Vangani: What Swimming In The Lake Can Teach You

I began the year with a new realization about myself and yes, a lake helped me come closer to myself. I am always on the quest for finding myself, dissecting my thoughts and acts to find out the “Why” in “What”.

This happened on a road trip to Vangani, a small village on the outskirts of Mumbai. We were headed to our colleague and good friend, Ajay’s farmhouse.  After a bumpy car ride that included a few flying lessons on the Mumbai – Karjat route, we reached what would be the venue for the 2013 New Year bash.

Ajay and Mihir (the man who loves to defy gravity with his car) spent the night setting up UV lights on the terrace and kudos to them, because the “party rehearsal” was truly psychedelic.  The morning next day was lazy and inconsequential barring the Misal Pav, a  Maharashtrian breakfast dish, that spiced up the morning.

And then came the moment of truth, the truth about myself from THE LAKE.

“A lake is a landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth’s eye, looking into which, the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.” ― Henry David Thoreau, Walde

I was excited to swim in a natural water body as it appealed to my affinity to all things natural, raw and unorchestrated.  So here I went splashing and waddling my way into the cold lake and I found out how different I was in water. Unlike on land, in water I want to know where I am and where I am headed. I HATE surprises in water. As much as I love swimming, I am an unspontaneous, control freak in lakes. When your feet hit a rock instead of water, you good-spirited people might become like me too. So here are a few tips that might help you swim in the lake and avoid the open-water heebie-jeebies

• Don’t Panic – Unlike a swimming pool, the lake is on uneven piece of land with rocks beneath you, weeds floating everywhere and fish swimming around. So don’t panic if you hit the rock with a thud or feel a slimy creature nibbling on your toes or legs.
• Assess depth – While you can never be sure about how deep the lake is, spend some time assessing the depth by walking in the water before heading out for a swim
• Maneuver directions – Don’t lose track of the direction, keep looking around, stay tuned to your position
• Breathe & blow – Don’t panic when breathless, this is the commonest way of drowning; panic, and the subsequent gulping of huge amounts of water.  Breath, turn your head to stick your face in the water and blow bubbles into water to regulate your breathing
• Swim like a fish, exit like a human – The water level sometimes sharply descends in places. So make sure you paddle out smoothly before you found ground to pull yourself out. Swimming briskly to the shore can lead to bruised knees and hands

The first time will be scary, so will be the second, third and the fourth, but never give up, your survival instincts will kick in and you will know soon enough “what not to do”. Till then enjoy the freedom that can only come from swimming in a lake.

Cycling Along the Arabian Sea

Everyone loves the sea for its vastness and the waves that have a way of talking just by the way they touch and go. Ask anyone what it feels being by the sea and there are bound to me many unique responses to it.  While it is one water body, it has a way of eliciting a different emotion from every person. That is the sea, one for all and yet only yours.

For me the most fascinating experience with the sea is through the ferries, where you drive your vehicle through the sea. One such trip was a cycling trip to Gorai, a village in Dharavi Bhet, near Mumbai which is accessed by a ferry crossing the Manori Creek. Unlike Mumbai, Gorai enjoys the old world charm of a small costal town where life almost borders rural India.

The trip began on a pleasant Saturday morning from Malad, a Western suburb of Mumbai, to Marve Beach. The trip also commemorates Nikhil’s first long distance cycle trip and my first cycle trip by the Arabian Sea.  We waited with a sea of people to board the ferry for a quick crossover to Manori. There were fisherwomen, young boys on bikes, little kids chirping around their parents, young couples yearning for some solace and men going around their business in a very matter of fact and diligent manner.

The 10 minutes were spent on still waters, with the ferry engine overpowering human conversations. We sat excitedly looking at our cycles basking in the sun that filtered through the ferry. This had to be the shortest ferry ride for me, the sea’s way of telling us that today we must revel with our cycles on the hilly terrain of Gorai. And it turned out to be more as I discovered an experience. I call this the “traveller’s discovery”, when you stumble upon a feeling, an experience that become part of your Bucket List only after you have lived it. Travelling 24kms on a steam engine of a passenger train from Kotdwar to Najibabad in Uttaranchal was one such experience. After nearly four years the “traveller’s discovery” came knocking again with a five minute downhill stretch along Gorai. The incline was just enough to send our cycles zooming down at a speed where you could feel the wind in your ears and hear the cycle tires rub against the road. Our faces were comically distorted with the wind slapping our cheeks and pulling our hair back.

After a well deserved breakfast by the Gorai beach, we headed not back but further ahead towards the Velankanni Mary Church in Uttan Bhayandar. The church is surrounded by green hills on one end and flanked by the Arabian Sea on the other end. The 30 year old church was built by Monsieur Francis Correa and now is a Pilgrimage Centre with very modern and spacious interiors. The beautifully landscaped lawns became our resting beds. The shade of the palm trees and the lovely sea breeze reminded us how lovely life is and will be.

Pune: 72 Hours Of Music!

In about ten days’ time, Mansi and I will board a bus (or take a cab or hire a bike) and make the scenic trip to Pune to attend the Bacardi NH7 Weekender. I had been there last year and it totally blew my mind away. Three days of non-stop music, unlimited booze (not free) and a dizzying variety of food to eat – it all adds up to a sinful weekend trip. I am contemplating having a stopover at either Khandala or Lonavla on our way – I haven’t told her this yet – and it’ll be possible only if we have our own mode of transportation. So, I’m planning that in secret, and writing that on a public blog. I’m such a genius!

So, for all of you who love music, here’s a chance to escape for a weekend. Tickets are available on BookMyShow online, or if you are in Mumbai, you can buy them in person at Rhythm House.

If you do make it to Pune that weekend (Nov 2,3 & 4), do look us up. Get on to the stage and scream out “I love chai!” and we’ll find you and buy you a cup of chai for your troubles.

Can’t wait for this!