Some divine intervention!
It was a lovely day today, that I spent basking in the rain in the Sahyadri range of Matheran. We took the BNHS bus from Dadar at 6:30 am and drove all the way to Dhodani village, at the foothills of the Sunset point from Matheran.
We were 35 of us in all, and most of us were just students who had completed their law, architecture and other professional courses, with a few of us elders. The bus ride was a relief from the fatigue of the city, and when we reached the village, we were all too keen to scale the 5 km path up to the mountain top.
But the weather was wet, wet, wet and despite our steely determinations, I should speak for myself, I barely could climb up 1.5 km of the steep hill. The rest of the gang was up and reached the summit in record time. The group leaders, Asif Khan, Nikhil and Saurabh did a neat job of encouraging everyone, and despite the lashing rainfall and wild winds, most of the others reached the peak.
But, personally for me, the trek would’ve been too tedious, so I walked halfway and urged the others to go ahead, after realizing that I was totally out of breath and had just covered ½ my journey. And they were kind, they relented, and I stood alone under a banyan tree half way up the mountain. The rain kept stinging my face and the wind threatened menacingly, and my spirit just gave way. Surrendering to the beauty of the place, I got lost in my thoughts and the unending greenery and charming rivulets, just made my spirit soar.
I was all alone, but everything and everyone was familiar. The locals passed me by and waved out in affection and I had great company with roasted peanuts and a box full of chocolate cookies. Yummm! Every dog that passed by looked at me in affection and the trees sang their songs arduously. I had never seen so many streams before and their rhythmical, cheerful sound made my heart sing with joy.
I returned having enjoyed my short stint at the top (well, half top) of the world. The rest of the day, I spent in shooting the landscape and the breathtaking beauty that surrounded me. I couldn’t help but ponder over the poverty of the villagers, how they worked so hard in the green, luscious paddy fields, with slim, fit bodies. And my dhaba, a certain Janaa Nivaas, offered me steaming hot black tea and some great munchies. After a long day of solitude and serenity, my team mates returned and at 6 pm we arrived back in Mumbai.
I was drenched, but my spirit was certainly not sagging! All praises for BNHS for arranging such wonderful trips to such divine places.
