Nane-Ghat

Destiny has a mind of its own, and what a way to reiterate the fact that no matter how much we try to hoodwink fate, fate somehow always manages to not just catch up but also do “tuk - tuk” (for non Marathi folks, catch the kids playing in the playground and doing “tuk tuk” to get the meaning) once it has overtaken us.

One fine day, Madhuri ridden with guilt for not calling me since ages managed to find time and give a ring. “Picnic chalega kya” in her sweet voice sounds so harmless, just like a walk in the neighboring park in a car driven by someone else. Having nothing better to do on the weekend and thinking how much can a picnic do harm to the carefully cultivated health of mine I agreed, with the caveat of “IF” the picnic morphing into anything more strenuous than lifting food from the plate to my mouth, I would skip.

Do not know if it was just good manners on her part or a way of making sure she was not the only one I knew on the trip and hence the target of my impromptu one liners, she asked me to get along some of my friends, if they were interested to spend a weekend outside the cool comforts of home sweet home. Manjusha and Rama are into trips as much as I am into vada pav’s. Needing no more cajoling than a single call they both hop on to the plan. Madhuri, Kunal, Priyanka, Gaurang, Jalpa, Manjusha, Rama, Juhi (with silent h), Hech (that’s my dad nic, but somehow stuck to me and I do not bother correcting anyone as I can think the guys are teasing my dad and not me) and Prakash/Prashant (our helpful driver whose name we were not able to place till the very end) formed the gang in one of the vehicle.

The start was eventful, as if getting up at 4.45 in the morning is not stressful enough think about a mirror committing suicide by jumping down from its stand and breaking itself at 4.00 in the morning. Mum had that woeful look in the face and she kind of was hoping I call off the thing but me the ever ready “andha shradha nirmulan” kinds would hear no more of it (though retrospectively next time a mirror breaks, I am going to make sure I do not even climb up/down from my first floor apartment).

Reached Nahur at 6.30 and had a few stray dogs for company. They may be wondering either I was out of my mind to be out so early on a weekend or I was lost and they were trying their best to show me the way by barking and running in a direction, which I guess they wanted me to follow.

Somehow the gang gets together at around 7 and after having a few hiccups for getting everyone on board and a last minute call from Madhuri to juhi (with the silent h) to join us (as the first line said it all, what was Jui to know what was in store, she may have thought about a cozy weekend lolling around in her bed) we start off from Thana a good 2 hour late. We were following a few trekker uncles who were the folks who had extended the invitation to us lazy city folks in the first place. (As it turned out, the uncles were kunal’s uncles or at least I thought them all to be, which by the end of the trip I found out I was miserably wrong and it was only one uncle and one kunal. The rest being uncle’s friends but then I am digressing from the topic but again that’s how I write and think).

On the way me and the rest came up with various ideas like ditching the uncle group but we having the food and kunal valuing his life, had no option but to stick to the original plan. Reaching the 0’th base camp we had food and everyone other than me changed into battle gear. Realization stuck that Madhuri had led me up the garden path and this was no picnic or walk in the park but a climb up a mountain, a feat which seems so harmless is called a trek. We were led by the trekker uncles (a motley collection of fit elderly folks with the eldest being a sprightly 71 year old who was the fittest of the lot and the kind of guy who would have been a good model for baidyanath’s chwanprash). Giving up all hopes and making a note of strangling Madhuri if and when we return back, we started out on the picnic.

The setting was gorgeous, it was green all around with springs cutting across and making splashing sounds as they show in movies. Ah-hah movies why do not people come out with a trek movie where someone else captures a trek on a movie and I get to enjoy it sitting in a lounge and a popcorn in my hand. Thinking bigger why don’t they come out with a trek in IMAX format so that I get the feeling of being there without getting my feet wet, something to think about. “THUD”, coming back to reality, I realize there is a tree in the way and I am like staring at the bark at close quarters coz just a millisecond back lost in my dream about starting a venture to make 3D trekking movies, I had bumped into it. The rest of the folks had grouped a little further around Jui and I catch up to find Jui not in the best of health. Bells go off in my head, thinking of an opportunity to play the chivalrous guy by volunteering to escort Jui back to the trax and putting on a sad face for not getting to complete the trek I stand around. Alas, Jui does not want to let me play her saviour, she gathers enough energy and courage to make it to the top. We take the mandatory snaps on the way and walk on.

At base camp 1, we have a round of introductions where I learn the trekker uncles are not really just uncles but old enough to be my grand uncles but still fit enough to beat me at any sport at even my best day. Embarrassed, I make up my mind to not let myself down and reach the top. Then I get up and see the route to the top and the shame is gone. I want to go homeJ. We make it through some of the most beautiful scenery I have seen till now (that could also have been more to do with me not being out of my bed much on weekends than anything else), we walk through steps cut through by water gushing down from the hilltop. The water is crystal clear and cold maybe they have an Aquagaurd at the top. Taking numerous stops on the way and beseeching all and sundry if we could not head back and it’s not really a bad deal if we end up alive at the end of the day and not dead on top of a mountain, we make it to “nane-ghat”.

Nane-ghat as the name suggest is a pass from around 1’st BC and used by traders to cross over from the konkan valley to the plateau side. The place has water cisterns and a cave for taking rest at the top. It is also flanked by a rock cliff called “Nanacha Anghta” which is another arduous climb to the top but which provides panoramic views all around. We reach the cave which has numerous inscriptions in a language unknown to me. But if I could read, I would bet it would be something like I will not climb up a mountain, I will not climb up a mountain, I will not climb up a mountain. I am also tempted enough to write “Nanachi Tang” all along.

Food was courtesy the uncles as we intelligent enough to know its no use carrying food as someone else always does carry some and somehow it always tends to get shared. The cave is quite windy and its cold, I start hallucinating about a thela at the top selling cutting. I guess it’s a good time to get back to reality i.e. sea level Manjusha, Madhuri, Rama, Kunal Priyanka have other plans they have to go ahead and make sure they are at the right place. I do not know if they were thinking of finding a name plate proclaiming this to be nane-ghat or something, was it not enough that we assumed it to the place. Suddenly it’s raining heavy and the trekker uncles are concerned about us making it down. Half of our group has gone ahead and the rest are like shivering in the cave. We decide it’s better to start down in small groups or risk getting stuck there due to the rain. I join the first group coming down which unfortunately consists of the best of the trekkers from the uncles group. They go down the water cut rocks overflowing with water as if I would go down the steps at my home. All I see is water and rocks and all they see is a way down I am not sure. If this was water world I would have an easy way down in a float I guess but then it isn’t and I have to come down the way I went up through some really rugged terrain.

I reach down and take refuge in the vehicle where after some time our driver informs me that there are leopards around in the jungles we just were waltzing through. Thanking god and for change thinking I was lucky to be thin, so the leopards, if they ever lay their eyes on me would ignore me as the effort was just not worth the juice I am like …. Uh-Oh wait a minute do wild animals ever go on a diet. I guess this is what happens when you strain yourself. My knee was paining badly no doubt I was hallucinating.

The uncles are all back and changed and fed and look as fresh as if they have just returned from a shopping mall, I am in a condition worse than the one I was in after my ill-fated EMF in the 5’Th semester. I catch a glimpse of the rest of my folks and get happy that finally I would get to go home, but as the destiny thing again pop’s up Gaurang informs me that Madhuri and half the gang has lost the way while coming back. I am impressed and somehow the faith in Madhuri, which I had lost during the last couple of years is restored. She had grown mature over the past some time and acted in a responsible manner since she got married. I guess she had forgotten that she was Madhuri and is meant to be in trouble all along. She somehow won back that trust by not just getting herself lost but taking along a few more people with her. I am mighty proud of being her friend. Waiting in the vehicle for the people who have got lost is no easy task, in fact when you know its going to be dark in quick time and there are leopards around is not exactly comforting thoughts. With the uncles not making any move of making an effort to launch a search party and it getting pretty late Manjusha and Rama volunteer to do the honors. I with my knee in a bind wish them luck and provide moral support for them to find the rest. I wish I had access to google, they claim if they can’t search something it does not exist. I would have loved to put their claim to test.

Manjusha, Rama and our two drivers somehow manage to meet up with the bunch of lost group who had somehow managed to reach the opposite side. All is well that ends well, I guess after running up and down and making plans to spend the night eating chole and in the company of just each other and maybe a hungry cat the gang is reunited again. Alas it also means we head back home. It’s all water over my idea of an adventure searching for them in the pitch black, fighting off a wild cat for the sake of my friends. I guess I will include this interpretation in the trek video I intend to make or else get someone to make. Cold and wet we head back and its not long before I am home and my mum is thanking god for getting me back home, I wonder if she ever realizes, its god who put me in there in the first place.

I have sworn off treks for the near future, my lungs have got so used to the smog I encounter on way to work that I am afraid fresh air will make me sick. I have grown old by staring at the computer screen that panorama may make my eyes sting. I guess I am done with treks for the near future which is like till the next plan. Hmmm what did you say kunal, Bhima Shankar, 18’Th august. Let me check, I do not do any work anyways so leave should not be a problem, it’s a overnight stay so you seem to have learnt your lesson and made provision for people getting lost and the best part is the mirror which broke is not replaced yet, so there……