Hetal took great care of my gastronomic demands in Surat. I have been a drooling fan of her cooking, presentation and hospitality over the past five years. Words fail to describe what she can do in the kitchen, oven and dining table. It would be an exercise in essay writing if I had to mention the goodies she spread out on the three days I was in Surat. Taking leave of the exemplary hosts in Gujarat, Hetal and Rajiv Shah, I embarked on the 350 km drive to Khandala.
Sanjeev Mhatre has been a Facebook friend for many years. Travel and shipping are the twin interests that kept communication going between us. When he read about my scheduled halt in Lonavala on the return trip to Chennai he insisted on playing host at his farm house in Khandala. Hence, I cancelled my hotel booking in Lonavala and headed to Khandala.
The early morning start helped and so did the sparse traffic. The drive was smooth and uneventful. The movement across state borders have become hassleless after the introduction of GST. One does not see the ‘customary’ long queues of trucks and heavy vehicles, some even languishing for weeks. For passenger vehicles this has been a boon too as one does not have to weave through the stationary truck lanes. I anticipated the worst as I was nearing the Fountain Junction till I got out of the Thane quagmire. I was in Fountain in slightly over 3 hours. The Fastag helped, indeed.
Sanjeev piloted me to his farmhouse from a meeting point after Khandala Ghat. Sanjeev, as architect and interior designer, has designed and executed nearly 30 Container Freight Stations in India and a host of other commercial and residential properties. The style, form and standard are amply visible in his farm house. Beautifully landscaped surroundings with an inviting swimming pool the large and spacious farm house has been designed to harness light, wind and positivity. Personally designed and supervised by Sanjeev I would love to return to the peaceful and calm surroundings some day for an extended stay. I have, indeed, obtained, a rain check already from this most warm and amiable host.
Later in the evening he gave me a tour of the lovely hill station, which along with its twin Khandala, lie over 2000 feet above MSL. He pointed out farm houses belonging to the who's who of the corporate and film world. The Della Adventure Resort was one of the reasons why I had planned a halt in Lonavala. As it panned out, it is just a few km from Sanjeev's farm house. He pulled strings and got us admission into the Resort to appreciate the facilities there. Of particular interest to me were the camping tents on the rock face of a hill. The sprawling 50 acre property on the foothills of the Sahyadri Range, that demarcates the Deccan Plateau and the Konkan Coast, has plenty to offer besides the 250 plus luxury accommodation that fit varying budget needs. They have a range of restaurants, lounges, nightclub and camping sites. Visitors mostly throng during the summer and monsoon seasons to lap up what the Resort has to offer.
Over a peg of Chivas Regal, Sanjeev, who is a teetotaller unfortunately (!), and I shared matters of interest. Of utmost interest to me was the role he has played over the past 15 years in the real estate development of the locality. His immediate neighbour is Suniel Shetty, the Bollywood actor and entrepreneur. It is people like Sanjeev Mhatre who make me believe that life is a continuum and that all our travels are merely opportunities to meet fellow souls who travel with ours through time and space.
After a delightful meal cooked up by the helps Sanjeev has staying in the outhouse it was time to ruminate over many nuggets of information I had gleaned from the insightful conversations with Rajeev during the Gujarat tour. The first that came to mind was the practice of ‘Vishi’ which is akin to a chit fund, in form and practice. However, the scale seems to have been much higher and so were the stakes. Rajiv told me that many major stores and enterprises in Mumbai were built with Vishi funds. Of late, it is understood that the system has been under a cloud due to dubious transactions and irresponsible spending even leading to suicides. In towns such as Rajkot it is now perceived as a social evil that is ruining lives and families.
The next is the Angadia system, which is the forerunner of the courier service and instant money transfer. Mostly operating between cities of Gujarat and Mumbai, the system is based entirely on trust and commission. Large sums of money, valuables and documents are transferred across cities for a small commission. The greatly aided development of the diamond industry. The Angadia clan is from the Kathiawad region of Gujarat. The next interesting nugget I recalled was the skills of Marwari carpenters from Barmer who, Rajiv told me, are among the best in the region. Not only are they hardworking, they are exceptionally gifted too. They take more time over works assigned to them, but what they make are built to last. This is in stark contrast to the workmanship of carpenters from Gujarati or UP.
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