Photo Drive to Tamhini Ghat in Monsoon 2016

This year (2016), during the monsoons I made a short half day drive to Tamhini Ghat. This was more of a photo drive than just winding up.

This was probably my fourth or fifth trip towards Tamhini but the place never ceases to amuse me with its breathtaking beauty. This year Tamhini received the most rainfall in Maharashtra (yes, surpassing even Mahabaleshwar), so the astounding greenery and the spectacular white streams were in abundance and perfectly complemented each other. 

We had to stop at several places and take photos to the heart's content.

Not a place to be missed during the monsoon, if you are in/around Pune.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IN MONSOONS.

The photos are clicked without any ND or CPL filters. I used a simple gorillapod to place my 5DMK3 on top of it.

The first spot where we reached by 8 am in the morning was the gigantic waterfall just besides the Mulshi Lake.

There were some tiny waterfalls around it as well.

And I certainly did not let go of any opportunity to try various angles and focusing techniques.

All these sources of water combined into one and a gushing stream was output through the bushes.

Everywhere as far as one could see, it was green all around...covered with white sheets of cloud...

...and small streams gently flowing to its destiny...

..and some tiny beauties...

..and some marvels of nature....

..and some fauna too...

Practicing with high shutter speed....

Monsoon brings out the explorers in us....

Sometimes only sitting in the car also can bring your attention to beauties around you....

And some more greenery on our way back...

We had a stopover nearby Mulshi Dam, and the beauty simply was breathtaking with the farmlands posing with a genuine grin (read 'green') in contrast to the last year's seriously dry spell..

Finally, before our ways part until the next blog, no monsoon photoblog can be completed without such pictures as below:

Time to say good bye. 

Thank you very much for taking your time to go through the post. If you like it, please leave your encouragement as a form of a comment.

See you!!

A Short Drive to Purandar Fort (Once Again)

Recently I had been to Purandar Fort (yes, for the fourth time) just to de-stress. 

This fort was one of my favorite destinations over weekends because of its close proximity to the city and the nature alike – which is really a rare occurrence. I just really love the way the roads wound up to the top through the trees and quaint nature.

I had already been to this area thrice before, I would not go into the details of the journey, once again. The previous logs are found at the links below:

2011 Log

2012 Log

2015 Log

This time, we noticed quite a few changes around the fort:

• The infrastructure of the whole area was maintained quite well as it is nowadays mostly being used as a training academy of the army.

• Security was really really tight. Everywhere there were guards with arms to guide the tourists and threaten the miscreants.

• Camera was not allowed to the top anymore. You have to submit your phones or cameras to the security personnel.

• The roads were being cleaned, renovated and widened. 

• There were well designated parking areas.

• Thorough checking at the entry gate.

I have tried to add some narratives for each one of these pictures below, though there are not many photographs this time.

The Ruins of the Past

Remnants of the early Army settlements on Purandar Fort (in the year 1665, the famous Purandar Treaty was signed here between Chhatrapati Shivaji and Rajput ruler Jai Singh I, a commender of the Mughal Empire).

See the scriptures on the wall at the left. Sad to see that our lack of awareness and callous attitude are slowly destroying our own heritage and culture.




The Deserted

The entrance of the early settlements in Purandar Fort. Not maintained at all.



The Church

When the Britishers took over the charges of this fort, they built a few churches inside the premises of the fort-city.



The View

A cliched view from the top. How beautiful our country is! The urban beauty is in full display.


That's all folks!!

A Short Drive to Purandar Ghat via Saswad

There goes a saying – an idle brain is a devil’s workshop. Well, this might not be true everywhere, for an idle brain on a lazy Sunday morning produced a brilliant idea, which led to the creation of this post.

We were sipping on our morning cup of tea and brooding over the fact there was nothing to look forward to for the rest of the day. Then, like a sudden strike of the lightning, it occurred to me that we could really seize this opportunity by embarking on a short trip. The better half readily fell for it and it was up to me to find out a destination close to the nature and which is not far away. We decided on Purandar Ghat – which is on the way to Purandar Fort, famous for the Purandar Treaty from the History – as it is close (around 50 Kms only) and we can be back within 4-5 hours and primarily because the route was known. We never intended to visit the fort; all we planned was to be in close proximity with the nature and some good opportunities for a few random clicks.

It was easier said than done – having an infant at home always poses new challenges – and we could only start at around 11 in the morning.

The road that we followed could be found below (no help from GPS). Mostly when we crossed the overly busy Hadapsar Industrial Area, it was a smooth drive towards Saswad through Dive Ghat and beyond. From the diversion for Purandar Fort to the Purandar Village (located at the base of the Purandar Ghat) was a little challenging for hatchback and sedans, but once we were past the village, the actual beauty of the rustic nature unfolded and the roads were in much better shapes. It was easier negotiating the hair-pin bends and the steep curves.

The plan was simple – go till the entrance of the Fort and then take a U-turn. All along the way towards the fort, it was lush green. The narrow tarred roads were winding up through the hillock, through thick vegetation. The purity of the air was easily noticeable. Chirping of the birds, the sound of the falling leaves and the gentle sound of the wind breezing constituted some otherworldly atmosphere. We stopped at many intervals, perhaps at every possible opportunity, sat, relaxed and then started once again, in a cyclic order.

When we felt that we were quite rejuvenated and had accumulated enough strength to fight the battle for a week, we turned back towards ‘home, sweet home’. We were back at Saswad by 2 pm where we had a small Maharashtrian lunch and then took leave. And by 3.30 pm.we reached home, reinvigorated and fresh.

A short but memorable and a crisp but enjoyable drive indeed.

Map of the Route:

Please see the link here.
  

Let the pictures utter thousand more words:

Roads - Winding Up

View from the top - surely a cliched click

Still don't have the faintest idea of what it was

Friendly??

Men's Day Out at Mulshi near Tamhini Ghat

Mulshi Lake is one of the most scenic areas around Pune during the monsoon. Just over 60 Kms from the city, nestled in the hilly terrains of the Western Ghats, the area transform into a beauty beyond imagination.

So when the five of us, a.k.a the famous five, planned for a day's outing at Mulshi in the winter, we were not expecting too much apart from a long drive and day full of friendly chitchats. We erred in our judgements. Not only the long drive and the fun filled day among the company of friends, but also Mulshi offered us with opportunities galore for photography - which was the main intention behind this tour - with its superb picturesque landscapes and rustic ambiance. We may have missed the lush greenery and the silver-jet waterfalls, but we did not fail to enjoy to the fullest. The primary reason was undoubtedly the company of the like minded friends but another big reason is the absence of the over enthusiastic noisy crowd, for the time being the non-peak season.

So on a Saturday January morning we started around 7. The road was empty, the GPS was on and the music was playing - perfect combination for a leisurely road trip. Not to mention, the fun had started by leg pulling and sharing jokes, far beyond the formal boundaries of the confined professionalism.

Driving through Kothrud, Chandni Chowk, Paud and Pirangut, we never realized that we have almost reached our destination. We stopped only once in Paud, just to have a cup of hot tea and a light breakfast of dhoklas and laddoos. Time really flew in the wink of an eye apparently, such was the effect.

Upon reaching Mulshi, we thought to go ahead a bit further to explore the area. 

The First View of Mulshi

The Road Ahead

There is a famous waterfall point just besides the lake. Normally on any holiday during the rainy season you would definitely find a lot of cars on this road, but on that day we were the only wandering souls. Even the temporary settlements of the tupris were completely abandoned by the shipowners because of no business in the off season. We parked the car, got down and started exploring-cum-hiking.The waterfall dried up completely but it left its mark over the boulders and the pebbles. We,being no avid takers, still managed to climb to the top of the steep rock facade. The view from the top was simply magnificent. Here are some of the snaps from this area.

Abandoned Settlements

The Gully towards the 'had-been' Waterfall

Team Work

Bokeh Effect

Rock climbing???..Damn Easy!

The Longer the Shadow, the Deeper the Friendship

The First One to Summit

Fallen and Drenched

We spent almost a couple of hours into the wilderness aimlessly, but it was our choice to be aimless. We may have been aimless but not pointless, which could be seen below:

Last but not the least

View from the Top

Say 'Cheese' Guys...

What Are We Doing?

The Star Effect

Yet another Star Effect

Preparing for the Descent

Relaxed (after Getting Down)

Time to Explore More...

Black & White

Not far behind...

The Dilapidated

A Water-facing Property

We have not yet made it to the lake so we decided to drive a bit more until we find out a place where we could get down and reach as close to the lake as possible. We didn't need to drive long, for we have found a place where we could reach the shore easily.

We parked the car at a distance and walked towards the lake. The sun was shining ferociously which was not at all an ideal condition for photography, but our spirits were really indomitable. Proofs can be seen below:

It Always Feels Good

Mixed Bag

Wave

Ready for a Pose, Any Time Any Place

And That Makes the Two of Us

Everyone went down the memory lane, back to their younger college days as the trip brought out the best of all humor and banter from all of us. It was really nice to see the colleagues evolving as friends.

Setting Up the Gears for a Groupfie

A Truly Inferior Copy from 'Dil Chahta Hai'

Time is the most perfect example which conforms to the theory of relativity. When you are having a good one, it seems to be flying and even the longest of hours are felt like the tiniest of the moments, while on the other hand, it stands still  when you are going through a real hardship. I am no philosopher, but as they say, all good things come to an end and it did pretty quickly.

So the farewell alarm rang and we had to part our ways with Mulshi. But, it was truly unexpected and a sweet surprise to find 'ourselves', even if it lasted for a few hours. I am sure each one of us will cherish the memories for long, at least until the next trip, if not longer.

Before signing off, a big thanks to everyone of the group. Without each one of you, this post would not have been written at all.

So long, Cheers!!

Below is the groupfie, taken with the help of the tripod.

Photo Courtesy: Tamal Chakraborty