For the love of God, and Wildlife

Planning a holiday can be quite a tedious task, especially when its a family affair. Parents like religious outings, wife wants to relax and enjoy the luxuries, and you like adventure - gosh, life can be so complicated with so many options. But then, as they say, where there is a will, there is a way.

I was in one such dilemma when I was planning my holidays during a recent annual leave. The idea was to accommodate it all - the pending family visit to the holy place, a quite & relaxing holiday and an encounter with wildlife. A little probing and some googl-ing a trip is planned to Gujarat: Mumbai - Palitana - Gir.

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Traversing more than 2000 kms, this was probably one of the most exciting trips of my life. It was divided into two parts, with the first part - a weekend excursion - comprising of Mumbai - Palitana with parents and wifey. From Palitana, parents came back to Mumbai, while wifey and me carried on for a 5 day trip to Gir National Park - which was the second part of the trip. I'll talk about first part in this blog, and will follow it up with a blog on the other part later.

Who wants to be a millionaire?

Mumbai alone must have atleast ten recognised business schools, and each of these schools must be mentoring atleast a 120 student on an average, which means that each year Mumbai alone adds around 1200 MBAs to the country's job market. A similar number would be the number of engineers and doctors passing out each year. Add to this the CAs, lawyers, architects, and artists and you have around 5000-7000 students with a technical degree (other than a BCom/BSc/BA) passing out of various colleges and institutes in Mumbai. And what do all these people have in common? Well most, if not all, would have a dream to do something BIG in life! After-all, we've all been taught to dream and think big since childhood, haven't we? Strangely enough, no one ever bothered asking "how big is big enough?"

A Vacation Amongst Clouds; On Ground, In Air

About 110kms from the chaotic city of Mumbai, and 16kms form the crowded twin hill statsions of Lonavala & Khandala, lies a small town off the highway called Kamshet. While not as famous as the twin hills that precede it (considering you are travelling from Mumbai), Kamshet is a major paragliding destination in Maharashtra, often metaphored as the 'paraglider's paradise'. Surrounded by lakes, paddy (rice & sugarcane) fields and the beutiful mountains of the Western Ghats, Kamshet and its neaby villages offer an altitude of 2200ft above sea level and some of best landscapes one could capture.

The beauty of Kamshet lies about 200 feet above the town, a 13km journey, not easily traversable without one's own vehicle; and the village roads dont exactly make the drive joyful. However, once you cross around half the distance, and reach about half the elevation, the road will no longer be the focus of your mind - for your eyes shall be treated with some majestic views of the lush green fields outlined by lofty mountain ranges embellished with numerous waterfalls.

Weekend Break: 45 Feet Above The Ground

Lonavala has long been a favorite monsoon getaway for most weekenders in Mumbai and Pune. Situated amongst the picturesque western ghats, over 600 meters above sea level, this hill station is known for its waterfalls, dams, a candy-like sweet called "chikki" and a private city called Amby Valley.

While I have always preferred a weekend getaway to quieter, less populated places, Lonavala has been an exception. Its not the love for chikki or the huge dam (infact I have not seen the dam in the ten years of my holidaying in Lonavala) that take me back to this crowded hill station; rather its a small village a little before the amby valley called Jambulne. A little known place, difficult to traverse to without your own vehicle, it is home to a 25 acre forest land owned by the friend of a close friend's father. The first time I visited this place - I probably was a ninenth grader and knew little about trekking and camping in forests - I was spellbound with the beauty and serenity of the then huge forest land.

From then to about a few years back, I have been to the place (better known amongst us friends as the 'Farm') atleast once every year. Having born in a month that experiences peak monsoon, I have been lucky enough to celebrate many a birthdays in this heavenly abode just the way I like it - aloof. Three small tin sheds - a kitchen, a bedroom, and a toilet - was the only human construction initially, covering over a couple of hundred sq feet of more than one million sq feet of land available. The simplicity and closeness to nature - no electricity, no gadgets just some solar powered lights - was the main attraction of the place. It made the tedious travel to the place a looked after event each year. We would pack our bags with ready-to-eat food before taking an early morning bus from Mumbai to Lonavala. Upon reaching Lonavala, the first task would be to head to the market and shop for food, water and beverages before queuing up for a 17km ride in the local trax on a share-a-seat basis. The jeeps (or sometimes trucks carrying rocks for construction) would drop us at a junction from where we would walk up 4kms to reach the farm.

The Bollywood Brass Band's Rahmania

An unusual song from an ususual take on an age hold hero - yes I am talking about the song Tauba Tera Jalwa from the movie Dev D - has been topping the charts recently. A song sung and played a brass band - the ones that usually play during weddings - is an interesting concept, but has got little attention compared to its novelty. All attention, and deserving so, has been focused on A. R. Rahman winning the Oscars. But just like the brass band, Rahman has had too little attention in the past. The musician is a true genius - probably the best the industry has - and has been making the nation proud for quite some time. From the usual bollywood tunes, to the patriotic vande matatram and Jaana Gaana Maana, to the musical Bombay Dreams, to chinese movie scores to the Lord of the Rings - he's played'em all.

So whats common between A. R. Rahman and the brass band? Why would one want to talk about a little know brass band and A . R. Rahman?