Igatpuri

Nestling in beautiful surroundings is an ugly looking resort, which appears like a white blot on a green canvas. That’s about the only negative of a place called Igatpuri, on the Mumbai-Nashik highway (around 40 Kms before Nashik). Rest everything is blissful, peaceful and truly beautiful.

The four of us (the usual suspects) headed for this place on a beautiful Saturday morning with the added pleasure on my part of skipping the office. We had a long night behind us when we started (with all of us having enough to warm our blood and still wake up late into the night) early at around 7. Soon having left the muddle and puddles of Mumbai behind, we were onto the highway which was gradually giving way to beautiful sights on either side. Lush green under the dark shadows of the lingering clouds. The weather just seemed perfect. No rains and no sun beating down. As if the perfect stage had been set for the 4 squared of us. While wondering about the weather, we reached the ghats and some awesome scenery was in store for us. Flanked by the railway tracks disappearing into tunnels sometimes and on others the mist kissing the roads to make it look like a hill station.

By 11 we had reached the resort and nature was at its brilliant best. So much so that despite the long night none of us wanted to rest and we just filled ourselves and hit the trek to the hills. The resort is surrounded on three sides by the hills which present a lot of opportunities to give the knees an exercise or two. After soaking in the beauty at a lesser height we decided to go further ahead. And without too many huffs and puffs with occasional hurdles due to the terrain we scaled one beautiful after another before coming to a rest on top of a small waterfall. There lay the beautiful scene of the hills truly hugging us while the valley seemed to call us to plunge. Far ahead lay the railway tracks on which the trains chugged along. Not many sounds and not deep silences either. We sometimes soaked it in silently while at other moments we shared the joy.
Soon the hunger pangs led us to start descending. The descent as expected was faster but at times tougher. And by the time we touched the base down, it started raining hard and we were drenched to the skin. I for once was reminded of my joyous moments in rain and I just couldn’t help soaking it in to the full.

Soon after lunch having got fresh naturally, we now headed back to the hills with our books. Under a gentle inviting tree we sat to spend some peaceful moments to ourselves. Away from the chores of office, from the calls of civilization and the nuisance of practical life as they call it. We talked to ourselves and within ourselves in the peaceful glory of nature. Yeah the occasional photo shoots were anyways thrown in.

After dark we came back tired to the resort and had a gala wine party (getting it into the resort itself was a story). And after a long session of fun talk, the alleviating flow of alcohol in the veins and the lactic acid in the muscles, we went off to a serene sleep. For me it was one of the deepest and most enjoyable ones.

Day two, we woke up to a good amount of sunshine with the clouds playing occasional hide n seek. Soon we were again in a mood to rest our backs on a tree if possible or in a calm solitary place. We spotted one such next to a “mazaar” which lay well hidden behind a normal eyesight. And what a place it was. Hidden away from too many eyes, perfect view of railway lines and the winding roads. Well I for one could actually relive my memories of climbing trees as well. And from the tree was visible a couple of distant lakes. Something that I saw from the tree my friends could see without doing that also but none the less the pretty sight lured us and begged us to be visited.

And what a beautiful place it was. Sparsely inhabited, by the lake side with only a few souls to spoil the serenity. Some trees scattered, as if they had been just dropped there. We were all truely mesmerised. The hills in the backdrop of the lake while the sun continued to hide behind the clouds made for some fantastic scenic snaps. We lived the moments in silence watching the ripples in the lake and letting the breeze flow through our hair.

It was time to start back but it was also time to look back at the time just gone by with some of the fondest memories which would always bring back smiles whenever we feel we don't have enough of them. That was the kind of place - Igatpuri.

P.S : For those who wish for a more lively account of this trip with more snaps would do well to visit here.