Bhandardara – India’s Amazon

Day 1

The Indian rains of 2013 were like never seen before in about the lifetimes of those still alive. In the city of Mumbai the downpour began as early as the first week of June and along with it also the pains of Mumbaiates surfaced almost instantly. The southern part of country was soaked by then and the flooding of water had already began to cause severe damage; to life and property, equally. The Uttarakhand tragedy brought tremors across entire nation and the citizens who desperately awaited the pleasing rains post painstaking summers were feeling the wrath of nature prowess.

Since a year earlier our two families i.e. me, my wife, daughter and my wife’s sister, her husband and their son, had decided to visit a rainy season destination every year, for 2013 we had decided to embrace the hot-shot tourist destination Bhandardara located in the central district of Maharashtra. A year before, our two families has witnessed an experience of once in a lifetime while we had been to Lonavala. The gorgeous scenic beauty of Mumbai-Pune Express highway, the clouds that were floating over hill top and the rain left a mesmerising impact on all of us. The thrill of driving in clouds is more to be experienced than to be narrated. Hence for this year’s Bhandardara trip we all were very excited for sheer reason being its location in the highest mountain ranges of the Sahayadris. Only our families back home were feeling anxious as the rains had amassed havoc by then.

The booking of MTDC resort for August trip was done way ahead of time in the month of April itself as the occupancy facilities are limited while the tourist’s gather in huge numbers there. A week before our journey dates we packed our luggage and made sure we carry lots of plastic covers for clothes and food items to protect them against rains. The first-aid box, warm clothes and torch were packed in a handy bag. Also, the road map one which displayed each and every turn was printed just in case the Google map fails in absence of mobile network. And thus in the early hours of 3^rd August 2013 we began our journey towards Bhandardara from Bhandup in a Maruti-Suzuki Swift owned by brother-in-law.

In about half an hour’s time we were driving on the Mumbai-Nasik highway that too alike Mumbai-Pune Expressway has gained high reputation of being the world class driving escapade. Barring few trenches near human settlements the road is beautiful and the clouds that were gliding over it made the entire path appear to be a scenic wonder. The dividers have plantations that would make the road safe during night hours. We took a journey halt for breakfast near Kamat’s restaurant. Here I found few of my office colleagues engaged in food who had planned a bike journey to Bhandardara that day. I also happen to meet Karan Sood, the young sardar from Vasai, who was my colleague riding on his favourite Bullet. We exchanged memories and proceeded further towards the destination.

As we drove towards high altitude of Sahayadri’s the cloud cover began to thicken. Soon we were driving into the beautiful road of Kasara Ghat that has been newly designed and has separate routes for to and fro traffic making it safer. The natural view in and around this beautiful road will make a mesmerising impact on a proficient driver. The curves are well walled; the road signs are crystal clear besides the entire path being guarded with surveillance systems and emergency help.

Soon taking right from Ghoti the road submerged into the dense forest surrounded by huge mountains all around. The waterfalls were aplenty and the picturesque locations, vast & exciting. As we drove in our Swift through the green belt, we avoided the lure to halt on several occasions as the childrens inside were getting a bit annoyed as we were climbing the higher altitude and were by then very hungry as well. So by the lunchtime we made it to the MTDC resort which is situated on the lake-bank atop a beautiful hill.

View from MTDC lake side room, Bhandardara

As our footsteps touched the soil of Bhandardara, we were welcomed by freezing wind that was making a loud sound enough to impair our hearing abilities. The warm clothes that were worn immediately once we settled into the room brought some warmth in our bodies. The lake side view from our balcony was mesmerising. The vast spread water cannel surrounded with green mountains on three sides and the Dam wall on the fourth was breathtaking. The whirling winds made the nearby tress dance to make an outstanding noise that was not lesser than a soothing orchestra, one which nature had produced free of cost.

Soon we all landed into dining hall, where the food was served surprisingly hot and fresh. We all ate a lot more than we normally would and once the bellies were full we came back to our room and began to make further plans. By now a local guide had joined us and helped by suggesting few nearby locations that we might be interested to visit. With no extra place in our car we rejected his plea to accompany us and set out ourselves to visit the various points of interest Bhandardara is famous for during rains. By now the clouds had disappeared and the bright sun shine provided an opportunity to all of us to climb down near the dam water.

We began our journey towards the Dam wall at about 4:00 pm. The road that took us to the other side was partly washed away driving down the mountain we were staying. As we were climbing down this patchy road, on one curve we witnessed the famous Umbrella falls on the opposite side of the valley. Rain hampered our chances of dropping out for a photograph or two as we continued to climb up the opposite mountain that would reach us to the Dam wall. Driving through this narrow, yet wonderful road with the mountain valley on one side was a one-off experience. As soon as we reached the Dam wall, we were astonished to seen the water full inside the dam up to the brink of the doors and with eyes perpendicular to the water current, the feeling of goose bumps took us all over. Water sliding through the little opening below the gate and passing below the bridge we were standing and further disappearing into the valley sprinkling few droplets over us made the atmosphere romantic.

By now the light began to fade and we sat in the car for our return journey. On getting back to our rooms and post getting freshen up we relaxed for sometime before assembling for dinner. A wonderful home-like food was served which all of us merrily consumed and later fall fast asleep.

Day 2

Umbrella Waterfall, Bhandardara

Early morning on the second day, post a heavy breakfast, we were besides the mesmerising ‘Umbrella waterfall’. Its scenic beauty is more to be witnessed and admired than to be read and thought. A wonderful hard dark rock that would measure about 50 feets in height and about 200 feets in diameter sits atop a hill over which the water flows swiftly making an umbrella like shape and a fabulous picturesque location. We could go near the waterfall within a distance of 10 feet and enjoy the sprinkled droplets over our faces that were equally cold and delightful. In few moments we were soaked in the water and our cameras never stop from clicking every now and then. With a mouthful of natural beauty we returned to our car and began our journey towards our next destination - Randha falls.

Radha Waterfall, Bhandardara

The amazing zig-zag road that was even more beautiful with clouds around, one that passed through thick belt of green forest took us to Randha falls in about 45 minutes from the Umbrella falls. Here the sun was beaming bright light and the natural contrast that the location had acquired made a lasting impact in our memory. The Randha falls were huge and deep, fatal and dangerous for anyone who goes near. The sound of water disbursing atop and falling down deep 100 feet was deafening. The boundary was well guarded and the mountain from where we witnessed these gigantic falls provided a lucrative spot to get a group snap. We gleefully accepted an offer from a local photographer who within no time filmed and awarded us the wonderful photographs which now stands high in our dashboard. A cucumber and corn from the local fields were splendid too.

On our road back to MTDC resort, we were struck in a heavy traffic jam over the Dam Bridge, as few over-excited champs parked their vehicles adjacent to the narrow road and dived straight in the dam water. With the help of few locals, the helpless policemen cleared the traffic somehow but killing our precious time that we had set aside to visit the forest road on our way back. On reaching back we took our lunch and relaxed for a while. That evening we spent our time near the banks of Lake Arthur till light permitted and shared our memories that had made an impression of a lifetime.

Day 3

In the early hours of day 3, we started our journey back home. The road was clear this time, unlike the one covered with clouds when we were coming to Bhandardara, providing the fabulous visibility as we climbed down the mountain ranges. The highest peak of Maharashtra, Kalsubai, falls in the vicinity and we changed our plan a bit and visited its entry gate. The clear sky provided an opportunity to snap the wonderful surroundings as we halted frequently, only to later hear a grudge from the ladies party that we came straight to home.

Bhandardara was a sheer delight and we were blessed to visit the place with the best of climatic conditions. We were able to witness the terrific rains, freezing cold, to go along with the breathtaking scenic spots that shone bright in the sunshine. Truly a dream destination in rains!

Lake Arthur, Bhandardara

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The Test of My Life: Yuvraj Singh – Book review

The atmosphere was tense out there on cricket field, and the intensity was felt by all of us watching the match live on television, with the veteran Indian batsmen back, and a novel middle order to cope with against the mighty Australian bowling attack comprising of McGrath, Lee and Gillespie. The day was 7^th October 2000 when Yuvraj Singh, the flamboyant left hander took guard on the pitch for the very first time in an International match that too in one of the most prestigious tournament then, known as the ‘ICC KnockOut trophy’ played in the Kenyan capital city, Nairobi.

Once Yuvraj began to find gaps in the tight Aussie fielding and on occasions found the boundary rope with authority, the smiles began to return on the faces of spectators who till than had pale and sore looks. The batting technique that he possessed would have made him succumb to one of the seamers, yet he fought his way to a match winning 84 and announced himself on the world stage in an innings consisting of classy cover drive, meaty on-drive, a pull and a hook of McGrath that we still savour upon. A crucial air-borne catch later in the day sealed India’s victory as we danced our way out of the apartment on that magnificent day.

Since that day, years have passed and Yuvraj has climbed the difficult mountain in acquiring the heights in International cricket that most dream of, while very few achieve. He’s been part of the team that has won the T20 world cup, have grabbed the first spot in Test ranking and recently have won the 50 overs world cup in which he has claimed the prestigious ‘man of the tournament’ award. He has become a celebrity in India who has been a reason behind the smiles of billion people. His survivor story after being diagnosed with cancer is what his book ‘The Test of my Life’ is all about.

The book begins, as expected, with the story of Yuvraj’s childhood and how he got hitched to playing Cricket. The same has been witnessed by most in documentaries that run on news channel quite often. The beginning of this book is dull and one might be tempted to skip it all-together. Add to it the weak phrases and unstructured sentences which might be the reason behind the bad performance of this book into the market.

But, once you carry on and reach the part where Yuvraj is confirmed to have Cancer, the reading picks up momentum and from there it’s a matter of an overnight that one may relish this book in. In this part of the book, the co-author Sharda Ugra, seems to have taken over much of the workload as the book has a sudden change in tone while the sentences which in earlier part were clumsy, has a swift change in it. The descriptions are clearer and the command over language holds a better grip.

Nevertheless, the book is a must read if you form an Indian audience and are unaware about the hardships a sportsperson undergoes during his playing career. Also, because the wide-spread misconceptions about Cancer are described in a manner that the be-holder of this dreadful disease may get an inspiration to fight and come out victorious.

To summarise, the book shall garnish your bookshelf and make you a proud owner of one as it surely will catch an eye of your guest who invariably pass an eye over the corner where the books seats tall. 

Earlier post on Yuvraj Singh's return:

http://waywardfocus.blogspot.in/2012/09/human-spirit-heavenly-gesture.html

Dhoni’s forte; India’s loss

The climax on the night of 7^th September (evening at Edgbaston, England) was set to favour India in the only T20 International match of the tour with the ultimate finisher of the shorter version, MS Dhoni – Captain, Indian Cricket team, at crease – with his usual ease. Historic figures had made us believe that Dhoni thrives in such hopeless looking situations for others. The scorecard at the start of the final over read: 17 of 6 balls. On most occasions the punters would put money on fielding side, but for Dhoni with strike and a relatively new bowler, the possible result stood at 50-50 chance to each team. The first ball sixer, that too with a Dhoni swagger, shifted the winning pendulum in India’s favour.

But for Cricket’s sake and for the great leveller this game can be at times, Dhoni miscalculated the scoring rate and perhaps the denial of strike to Rayadu played on his game, when he failed to connect at least one of the last two deliveries that were bowled in his arc to execute the famous helicopter shot. India’s loss surfaced the important aspect of Cricket being a team sport and that no individual can ever claim to have mastered it once for all.

Had it been the case where Rayadu would have denied strike to Dhoni, he would have lost the Indian cap immediately for sure and perhaps been blacklisted for his entire life. But such is the aura of Dhoni that non on the expert’s discussed about it, and perhaps added salt to Rayadu’s wounds by sympathising and labelling him “Poor Rayadu”.

Visible Improvement – Catches, win Matches

On the 29^th of March 2014, VVCL team took a leap forward when they encountered two match series against the local team. Although both teams appeared at par before the match began, the opponents had a slight edge only because they were young and better fielding unit. Each team boasted a strong batting line-up while they had a decent bowling attack too.

VVCL batted first in the initial match. There spearhead batsman Rahul, who was struggling off-let, gathered some form with his intelligent batting and enabled a decent score of 53 to defend in six-overs-a-side match. Others pinched in here and there. The VVCL bowlers, under the flagship of Pradeep, made an attempt to defend the modest total. They were exceptionally assisted by their fielders who grabbed all the chances and made the opponent’s batting collapse in the middle overs. One such catch that Vasant caught near the deep midwicket boundary line was mind boggling and one that would be remembered for years. Once the batting stalwarts of opposite team went packing, the veteran bowlers played ruthlessly with the tail and managed a narrow single run victory adding a feather on VVCL hat.

In the second match VVCL team batted again. The opponents were shrewd and made good bowling changes to go alongside better field placements. The VVCL batters struggled throughout and managed mere 47 in six overs. Alike the first match, the VVCL bowlers expected that their fielding unit put an exceptional show to defend such a small total. And they did oblige; again. The brisk start by the opponents was dented in the third over bowled by Vijay, in which he grabbed a Hat-trick and thus beginning the downfall. The fielders caught each and everything that was struck high in air. Again in the deciding overs, the veteran pacers had to deal with lower order batsmen which they ably did and a single run separated the two teams. Thus VVCL team won the second match too.

And finally after playing consistently for two and half years, VVCL team can now allow themselves a pat on their back for such a high quality fielding display one that has made all the team members and well wishers proud. In today’s times of despair, where the multi-storey structures are guzzling the playgrounds, the VVCL team has kept their fields alive.

Sweet Centre – VVCL Season III

The VVCL team in its third season has at last found its prolific batting performance in today’s game. Their two batting stalwarts; namely Rahul Kamat & Selvakumar P, contributed heavily with the bat to ensure victory for their individual teams. The ball found boundary line on numerous occasions as both made a mockery of decent bowling attacks. Rahul in particular was severe in his inning that consists of 4 sixes, while Selva’s knock came just in time during the final’s ensuring the 2-1 series victory for Chetan’s side. Vijay’s knock in finals was excellent too as he was able to consistently find the sweet spot on the bat and send the ball towards boundary to gather crucial runs. One particular cover drive which enables him to collect three runs was probably the ‘shot of the day’.

The ground fielding continues to be inconsistent which added to the Captains woes, although there was a noteworthy improvement in catching. Bowlers from both sides did a fair job as most were on target except for an over or two. Chetan, the best bowler of the lot continues to struggle with his new bowling action which does not yield him the swing or pace that once use to be his flagship weapon. Even though he did not leak runs in dozens, but the lack of wickets would hurt his claim of being the premier bowler.

This season the players appear fitter with extra loads of stamina filled inside them. The batters have used the long handle well to keep sailing the ball long in air, the bowlers are able to put some excellent over’s and only if the ground fielding improves drastically the team would be ready to put their foot forward and register into their initial tournament.

The hopes are high in some of the players who wish to take this serious bunch of cricketers into the next level.

Horses for Courses

Cricket is such a fascinating game one which provides ample opportunities for an individual to pick and perform from either of three departments; namely Batting, Bowling and Fielding. The game has witnessed some special talents who have been able to play for long time with an exceptional skill in only a single department. Take for example, Jonathan Rhodes from South Africa who with his agile fielding was able to set the ground on fire. He would contribute to the teams cause by cutting down on the opposition runs even more than he would himself score with the bat. Then there was Courtney Walsh whose bowling can make the best amongst the very best batsmen dance even though his nightmares with the bat are well-known. The list of batters with exceptional batting ability is long. Yet there are few who would impress in more than one department and a very little among them who even did performed superbly in all three. Such a batch is badge with allrounders tag. It’s been the subject of debate for years as to what type of players is better, since most of the teams play the combination of all. To sum up, the playing conditions enable the team management to select a particular type which often is the key to success.

 

Similarly there are gymnasiums with heavy machinery that offers services of exquisite trainer for individuals who wish to develop their bodies with muscular curves. Otherwise there are old-fashioned ‘exercise-schools’ situated at every neck and corner offering light exercising tools for ones who want to stay fit. In spite of all a huge chuck of people simply ignore them. Here the choice of individual matters most.

 

There are professionals who are well equipped in a particular faculty although they would know the subject in and out. There are surgeons amongst Doctors who perform high skill job. The Chartered Accountants are found in numbers who are specialised in offering financial services. Some do audit, some are tax expert while some others restrict to filing Income Tax returns only. There are advocates who perform their practise in variety of fields. Civil, legal and criminal are few most commonly practised divisions. Many of the advocates are specialised in a single field only. Say for instance an advocate who has restricted his area of operations to civil cases and provides his services in matters of property registration, agreements and court matter thereof would be beneficial for one who seeks advice in such matters. If a patron visits an advocate providing services in other area, then only God can save him from taking such a leap as the advocate would net his fish anyway while their client is bound to face difficulties. A prospective client should be street-smart or else the world is waiting to squeeze blood out from his veins. As the case may be in Cricket, the best bait for our veteran customer is to investigate and choose his prospective service provider, wisely.

 

Always find your Horses, for courses.

‘Aunties’ on Business

I have never ever in my entire life finished a book as quickly as I did one authored by a young entrepreneur named Varun Agarwal from Bangalore, India. The book titled “How I braved Anu aunty & co-founded a million dollar company” when flashed in an ad-corner while Flipkarting aroused a bit enthusiasm to add it to my bookshelf. The weirdest of all title, a fascinating caricature on cover page, out of the world font and a Facebook image made me gather more information about the author by Google-ing around. A video link on Youtube about a lecture delivered by Varun aided me to decide on immediately placing a Flipkart order. A couple of days later, as expected, the delivery boy ranged in my doorbell.

Thursday-Friday-Saturday-Sunday-Monday was enough to absolutely gulp all the lucid narrations in this book. Although it seems to be five full days, but in past it took me a minimum of a fortnight’s time to read a book of that length. This book has magic which has been skilfully sprinkled throughout and that enticed me to swallow it at such a speed. The freshness of thought, the foreword, the disclaimer, the brand “Anu Aunty” and the business itself has been so artistically penned that one cannot resist the temptation to guzzle it at one go. The language though is frantic and may procure an “F” if used for day to day activities, one which can bring a cardiac arrest to the English tutor, yet the tender freshness & youthful manifesto will allure you for a different reading escapade.

Another book that falls in the same category and class would be “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki as it too has the learnings from real business life. That one is a classic (the sales figure second it) while this book “How I dared Anu aunty...” is destined to be one. Rich dad is a VVS Laxman style elegant leg glance while this one is no lesser than a Tendulkar cover drive.

All I can say is that the book glitters as a blue diamond does, in my bookshelf and I take pride to be an owner of such a fantastic book of my time.

Flipkart Link: Buy the book on Flipkart here.

Sarcasm exemplified!

Today evening when I woke up from deep sleep my back bone emitted immense pain, thanks to the Cricket match played in wee hours at Goregaon. The match ended with a crushing defeat to our inexperienced team that was never in the game right from the initial over I bowled which cost a dozen of runs.

The local team thrashed and toasted us and accumulated a whooping 150 runs in a matter of mere 12 overs. A veteran batsmen named Ganesh, one who was nearing 50 years of age & who appeared loose and laid back punished us for dropping him twice.

Then came our turn to smack few mighty blows and prove our mantle. Our innings begin with total disarray as  the opener lost his middle stick on the very first ball. We could gather only 29 in half a dozen overs and were blown away and out of the match. Only then Rushi & I decided to cut loose and our pull, hook and cross bat heave yielded 75 runs in the next 6 overs enabling us to cross a century of runs. A defeat that was inevitable tasted sweet for the runs we could gather against a far better team.

Almost all defeated team produce inner grudges by intent or unknowingly. Was that the case with us? Can't answer that. When I woke up in the evening I could hear my wife & daughter playing a traditional game which we all have played in our childhood. On hearing the wording in that game I could not control my instinct and laughed out audaciously from the bottom of my naval only to realise that the back is hurt while the possible victim was unleashed that moment. 

While moving in circular motion my daughter followed her mother who was narrating:

"डोंगरा ला आग लागली, पळा-पळा"

(Fire on the mountain; run, run, run.)

Now few of you would realise the rational behind this blog and might have a little pleasant smile deep inside your heart.