planned, Vyadeshwar Temple.

This shrine is dedicated to Lord Shiva but has several other deities like Talkeshwar, Udaleshwar, and Balkeshwar. The idols of God Ganesh, God Vishnu, and God Surya are also there.

After this, we saw the Gopalgadh lighthouse and also learned from a person working there how it functions, what are its functions mainly etc. It was the first time I saw a lighthouse so up close, it was a beautiful learning experience.

We now headed to Goaplgadh, the gates were closed because apparently, this fort isn’t a public property anymore. We don’t go by the rules and figured our way in and the experience of this fort was fun, full of laughter and madness. Also known as Anjanvel, this fort was also part of the trade route at the time.

After such a big day, we were blessed with a kind stay at one of our friend’s house in Aare village. It was a beautiful night and I had one of the best sleep of the entire trip. On the ride to the house, I noticed a river and it could be heard from the house as well. I had to had to go there but it was dark

So, as planned, I got up early, woke my cousin and two friends. One decided to sleep and three of us headed out towards the river. We saw a land full of coconut palms. I danced around the trees as if in a dream and then we walked into the river.

We found a place, sat there for a while and in some time got joined by our sleepy friend. He found us and now four of us spent time talking and clicking with our feet in the river. For a while, we all were quiet, I could hear only the river, fluttering of the palm leaves and some birds and yes it felt like the Konkan kind of goodbye.

My heart sank as I walked back to the house. We noticed a big spider eat a grasshopper. We noticed another spider and stood and clicked photos in awe for nature. When we finally reached the house, we had our morning tea and breakfast and left for our bus to the station.

The stay was too emotional as I helped the lady cook. I do not step in the kitchen at home often, and the warmth received in a span of hours filled me with joy. The fact that the trip was about to end killed me more.

I was super quiet and sadly my face depicts what I feel and I am bad at hiding sorrow. I am blessed with great friends in life as the amazing playlist and care by a friend helped me not choke and bid Konkan gratitude filled goodbye with a smile.

We had lunch and got on the train and managed to get comfortable seats. This train journey back home will be marked as the most epic fun journey I have ever had. The jokes, the laughter, the games, the talks of the trip, each person present made me feel so blessed.

This was my first ever big trip of four days in total with my trekker group and I am so glad it was Konkan Kind. I built stronger bonds with people, learned about many new places and experienced Konkan truly. Blessed with the best people to trek and trip with is something I will brag for as long as I shall live!

(I couldn’t add in detailed information about the places I visited but have managed to put all the links to sites I took the information in a word file. If you wish to check this bibliography along with the entire itinerary, click here!)

October 14, 2018

The Konkan Kind – I

Konkan is the coastal plain region between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. It is home to many beautiful beaches, forts and temples. This is the first post in the series of my experience of the Kind Konkan. I hope you enjoy the read and perhaps learn something new.

I had yet again chosen to travel over something else more important. I had an extreme guilt of being selfish but I knew my decision wasn’t wrong and kind Konkan did prove me right!

As planned, we took Mangalore Express train from Thane station at 10:30pm. We were hoping to at least get on the train, but we not only got in, but we also got seats. The place wasn’t enough to get some sleep yet somehow we managed to relax and reached Kankavli station at 7:10am.

Eight of us freshened up and started walking towards the bus stop. We managed to have tea before we stepped in the bus to Ramgadh. Peeping through the window I saw the landscape of small houses and fields touching the horizon and in minutes we reached our first fort.

Ramgadh fort has the most unique Ganesh idol with a wobbly trunk and asuras at the base. There are seven tofs kept in line with a lot of grass and trees around it, obviously making a beautiful frame.

This intriguing fort kept us exploring it for more time than planned and we missed our bus to Achra from where we would head further to Sindhudurg. Soon, we hopped into a tumtum to Achra.

I and my friend sat behind and couldn’t stop smiling the entire ride. It was like living our ‘khwabon k parindey’ moment. The road had trees on either side, the clouds in the sky forming various shapes, the warm smiles of people in intervals, the leaves on the road following us for a while and the calm breeze soothing our souls.

Luckily, we managed to get this tumtum to ride directly to Sindhudurg. We kept our luggage outside and headed to our boat ride to the fort. Sindhudurg is a 16th-century architectural marvel made possible by the great Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

The entrance to the fort is hidden like that of the other sea forts built at the time. The purpose was for the enemy to never find it. Only locals can point the correct entry, no tourist can locate it.

Yes, the fort has a beautiful structure and amazing history but my attention was totally driven to the sea. The waves kept thrashing the fort walls, the sound of which was so serene I got lost in my own world.

The mighty sea waves many time hit the fort walls so high the water fell inside. The waves managed to fall on a few of us as we walked past the entire fort wall churning excitement among all of us the entire time.

If the waves could climb the fort walls and reach us, I kept thinking of all the things even I can do and think are impossible. Like the endless efforts of the waves, even I can and I should keep giving my all for my masters and hope to achieve what I think I can.

After a thoughtful walk around this historical fort, it was time to leave. By now, the heat and hunger both were unbearable. As we returned from the fort, we had a kala-khatta gola and headed straight for lunch. The old lady serving us food reminded me of grandma so much, it made me cry within.

As usual, instead of being low about missing grandma, I acted weird and made all around me believe I was annoyed with her being so much keen on me eating. She kept looking at my plate, conversing to me about food and other things, just like grandma.

I wish I had courage enough to hug her and say thank you, you made my day. Her kindness made my soul smile and heart cry. It definitely felt like grandma had come down to say hello, please take care and eat well one last time.

We had some time before our bus to Vijaydurg and we had a walk around. I crossed the lunch place twice, thinking if I should go in and thank the old lady, but I couldn’t. I think I need to get more emotionally stronger for that.

We boarded the bus and saw one of the most beautiful sunsets. The cool breeze helped me have a nap despite the ride being extremely bumpy and scary. I think the BEST drivers should be given special rewards and recognition for their driving stints. They are really underrated F1 drivers.

It was dark when we got down near Vijaydurg fort. A visarjan was going to happen soon and a procession was approaching towards us. The dhol was so amazing, I began dancing in reflex. Not for long but we all did a little jig of our own for a few minutes. It felt odd yet refreshing to dance at a distance from a procession.

We attended the visarjan aarti and I witnessed my first ever visarjan. I don’t have feelings about what I saw, kind of blank about the whole festival itself, I have no clarity of thought on the festival as it is just my second year of actually understanding it, I’ll surely write more on it when I know and experience more about it.

Soon after that, we finished our dinner and then the moon appeared above the sea. Deep pink, calm and as if smiling and welcoming me for a conversation. I sat near the edge of the sea and saw the moon reflect over the sea.

The waves hitting the rocks at the shore felt like the moon was responding to my questions. I clicked a few pictures and hummed a few songs. I was lost in the divine beauty of this moment after that.

My mind had zero tabs open, perhaps still somewhere some music player was on in low volume but nothing more. For a few minutes it was just me and the moon, its reflection and the sound of the waves at the shore, it was a soulful conversation with the moon.

I saw the moon rise above and observed the change in its reflection pattern. After spending these moments of peace it was time to head to our rooms and have enough rest for the next day. We headed back, played cards for a while and slept.

I slept with a big smile on my face. I thanked the superpowers for a beautiful day where I saw the power of the mighty waves in the start and for the beautiful end with the moon and everything serene that occurred in between. I knew somewhere within, that this was just a start and there was more madness in store in the coming few days.

October 4, 2018

Things I learned from the Mumbai Local

When you live in Mumbai suburbs, conversations about the local train is bound to happen. This post is about what I learned from my five year mumbai local travel.

Years back I met an old man at Dadar station waiting for a train, he asked me a question which I couldn’t answer, “How many years do you wish to live?” It was random, I was standing beside him, both of us awaiting the train when he turns to me and asks the question. I look at him bewildered. The train arrives, he smiles and walk towards it. He perhaps asked me so looking at my weak health or me being on phone the full 10 mins we stood beside each other, I am not sure.

I am used to eating in train. A year ago when I was eating breakfast, I had a bit and was keeping my tiffin, when an aunty beside me who was dug in her phone all this while turned to me and said “finish it” I looked at her, smiled and offered her “you finish it” came her reply. I finished my breakfast for the first time in a while, that day.

Both these incidents were random but spoke volumes to me and hence close to my heart. Though, everything about the local train is not a feel good experience. There is a clasist feel present where in everybody in first class coach judge people by clothes and looks and fight if they feel that a person belongs to second class coach.

The Mumbai Local did teach me balance, practically balancing on one foot and in life too. Giving an elderly person seat, providing a helping hand to a stranger, helping someone with basic needs like water, helping a pregnant lady etc, these small acts of humanity occur in the same space where as I said above people don’t behave properly to people of lower work status or who seem too different than us. There has been a balance of good and bad experiences on the train.

One important thing that Mumbai Local has made me understand is how different men and women are. The way men manage the seats in the train and the way women do it is so strikingly different. Men do not claim seats; they stand and after a while of travelling say half hour, men standing sit. Women claim seats and sit accordingly. I have no clue why both do it so differently but thanks to this I know, men and women think different. People who wish to study gender, kindly note and help me find answer to this.

Something that saddens me though about local train is the behavior of the educated illiterates. Why I call them so? Who are they? The ones who are educated, might have jobs too and still get up from seat to throw trash out of the train door, or out of the train window. Any of you guilty ones reading this, please stop doing it. Anyone know who does this, make them stop, please!

The more I think about my mumbai local journeys, the more I feel blessed of being a Mumbaikar who travels. In a jam packed local train the one hanging at the door envies the one who is a step inside, the one inside envies the one standing comfortably inside, the one standing inside envies the one sitting comfortably and the person sitting wonders how they’ll manage to get down. Isn’t this how we feel about life? Don’t you have that one person you feel whose life is better than yours? We as humans always feel that the other is in a better shape than us, when the truth is, we are at the same game of life, dealing it in our ways and its upon us to make the most of what we have.

Local train journeys have taught me enjoying and respecting the journeys more than destinations. We all wish to reach somewhere, become something, but it’s the journeys that make us what we are.

If you are reading this, I hope you stop, smile and pat yourself for the journey you have lived so far. As John Lennon said it, life is happening to us when we are planning everything else.

November 18, 2017