Hmmm... 7:00 am is not a good time to stand at Malad station... Actually 7:00am is not a good time to stand at any station. But as fate would have it, we were there carrying our bags. Mine was heavier than average thanks to my (n*X)L size. Sometimes I wonder... anyways.. So where was I.. Oh yes... Malad station. So I was waiting along with half my batch waiting for the Zuk-zuk gadi to arrive. We were on our way to Matheran. Supposedly the smallest, tiniest, hill station in the country.
Half way through the journey, past Dadar, we had half the bogie to ourselves. So we were cracking jokes, teasing each other. This was one time the entire admin team was with us taking part in our antics. We reached Neral by 10, had breakfast, got divided in groups of 5 and headed for the Hills in rickety cabs. The fun had begun. We were looking forward for this break for a long time, Since Zeitgeist.
The cab ride was good. The winding roads up the Sahyadris were smooth and loaded with some really picturesque locations. By the time we reached the taxi stop up hills, we were actually midst clouds. It was magical. We had to trek for almost 5km to reach Matheran and another 4km to reach the Hotel. The modes of transportation in Matheran are horses and feet. In my case both were inadequate to carry my weight for a long time. Anyways, so we were walking-
and-walking and walking some more. We were followed by our very own Smiling SamuRai and Prof Girish with his wonderful camera. That day there were 30 more monkeys in Matheran hills.
The hotel was called ‘Radha Cottage’. Decent place. We saw some guys setting up mise en place for some adventure tasks. Deja vu. Dabosa memories... Luckily things were relatively pleasant. Prof. Parvez Jokhi was with us. He and his team had set up a few fun tasks for us... We did those post lunch... Good fun... Walking on planks, erecting tents with group members tied together, Passing groups members through rope webs, balancing a ball by threads... Good fun... Roadies would die of awe... Post that we had a session by Mr. Shubrotho Sen.
24th September was an important date. It was the day the college was setup. Anniversary of our very own MBS. It was also Kevin’s, one of our batchmates’, birthday. So we had two cakes. There was a bonfire which refused to light up even after guzzling a litre of kerosene. It was raining too. We all partied till wee hours. Next day comprised of some more games and then we embarked on the return journey. We came down in a more relaxed manner. Bathing in the beauty of nature. Felt close to mother earth. Felt good. Felt relived. Felt reclaimed.
Dabosa, as Nikhil had rightly said, was an ice- breaker for our batch. Matheran was a unity-maker. We hung around with friends we generally just knew. Sat till 3:00am with them. Shared anecdotes, nostalgia, ghost stories, past heartbreaks and recent patch ups. We always knew each other, but it was different this time. This break gave everyone some peace of mind they needed. Some sought it in company of others. Some regained their energies by spending time with themselves. The school didn’t meddle with any of our leisure activities. They gave us what we yearned for. Some solace from the daily grind.
We came back with refreshed bodies and calm minds. That small vacation did wonders. Missing those magic moments.
... Very well written Bhushan... Reading this article, takes me back to Matheran and relive the moments... Cheers to MBS Family :)
ReplyDeleteTired of the concrete jungle that Mumbai... we decided to take off to Matheran to rejuvenate ourselves. At 800 metres above the sea level and only 108 kms from Mumbai, Matheran is the smallest hill station in India. It's proximity to Mumbai makes it a very popular weekend retreat.
ReplyDeleteThere are no metalled roads and the walking paths are made of red laterite earth. The heavy fog did not permit us to see the spectacular view of the valley below from any of the points. But the unpolluted and crisp air, the red winding paths through the thick forest, the old styled Parsi bunglows, made the place pretty as a picture.
This region has a large variety of medicinal plants and herbs. People have occasionally sighted panthers in the hills. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, monkeys and wild cats are often seen. This place is also home to a large number of birds and beautiful butterflies.
The original inhabitants of Matheran, the Dhangars, the Thakurs and the Katkaris still retain some of their old practices. The Dhangars supply milk to the visitors. The Thakurs are mainly farmers. They also gather honey and fruits from the jungle. The Katkaris are mainly hunters. Now- a- days, a lot of these people have opened up shops in the market areas and sell shoes, leather goods, home made chocolates, fudge, variety of fruit flavoured drinks and chikki (peanut brittle).
The locals are extremely friendly and love to talk to the scores of tourists that throng Matheran every day. Becareful of your money though.
However much we progress in technology and science, there still is no teacher better than Mother Nature.