Weekend Trips: Kelva

Mumbai is a city of dreams. People come from all over India with impossible dreams. Some manage to live their dreams; others just get on with their live passing rueful glances at malls and posh aprtments flashy cars and display windows. I must admit, I never had any long dreams. What drive me are short term incredible fantasies. I have managed to live out all of them, since my dreams are always vivid and quiet powerful in their intensity. By the time I get back to the real world, I no longer have the desire or the confidnece to really go after them. So I just mock and criticise others chasing the very same dreams, when I am awake. So, Mumbai - I still refer to it as Bombay - never had a great charm for me. In fact I hate it so much that I would run away everyday and come back only when I am too exhausted to brood over the gross pathetic life that I feel compelled to live out here. I work in Malad. Thanks to HR for coming up with the idea, we have formed an Adventure Club. We have ventured out on four occassions and it has been great. It is the key to life in Mumbai, that I had lost. Once a month we go out, trek mountains. Take a dip in rivers. Stand under waterfalls. It is not sufficient for me - not enough adventure - after getting the first taste of tastes of wilderness out of Mumbai, I simply find more excuses to get away. Two weekends at least. This is a signimicant make over for a lazy-boy like me. I made a recent trip with two friends from my Pune days. It was all unplanned. I was visiting them when Shantanu said that Rahul (his friend from times now) wanted to go out; most probably to Kelva Beach, a less frequented beach near palghar. I jumped on the opportunity and called up R***Y to let her know that I would be away for teh weekend again.

Far from the Maddening Crowds: It's neither cheap or easy; Quiet Bumpy;Backbreaking: Ride to kelva, Near palghar

We started off late under hot sun; not the most auspicious start. Shantanu was on the wheels. Deep played the Navigator - hardly conforting - Rahul and I occupied the back seat. None of us had ever been to Kelva Beach. Second hand information from other people and on the internet - Golden sands of Kelve, a clean beach, seven kilmoeters long etc. We were pretty excited. I would have been better, had we started a bit earlier, something like 6 0r so.

Never Mind!

We took the Western Express Highway towards Thane and then it was suppossed to a straight ride for next 70 kilmeters.

Bad Omen: Caught by Cops before even starting for Kelve

On the first signal on NH-8, we crossed a signal and white cops signalled us to park aside. We got off the car confused. apparently the number plate on the front bumper had split into two an done part was hanging on precariously to the bolt. Now, cops in Maharashtra are generally more friendly and understanding than their counbterparts up-north (read UP Haryana Punjab Delhi). If you speak Marathi they become more friendly. I asked rahul - only Maharashtian amongst us - he decided to put his linguistic skills in Marathi for a better occassion and simply flipped out his PRESS card out of wallet. The Cops understood and let us go on one condition that we fix the number plate at the earliest.

The ride for next few kilometers was smooth. Suddenlt after the crossing the fifth mile we were jolted back to reality. Highway magcally morphed into martian terrain and we felt like insects hanging on to martian probes sent by NASA to Mars. Up and down, we went insides crates and cand came out to get stuck into a pot hole. I swear on NHAI, i have never driven on a worse road, even in the hinterlands in India than this gtrechourous stretch of an insult in the name of a road.

The initial enthusiasm for the picnic to Kelve evaporated. It felt like as if we were riding on the river-bed gone dry. Incredible India! I smoked out a pack of cigarettes before we crossed Palghar. I thank my ancestors and their sturdy pahadi genes for making me survive this journey. We took a left turn after palghar and began a journey through wild and boondocks crossing hillocks to ward beautiful kelve, that was lying naked, getting a sweltering tan to seduce it's new sets of visitors.

Part II to be continued ..........

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