This time Mahatma Gandhi's birthday on October 2, ( a national holiday in India) fell on a Friday.
Tired of the concrete jungle that Mumbai is, we decided to take off with the kids to a short 2 day holiday to Matheran to rejuvenate ourselves.
At 800 metres above the sea level and only 108 kms from Mumbai, Matheran is the smallest hill station in India. It's proximity to Mumbai makes it a very popular weekend retreat.
Mumbai to Matheran takes about two and a half hours by road. Alternatively, one can also take a train from Mumbai to Neral, ( a tiny town at the foothills of Matheran) and then take a taxi up. But after 8 kms or so of a winding, narrow road, you have to park the car and go the rest of the way up on foot.There are horses and rickshaws available for those who do not want to trek. We walked to our hotel but arranged for a rickshaw for my mother in law. There is also a toy train that chugs and meanders to the top but the tracks were closed for repairs.
Matheran in local dialect means 'the forest on top.' This small hill station, almost fell prey to unscrupulous builders who wanted to convert this region and build amusement parks, discotheques and concrete roads. The pristine forests would have disappeared forever had the Ministry of Environment and Forest not stepped in. It declared Matheran to be an eco-sensitive region and it is one of the few places in the world where vehicles are not allowed.
There are 38 designated look out points in Matheran that provide excellent views of the surrounding hills and valleys. There are no metalled roads and the walking paths are made of red laterite earth. The day we reached Matheran, it rained heavily. The forest was misty. The heavy fog did not permit us to see the spectacular view of the valley below from any of the points. But the unpolluted and crisp air, the red winding paths through the thick forest, the old styled Parsi bunglows, made the place pretty as a picture.
This region has a large variety of medicinal plants and herbs. People have occasionally sighted panthers in the hills. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, monkeys and wild cats are often seen. This place is also home to a large number of birds and beautiful butterflies.
The original inhabitants of Matheran, the Dhangars, the Thakurs and the Katkaris still retain some of their old practices. The Dhangars supply milk to the visitors. The Thakurs are mainly farmers. They also gather honey and fruits from the jungle. The Katkaris are mainly hunters. Now- a- days, a lot of these people have opened up shops in the market areas and sell shoes, leather goods, home made chocolates, fudge, variety of fruit flavoured drinks and chikki (peanut brittle).
The locals are extremely friendly and love to talk to the scores of tourists that throng Matheran every day.
My city bred kids had a lovely time exploring the forests and spotting the snakes and rare butterflies.
My children christened this tree as the 'Mushroom tree'.
However much we progress in technology and science, there still is no teacher better than Mother Nature.
Photographs courtesy Sourendu Gupta.
Photographs courtesy Sourendu Gupta.
