Dec 19, 2025

The safari technically began in Mumbai — not in a forest, not on a highway, but with a polite little message that wrecked all ambition: “Flight to Varanasi cancelled due to fog.” North India was wrapped in its annual winter smog-fog, the kind that doesn’t just reduce visibility but also humbles travellers with plans. Instead of walking along the Ganga, I walked between my desk and the kitchen; instead of scanning tree lines with binoculars, I scanned inbox threads that should not exist in late December. The half-packed backpack sat near the wall like a loyal dog denied its promised outing, and every few hours I refreshed flight updates as if atmospheric visibility could be improved through optimism alone.

By evening the irritation softened into reluctant amusement. We were heading toward Central India for open skies, forests and waterfalls — and the first reminder from nature was that you move when it allows you to move. The safari hadn’t started, but it had already developed character.

Day 1 — Varanasi: Back in Time

Dec 20, 2025

When I finally landed in Varanasi, the city did not feel like a destination — it felt like something we had entered. We walked to our hotel through lanes so narrow that dragging a suitcase felt like a social negotiation; scooters brushed past, cows stood with administrative authority, and overhead wires stitched the grey winter sky into a permanent ceiling. The first sight of the ghats — especially Dashashwamedh Ghat and the smouldering solemnity of Manikarnika Ghat — shifted the mood instantly. Smoke rose steadily, bells rang without coordination, priests moved with ritual muscle memory, and the Ganga flowed on with a calm that felt mildly indifferent to human urgency. We slipped through the crowd for the evening aarti, flames circling in synchronized arcs against the dark river, the chants rising and falling like breath.

In between divinity and chaos, we found small earthly anchors: a sharp masala-lemon tea that cut through the cold, a bowl of winter Malaiyo that dissolved before it could be properly understood, and a long queue at Kashi Vishwanath Temple that tested both patience and calf muscles. A brief stop at Kaal Bhairav Temple added a fiercer undertone to the day, and by the time we sat down for dinner at Monalisa Cafe, it felt as if we had lived through several centuries in a single afternoon.

Day 2 — Varanasi: Fog & ghats

Dec 21, 2025

Morning arrived wrapped in fog again, softening the sharp edges of the ghats as we walked from Dashashwamedh Ghat toward Assi Ghat. Boats hovered like unfinished thoughts on the river, priests appeared as silhouettes, and the entire stretch felt like we had quietly stepped into a long, lingering scene from Masaan — reflective, slightly melancholic, unhurried. The ghats in daylight are less dramatic than at aarti time, but more intimate; laundry dries beside shrines, chai simmers next to philosophical debates around Mukti, and life and death continue their parallel routines without announcement. Somewhere between wandering and observing, hunger took over and we made our way to Deenanath Chat Bhandar for tamatar chaat and palak chaat — both aggressively flavorful, unapologetically chaotic, very much in character with the city.

Later we stopped at Tulsi Manas Temple, calmer and more structured than the old-city shrines, before drifting into an evening boat ride where the Ganga turned metallic under fading light. Night brought the Mahindra Kabira Festival — music carried over water, audiences wrapped in shawls, and the strange comfort of sitting by an ancient river listening to poetry that refused to age. By the time we walked back through the lanes, the fog had thickened again, but Varanasi no longer felt overwhelming; it felt immersive.

Couldn’t resist adding “Bhor” for you to listen

Day 3 — The Long Wait to Kanpur

Dec 22, 2025

The plan was simple: catch the early morning train and roll into Kanpur before lunch. Indian Railways and Gangetic plains, however, had its own cinematic pacing in mind. The 6 AM departure quietly drifted to 12:30 PM, and we spent the morning in that uniquely Indian limbo of platform announcements, chai refills, and speculative optimism. Fog still lingered like a bureaucratic stamp that refused clearance. When the train finally moved, it felt less like punctual transport and more like negotiated permission.

We reached Kanpur late in the afternoon, mildly tired but warmly received at Shashwat’s home. If Varanasi had been spiritual austerity, Kanpur was caloric rehabilitation. We ate with purpose — as if forests ahead might not cooperate — stocking up on comfort and conversation. The safari paused here, not dramatically, but deliberately; a domestic intermission before the highways began pulling us southward.

Day 4 — Kanpur: The Calm Before the Highways

Dec 23, 2025

If the previous day was about delayed motion, this one was about deliberate stillness. Kanpur moved at a softer volume — winter sun filtering lazily (whatever it could muster) through balconies, neighborhood sounds replacing temple bells and train horns. We surrendered to the comfort of not having an agenda. A significant portion of the morning dissolved into binge-watching the YouTube channel Wonderda, which felt appropriately thematic for a trip that was steadily becoming one long wonder-documentary anyway.

Later, we stepped out to meet Shubham at Mithas, where conversations stretched comfortably across work, travel, and the kind of exaggerated future plans that only feel convincing over sweets and snacks. It was an ordinary day by design — no forts, no ghats, no wildlife sightings — just a gentle pause before the road trip properly ignited. By night, the bags were repacked with more intent than before. The foggy north had held us long enough; tomorrow, we would finally start driving toward clearer skies.

Day 5 — Orchha: Central India, here I come!

Dec 24, 2025

Somewhere barely an hour south of Kanpur, the fog simply surrendered. The grey curtain that had followed us for days lifted as if someone had adjusted the saturation settings of the entire landscape. Blue sky returned. The winter sun turned cooperative. By the time we reached Jhansi, the air felt crisp and newly minted. The imposing walls of Jhansi Fort stood under a clean sky, its museum rooms holding quiet echoes of rebellion and memory. It was the first moment of the trip that truly felt expansive — no smog, no narrow lanes, just open views and warm light on old stone.

From there we drifted into the slower rhythm of Orchha, where the Betwa River curves lazily past cenotaphs and palaces that seem almost too picturesque to be real. Our riverside stay allowed the afternoon to stretch without urgency. We wandered through the sprawling courtyards of Orchha Fort for hours — climbing terraces, peering through arched windows, and pausing often to scan the riverbanks where birds skimmed the water’s surface. History and birding began forming their quiet alliance here. The evening light-and-sound show tried to dramatize Orchha’s past, but after Khajuraho (which still loomed ahead in memory), it felt slightly underwhelming. Still, as we walked back along the darkening river, the silhouettes of the chhatris against the sky made up for any theatrical shortcomings. The road trip had finally found its rhythm.

Day 6 — Khajuraho: Sculptures, Silence and Sudden Wildlife

Dec 25, 2025

Morning in Orchha dissolved gently into more riverside wandering before we steered toward Khajuraho, where sandstone has been narrating human imagination for nearly a millennium.

But the day refused to remain purely architectural. At Raneh Falls, the landscape shifted dramatically — volcanic rock canyons sliced deep and jagged, their colours ranging from rusty red to charcoal black. Nearby, within the bounds of Ken Gharial Sanctuary, we scanned the riverbanks and were rewarded with gharial basking in prehistoric stillness, mugger crocodile occupying their own territorial patches, and chital stepping lightly through scrub. A wild boar appeared briefly, unconcerned and efficient. At one point a large stork-like bird glided across the sky — impressive, unidentified, and immediately a topic of debate that would remain unresolved.

The temples of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments are often reduced to a single adjective in casual conversation, but standing before them is something else entirely — intricate panels unfolding like graphic novels in stone, celestial dancers frozen mid-spin, entire philosophies carved with surgical patience. We moved between the eastern and western complexes slowly, letting the scale and detail sink in rather than rushing through checklist photography. By the time we checked into MPT Kutni Resort that evening, temple carvings and reptilian silhouettes had merged in memory, and the safari had quietly expanded beyond its original brief.

Day 7 — Sal Forests, Falling Water and Borders That Meant Nothing

Dec 26, 2025

Morning at MPT Kutni was efficient — quick tea, a short scan of the trees, a pied kingfisher doing what they reliably do, sunbirds flickering through branches, lapwings screeching in the distance. Enough to confirm that the day had begun well. We wrapped up the southern temple complex in Khajuraho and pointed the car toward Panna, where the landscape gradually thickened into Sal forest.

Sal forests have a particular presence — tall, straight trunks rising with disciplined uniformity, their bark textured and slightly rugged, the dried leaves and the dust around generating a hazy backdrop. Unlike chaotic tropical forests, these feel structured, almost architectural, as if planted by intention. The undergrowth was relatively open in patches, large dry leaves carpeting the ground and crunching underfoot when we stepped out. The air carried that faint woody scent — clean, slightly resinous — and the road cut through in long, quiet stretches where human sound quickly dissolved. It was easy to imagine larger mammals watching invisibly from deeper inside.

At Pandav Falls we descended from the gate down to the base, each turn in the path amplifying the sound of water until the falls finally revealed themselves in a cool, echoing amphitheatre of rock. A brief attempt at Ajaigarh Fort ended in practical surrender — narrow approach roads and a two-hour climb that our schedule simply could not absorb.

Driving toward Chitrakoot, we crossed the Uttar Pradesh–Madhya Pradesh border so many times it began to feel ceremonial rather than official. Near dusk, two jackals stood on the roadside, alert and lean, before slipping back into scrub. At Ram Ghat the evening scene was modest and local — a calm stretch of water within the town, colorful boats ferrying families along short loops, some with decorative rabbits for children. No grand spectacle, just a small-town riverbank closing the day gently.

Day 8 — The Day the Sky Grew Larger

Dec 27, 2025

Morning in Chitrakoot began with the ropeway to Hanuman Dhara — a short, slightly mechanical ascent that delivered us to hilltop views and a breeze strong enough to justify the climb. It was a brief spiritual stop, more about vantage points than devotion, and soon we were back on the road toward Purwa Falls. For late December, the water flow was surprisingly powerful — white sheets plunging over dark rock, the valley below carrying that deep, continuous roar that makes conversation optional.

And then the day tilted.

I was walking casually near the edge when a broad-winged silhouette cut across the sky. Instinctively, binoculars went up. The shape resolved slowly, unmistakably.

Vulture!

Not one. More. Indian vultures — Gyps indicus — circling, then settling along cliff faces near Chachai and Keoti. We scanned patiently and counted over ten individuals in the area, some perched, some gliding with that effortless command of thermals. For a species that has declined so dramatically across India, this felt less like a sighting and more like a privilege. We stood there nearly an hour, scanning, recounting, quietly recalibrating the importance of the day. What began as a waterfall visit had become the trip’s first major wildlife revelation.

Enroute to Keoti falls, we saw another waterfall on google maps, Chachai. There we enjoyed more views of the Indian Vulture including its nesting sites in the escarpments. Keoti Fort was closed but the waterfall flowed. Later in the evening, Maihar temple had a two-hour wait, so we simply kept driving — satisfied that the real highlight of the day had already taken flight above us.

Day 9 — Marbles & Mist

Dec 28, 2025

Breakfast at a modest Wayside Restaurant in Katni set the tone for the day — hot, simple, unexpectedly good food. From there we drove toward Jabalpur, where the Narmada gathers momentum and drama. At Dhuandhar Falls the river did not flow — it detonated. Water crashed downward in thick white plumes, rising again as mist, giving the falls their smoky name. The viewing platforms were crowded, but the force of the river drowned out most distractions. A short climb to Chausath Yogini Temple offered symmetry and altitude — a circular shrine with quiet panoramic views, the kind of place that feels older than the concept of traffic below.

Later, we took a boat through the marble canyons of Marble Rocks. The cliffs rose sharply on both sides — pale, striated, and luminous under the winter sun — while the boatman delivered rhythmic commentary, half poetry, half stand-up routine. It was theatrical, but the geology did most of the work. Unfortunately, the Jabalpur fun curdled and weakened near the Bhadbhada watefalls, where loud music, plastic waste and enthusiastic dancing competed with the river’s dignity. It was a jarring contrast: sublime natural sculpture upstream, careless celebration downstream. We left with mixed impressions — awed by stone and water, mildly exhausted by people.

Day 10 — Highways & Pilgrims

Dec 29, 2025

The morning began inside the green quiet of Dumna Nature Reserve Park, where we went for a straightforward walk and unexpectedly walked into a birding jackpot. Red-naped ibis probed the ground methodically, grey hornbill flapped between trees with prehistoric confidence, plum-headed parakeets flashed pastel streaks overhead, and somewhere in the canopy a cuckoo-shrike refused to pose properly. It was one of those sessions where you stop saying “nice sighting” and start saying “what next?” Breakfast at India Coffee House felt well-earned — old-school interiors, efficient service, strong coffee restoring human focus after avian distraction.

Once we left the city and merged onto the highway toward Amarkantak, the tone shifted from checklist birding to cinematic India. Pilgrims performing the Narmada Parikrama walked steadily along NH-45, large backpacks strapped tight with foam rolls for bedding, white dust-coated clothes, woollen caps, mismatched socks, cracked shoes. Some had beards growing wild; all had the steady rhythm of long-distance walkers. The late-December sun softened the otherwise cold wind across rolling hills, harvested fields stretching into pale gold, untended grass bending quietly. Tall eucalyptus trees lined portions of the road in such geometric formation that it felt like a frame from Gladiator — the poplar-lined path where Maximus walks through memory. It was that kind of light.

Midway through this reflective stretch, Shashwat suddenly asked

वो क्या है?

We pulled over — because that is now standard operating procedure — binoculars out, Merlin app consulted, mild argument initiated. Egyptian Vulture. Distinct shape, pale body, dark flight feathers. Another raptor added to the growing list, and another reminder that this trip was stealthily turning into a birding expedition.

Just before Amarkantak, we noticed tall Saj trees (also called Asna)— elegant, different from Sal despite popular opinion insisting otherwise. I spent an unreasonable amount of time cross-checking identification, mildly vindicated when confirmation aligned with instinct. Evening at the Narmada Temple was calm, but accommodation plans were not; with no booking available, we improvised and drove onward to Pedhra, ending the day somewhere between pilgrimage town and highway uncertainty.

Day 11 — Mainpat: Coal Dust, Caves and Elastic Earth

Dec 30, 2025

The road to Mainpat began with a fox crossing casually ahead of us, as if verifying our entry into Chhattisgarh’s quieter interior. Not long after, the landscape darkened near the Raniatari coal belt — endless trucks, fine black dust settling over trees and roadside tea stalls, the highway looking as though it had been shaded in pencil. The Hasdeo River appeared briefly beside us, wide and unbothered, holding its own calm despite the industrial backdrop. Hunger dictated our next stop: a small, unnamed roadside eatery in a village that would never trend online. Egg curry, hot rotis, metal plates, no menu theatrics — exactly what the day required.

Mainpat itself unfolded as a plateau of surprising variety. At Kendai Waterfall, water dropped cleanly into a rocky basin, framed by forest that felt properly removed from city tempo. The nearby Sitabengra Caves and Jogimara Caves carried faint historical whispers, their weathered surfaces holding stories that predate current borders. Saj trees reappeared in dignified clusters, tall and straight, as if deliberately reclaiming the hillside. At Thinthini Patthar we tested the famous hollow rock — striking it lightly and hearing a metallic clang ring out improbably from stone. And then came Jaljali, the “bouncy” swamp — ground that yielded underfoot like a reluctant mattress, a strange elastic sensation that made us laugh like children testing physics.

Evening softened into a quiet visit to the local Buddha Temple, followed by steaming bowls of thukpa at a Tibetan eatery — a reminder that Mainpat carries its own layered cultural identity. Coal trucks, waterfalls, caves, Tibetan soup, and springy earth — the day refused to be categorized.

Day 12 — Remote Roads of Chattisgarh

Dec 31, 2025

Morning in Mainpat began with a visit to the local Tibetan monastery, prayer flags shifting gently in the cold air while chants drifted softly from within. It was calm, composed — a contrast to what the road ahead had planned. We stopped briefly at Tiger Point, more viewpoint than wilderness encounter, before descending into increasingly narrow ghat roads toward Nakiya waterfall. The jungle thickened, mobile signals weakened, and the road turned steep and stubborn. This was perhaps the most remote stretch of Chhattisgarh we would manage on this trip — dense forest, sparse settlements, and the occasional local man walking with an axe slung casually over the shoulder, lungi wrapped both below and sometimes across the torso against the chill. It felt raw, unscripted.

Dev Pahari waterfall required patience and faith in directions, but rewarded us with solitude. By late afternoon we rolled into Korba, dusty and properly hungry. The redemption came plated generously at Kaake Di Hatti — sarson ka saag and makke ki roti that could repair both morale and metabolism. After days of highways, forests and uncertain food stops, this felt like culinary affirmation. The year was ending not with fireworks, but with mustard greens and corn bread — and honestly, that felt correct.

Day 13 — The capital, Raipur

Jan 1, 2026

The first morning of the year began on the road to Raipur, but not before one more unscheduled halt near Jhika Hasdeo Point. A black-winged kite hovered in textbook stillness over open fields — white body, sharp black shoulder patches — then dropped vertically in a clean hunting dive. Indian rollers flashed electric blue from roadside wires, and at one point a large crane-like bird crossed high above us, triggering the now-familiar in-car dialogue: “What’s that?” followed by an immediate pull-over and binocular deployment. This trip, which was never marketed as birding-heavy, had clearly made its decision. The previous one had been planned around birds; this one was ambushing us with them.

We paused at Vishnu Temple, Janjgir — quiet, proportioned, almost empty — before merging onto the expansive, almost futuristic roads of Nava Raipur. The sudden width of highways and urban planning felt surreal after days of forests and ghat roads. Our arrival at Mayfair Lake Resort amplified that contrast further: manicured lawns, reflective waters, deliberate symmetry. After so much dust and unpredictability, the hotel felt almost indulgent. We took an evening walk around the property, letting the still lake absorb the fading light, and closed the first day of the year with dinner at the in-house Italian restaurant — a far cry from roadside egg curry, but somehow part of the same continuous journey.

Day 14 — Flycatchers, Dams and Free Bird Tourism

Jan 2, 2026

Morning at Mayfair Lake Resort began as a relaxed lakeside walk that quickly escalated into fieldwork. While an inquisitive aunty stopped us to ask the standard travel questionnaire — “Where are you from? How long?” — Shashwat handled the social diplomacy and I instinctively scanned the trees. A flash of white flickered through the branches like a ribbon caught in wind.

Flycatcher!

I blurted mid-conversation. Binoculars confirmed it: an Indian Paradise Flycatcher, white morph, impossibly elegant, tail streaming like punctuation in motion. Of all places to find it — manicured hotel grounds on New Year’s morning.

We left reluctantly, heading toward the Chhattisgarh–Maharashtra border and stopping near the backwaters around Sirpur Dam and Chabuknaka. The setting was immediately appealing — quiet water, open grass, scattered trees, the kind of place that invites you to stay longer than intended. While we unpacked lunch, a deep, familiar call drifted across the field. A quick check on eBird suggested red-naped ibis, and moments later we were staring at three or four of them walking calmly just 20–30 meters away. As if that weren’t generous enough, two black-headed ibis perched nearby in the trees, unbothered by our astonishment. It felt like curated bird tourism, except there were no guides, no jeeps, no fees — just us, our food, and a front-row seat.

We drove another dam road in the evening, partly for exploration and partly because the day had trained us to expect surprises. By now the pattern was undeniable: every unplanned stop carried the potential for wings.

Day 15 — Backwaters and the Road to Lonar

Jan 3, 2026

By now, stopping for birds had become muscle memory. Morning drew us again toward the backwaters near the dam, where red-naped and black-headed ibis were already at work in the shallows, probing with calm determination. An Asian openbill cruised overhead, sandpipers stitched nervous lines along the water’s edge, and a common kingfisher flashed blue before vanishing into reeds. It was methodical, satisfying birding — the kind where each sighting builds quietly on the last.

Then came the unsolved mystery. A bird of prey perched high on a distant tree caught our attention — silhouette strong, posture confident, details frustratingly unclear. We tried everything: binocular angles, phone zoom, eBird filters, speculative Googling, even Moyanak-style elimination logic. Nothing felt definitive. For once, the bird won. It remained unnamed, adding a small, stubborn footnote to the trip.

Later, driving past the forested stretch near Navegaon National Park, we spotted another raptor — this one large, dark, and hovering with slow, deliberate wingbeats above the treeline. We pulled over immediately. Through binoculars it appeared almost entirely black, broad-winged, commanding. eBird tentatively suggested Black Eagle, and for a few minutes we allowed ourselves to believe it. But distance and light refused to cooperate, and we drove on with another inconclusive entry — plausible, exciting, unconfirmed.

On the approach to Lonar, we stopped near Mehkar where agile birds skimmed low over backwaters, later identified as river terns. Two grey hornbills flapped across the road near our hotel as if casually marking territory. The day did not offer monuments or waterfalls; it offered uncertainty, debate, and the quiet thrill of chasing names through the sky.

Day 16 — Green Water, Temple Ruins and the Long Way Home

Jan 4, 2026

Morning at Lonar began, predictably, with birds. Around the resort grounds, three or four plum-headed parakeets moved restlessly between treetops, their soft colours catching the early light. Somewhere in the scrub we could clearly hear the sharp, repetitive calls of grey francolin — the classic teetar soundtrack — but despite scanning patiently, the caller refused to materialize. A final small reminder that not every sound earns a sighting.

By late morning we descended into the crater of Lonar Lake, the meteor-formed basin holding its distinctly green water like an alien secret. The lake level seemed higher than before; part of the submerged temple near the edge was now partially swallowed by water, its stone pillars emerging directly from the green surface. The trek down was steady and dusty, the climb back up humbling. We rested near the temple ruins, where a grey hornbill passed overhead and a rufous treepie hopped between branches, inspecting us with theatrical curiosity. Even at the supposed end of the journey, the birding refused to clock out.

We left around 5:30 PM, the long highway pulling us back toward Mumbai. By 11 PM we were in Thane, eating a slightly triumphant dinner at McDonald’s — the most unceremonious finale possible after forests, falls and fossilized craters. Midnight found us home, dusty bags unpacked, memory cards full, and a growing suspicion confirmed: this “Central India safari” had quietly become one of our most bird-heavy road trips yet — entirely unplanned, entirely perfect.

Epilogue — The Dividend of Wandering

Somewhere between a cancelled flight in Mumbai and a green crater lake in Lonar, the original purpose of this trip quietly dissolved. It was never really about covering destinations efficiently, or ranking waterfalls, or even optimizing temple circuits. The real reward emerged in the empty stretches — the coal-dusted highways of Chhattisgarh, the sal forests near Panna where sunlight filtered through tall, disciplined trunks, the quiet backwaters near state borders where ibis fed unconcerned by human ambition. None of those places had curated entry gates or dramatic Instagram signage. Most did not even have reliable mobile networks. Yet they offered something megacities and polished itineraries rarely do: unmanufactured surprise.

Five-star hotels like Mayfair Lake Resort are comfortable — manicured lawns, symmetrical reflections, controlled lighting. They restore the body. But it was the unplanned roadside halts that restored something subtler. A vulture circling unexpectedly over Chachai. An Egyptian Vulture confirmed mid-highway debate. A paradise flycatcher interrupting small talk. A large, dark raptor near Navegaon National Park that we may never conclusively name. These moments demanded nothing except attention. No tickets, no curated storytelling, no crowd choreography — just two people willing to pull over because something moved in the sky.

Crowded megacities impress with scale; remote Central India humbles with stillness. In cities, experiences are scheduled. On these roads, they are earned accidentally. You drive without certainty, you stop without reason, you wait without guarantee — and then, occasionally, the landscape rewards you with something precise and fleeting. That exchange feels honest.

In the end, the fruits of senseless wandering were not dramatic. They were cumulative. A growing list of birds. A better instinct for forests. A deeper comfort with long roads that promise nothing. And the quiet understanding that the richest parts of travel often lie between the marked points on a map — in the pauses, in the detours, in the decision to stop the car because someone said, “Wait… what’s that flying?”

Route

Kanpur to Amarkantak

Amarkantak to Mumbai

Numbers

• Distance Traveled: 3000+ km
• Cost: ₹ ~50k

The post Safari in Central India appeared first on ruturaj.net.

There are trips that are planned meticulously, with spreadsheets, colour-coded maps, and backup hotels bookmarked just in case.
This was not one of those trips.

Ours began with exactly one confirmed booking — Kuno National Park — and a vague confidence that roads, temples, and forests would somehow arrange themselves around it. Everything else was left to chance, optimism, and the dangerous belief that “हो जाएगा” is a legitimate planning strategy.

The cast was set,

• Safari – The aptly named, TATA Safari, that has munched more miles in a year than some of the cars in the city combined. It also prides itself in
• Moyanak – A contentful Bengali heart with long dark black locks flowing reminiscent of a rock-star. However he sported a big square frame glasses reminding me of Irfan Pathan’s from the movie Namesake. Calm, almost to the point of being drugged and zoned out. But pull a bird’s conversation ( an avian one ) and he jumps out his hibernation and converses with his rosogulla fragrant Hindi. His seat preference for the car was fixed, rear-seat with one motive, to doze off while in motion.
• Shashwat – If Moyanak was calm, grace, Shashwat was the big curly headed, Siddhartha (Buddha) eyed vagabond. But not chastised by the lust for food or travel. And he talks, for long stretches, weaving conversations that jumped effortlessly from infrastructure reliability to road conditions, from safari economics to why a detour made existential sense. He didn’t merely suggest plans; he generated momentum. A casual “why not?” from him had a remarkable tendency to become a confirmed booking within hours.
• Me / Rutu – observer, looking deep into what people are saying and how and why. A nascent birder off late wanting to know more about birds and impressed by Moyanak’s depth of bird understanding.

The plan, if it could be called that, was to drive toward central India, work remotely when civilisation allowed it, visit Maheshwar, Omkareshwar, and Ujjain, and then disappear into Kuno’s forests. From there, we would see what happened. Somewhere between highways and dirt tracks, between temple bells and alarm calls, the trip stopped being about destinations and started becoming a sequence of encounters — cheetahs that refused to pose, leopards that did, hyenas with impeccable timing, and birds that never waited for us to be ready.

By the end of it, waking up at 4am felt normal.

Day 1 — Mumbai to Dhule

Fri, Oct 10, 2025

Dhule announced itself exactly the way you’d expect a transit town to: dust in the air, muted colours, and the overwhelming feeling that nothing here wanted to be remembered.

We stopped at a roadside dhaba for tea. The tea arrived quickly. One sip was enough to establish dominance. The remaining tea was respectfully discarded.

Back at our stay, Shashwat and Moyanak opened laptops and began working with quiet seriousness. I sat with them, staring intently — not at the screen, but at the concept of work. It was a strong start to the trip.

Day 2 — Dhule to Ujjain (via Maheshwar & Omkareshwar)

Sat, Oct 11, 2025

The morning began with birdwatching at Gayatri Dham, Sendhwa, where Moyanak casually spotted birds while the rest of us tried to locate them using enthusiastic head movements and misplaced confidence.

Maheshwar slowed the trip down in the best way possible. A late breakfast at MPT was followed by a boat ride on the Narmada. The fort rose quietly from the river — solid, patient, unmoved by time. In the middle of the water sat a tiny temple, and inside it a South Indian lady sang Carnatic bhajans. The sound carried across stone and water, soft but unignorable, like the place itself.

Omkareshwar came next. Walking across the bridge toward the temple, the river below mirrored the sky, and the breeze did that thing where it makes you believe you’ve arrived somewhere meaningful, even if you don’t fully understand it yet.

By evening, Ujjain wrapped us into its rhythm. Mahakaleshwar at night felt less like a visit and more like being absorbed into something much older and larger. Lights, chants, people — time seemed optional here.

Later that night, while casually discussing what came next, Shashwat dropped a suggestion.

Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary?

My eyes lit up instantly. Moyanak didn’t hesitate. I said what felt inevitable.

People do pub-hopping. We do sanctuary-hopping.

Shashwat paused, smiled, and raised the stakes.

Ruko… Jaipur mein Leopard Safari bhi jayenge.

And just like that, the itinerary surrendered.

Day 3 — Ujjain to Kuno

Sun, Oct 12, 2025

We left early, chasing distance before the sun fully woke up. Somewhere on the highway, Moyanak calmly pointed out a Grey Indian Hornbill flying alongside our car for a few seconds — like an official escort into wilderness.

Kuno arrived quietly. No drama. Just forest.

The evening safari began with birds — lots of them. Moyanak identified them effortlessly while the jeep moved. Shashwat and I, meanwhile, oscillated between “haan haan dikha” and … “arre gaya”.

An hour passed. No cheetah. We followed a tracking jeep. Still nothing. Hope began loosening its grip.

Then another jeep arrived — vets. Our guide, Naved, struck up a conversation. The senior vet looked at us mid-sentence and said:

Stand up. Look there.

Two cheetahs lay lazily in tall grass, completely uninterested in our collective emotional breakdown. That was our first sighting — distant, calm, unforgettable.

On the way back, darkness settled in. Outside the core area, Naved switched on auxiliary lights.

अभी night safari का समय शुरू

Suddenly — leopard.

Or so he said. We saw nothing. The jeep stopped. Reversed. As we rolled back, I caught movement slipping off the road.

कुछ गया नीचे से !

Naved nodded. “Haan. Leopard hi hai.” And there it was — walking parallel to us, unhurried, perfectly aware of its importance. Then it vanished into the bushes.

None of us slept easily that night.

Day 4 — Kuno to Sawai Madhopur

Mon,  Oct 13, 2025

Morning safari rewarded us early. Buzzards circled. A pair of woolly-necked storks stood tall and composed. Then Naved suddenly pointed ahead.

A Striped Hyena walked straight along the road. It stopped. Squatted. Did its business. Then calmly walked back into the forest.Naved smiled.

Hyenas are very rare on safaris.

We nodded, humbled. Back near the previous day’s cheetah sighting, we waited. Then chaos — the good kind. Three cheetahs appeared, playing across rocky terrain, running, pausing, approaching the road. This time, they came close.

I stayed glued to my binoculars until they came too close — close enough to fall out of focus.

Later, Naved laughed.

You didn’t even remove the binoculars once.

Moyanak missed a few frames, stunned. Shashwat calmly recorded everything like a seasoned cameraman.

By afternoon, we headed toward Sawai Madhopur. As we neared Ranthambore, hundreds of jeeps and canters filled the roads — packed with tourists. Shashwat explained the economics. ₹30k jeeps. ₹1500 canter seats. Highly commercial.

We silently thanked Kuno.

Day 5 — Sawai Madhopur to Bharatpur

Tue, Oct 14, 2025

We left Sawai Madhopur early, half-expecting Ranthambore to throw in a last-minute tiger cameo just to mess with us. It didn’t. What it did offer instead was atmosphere — thick forest, ruins being slowly swallowed by vines, and long empty stretches where the road felt like it belonged more to sambhars than to humans.

The safari itself unfolded gently. Deer appeared and disappeared into tall grass. Birds moved constantly — darting, calling, circling — as if the forest was in a permanent state of soft chaos. The tiger, predictably, chose to remain mythical that morning. And honestly, after Kuno, it felt less like disappointment and more like polite acceptance. We had already been spoiled.

By late morning, we were back on the road, merging onto the Mumbai–Delhi Expressway. The shift was abrupt — from forest silence to engineered speed. As we pushed toward Bharatpur, the landscape flattened, opened up, and began filling with life again. Flocks of birds swept across fields and roads in loose formations, occasionally forcing us to slow down, as if reminding us who truly owned this land.

Bharatpur arrived without noise or urgency. We checked into The Bird’s Haven, a small, clean, no-nonsense hotel that felt designed for people who wake up early and return muddy. In the evening, we walked toward Keoladeo National Park, stopping at the gate just as the light softened. The place carried a quiet authority — this wasn’t just another park, but a Ramsar wetland, protected not for spectacle but for balance. We didn’t go in that evening. We didn’t need to. Tomorrow had already promised enough.

Day 6 — Bharatpur to Jaipur

Wed, Oct 15, 2025

At exactly 6am, an elderly Sardarji waited outside our hotel with his electric tuk-tuk, looking supremely confident in our decision-making abilities.

Guide mat lo. Main sab dikha dunga.

Inside Keoladeo, the road threaded its way through shallow water, marshland, and broken muddy channels that vanished deeper into the park. The morning light reflected off puddles, turning the entire landscape into a patchwork of silver and green. Every few metres, something moved — a ripple, a wingbeat, a sudden call.

The tuk-tuk driver began announcing birds like roll call. Moyanak responded instantly. Within minutes, the two were deep in conversation, discussing renamed species, subspecies, and how taxonomy had betrayed them all. Shashwat and I watched from the back, pointing enthusiastically at anything colourful enough to feel identifiable.

Painted storks nested in acacia trees, their massive bills clicking softly. Oriental darters stood frozen with wings spread wide, drying themselves like living statues. Hawks hovered patiently above open patches, waiting for the smallest miscalculation below.

I eventually asked about the Sarus Crane — the one bird everyone secretly hopes to see here. The driver nodded thoughtfully and tried. We drove slower. We scanned harder. The Sarus, however, chose absence. We accepted it as a personal boundary.

Back at the hotel, we packed up and headed toward Jaipur. By afternoon, the city wrapped around us — louder, warmer, familiar. I asked the question that had been building for days.

Ab 4 baje uthna khatam?

Shashwat didn’t even look up.

Bas ek aur din. Kal Leopard Safari.

Of course.

Day 7 — Jaipur (Amargarh Leopard Safari)

Thu, Oct 16, 2025 

We left before the city properly woke up, stopping twice for fuel before finally succeeding on the third attempt — because nothing tests patience like an empty tank before sunrise.

Amargarh felt different from the larger parks. Smaller. Tighter. Built for repetition rather than grandeur. The idea here wasn’t one dramatic drive, but several quiet loops — listen, observe, wait.

Peacock alarm calls cut through the stillness, sharp and insistent. We followed the sound to an artificially created waterhole and waited. A peahen appeared, clearly distressed, pacing and calling louder.

Then movement.

A hyena burst toward the waterhole, paused as if reconsidering its life choices, and disappeared again. Moments later, another hyena emerged from the grass.

Two hyenas. One morning. Not bad.

As the guides began calling each other in hushed excitement, we moved into another loop. That’s when the driver spoke quietly.

Leopard dekha.

We stopped. Waited.

The leopard emerged from tall grass, sat briefly on a ledge, and looked directly at us — not curious, not aggressive, just acknowledging presence. Then it slipped back into the grass, as effortlessly as it had arrived.

No drama. No chase. Just a perfect, clean sighting.

Later, we visited Galta Devi Temple, nestled between two rock faces where water trickled down into pools below. Macaques had taken full ownership of the place, launching into diving competitions with complete disregard for spectators.

Jaigarh Fort followed — massive walls, giant cannons, and expansive views of Jaipur sprawled below, with Amber Fort sitting dramatically in the distance like a film set that refused to age.

By evening, we dropped Moyanak at the airport. The car felt emptier, quieter — as if one frequency had been turned off.

Day 8 — Jaipur

Fri, Oct 17, 2025

The morning allowed us to wake up without alarms, which felt almost illegal by this point.

Jantar Mantar surprised us with its scale and precision — instruments so large they made time feel physical. City Palace, in comparison, felt restrained and distant.

Lunch at Laxmi Misthan Bhandar was non-negotiable. Ghevars were purchased in quantities that suggested both generosity and poor foresight. Nahargarh Fort gave us views, crowds, and snacks that didn’t quite justify their pricing.

We returned home late, where Shashwat’s mother served dinner at 11pm — warm, filling, and exactly what we didn’t know we needed.

Day 9 — Fly Back to Mumbai

Sat, Oct 18, 2025

A morning walk at Dravyavati Riverfront revealed a surprisingly thoughtful transformation — a once-ignored nala turned into a clean, walkable promenade that people actually used.

Before heading to the airport, we stopped at Patrika Gate. The colours were loud, unapologetic. Birds flitted through the arches — a kestrel, a hornbill — as if signing off on the journey.

We boarded our flights carrying photos, sore backs, sleep debt, and the quiet certainty that this wasn’t just a road trip.

It was a pattern forming. People pub-hop. We sanctuary-hop.

And somewhere between Kuno and Jaipur, that became a perfectly reasonable way to live.

Photo Credits: Moyanak, Shashwat.

Directions

Numbers

• Distance traveled on Road: ~1800 km
• Cost per person: ₹ ~28,000 / per person (including flights)

The post Cheetahs, Hyenas & Other Office Colleagues appeared first on ruturaj.net.

The one by Swanand Kirkire is in the key of G. However, I’ve transposed the female version which is in the scale of D.

Strumming

This is very percussion free song, there is no strumming. Each chord is just played to bottm from the base strings.

Intro

e|--2----------------------------------------
B|--3---3h5---3---2---3----------------------
G|--2----------------------------------------
D|--0----------------------------------------
A|------0------------------------------------

e|-------------------------------------------
B|--5/7---5--4--5-----3----3--2--0--2--3-----
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------0-----------------
A|--0----------------------------------------

Chorus

[D] Bikharne ka mujhko

e|--2---2--2--0--2--3--3--2------------------
B|--3----------------------------------------
G|--2----------------------------------------
D|--0---------------0------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Shauq hai bada… [G]

e|--3--2--0----------------------------------
B|------------3----0-------------------------
G|----------------------2--------------------
D|--0----------------------------------------
A|----------------------0--------------------

Sameetega [A] mujhko

e|-------------------------------------------
B|---------3--2--5----5--5-------------------
G|--2--2-------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|--0------------0---------------------------

Tu bata [G] zara … [A]

e|-----------5--3-----2----------------------
B|--2--3--5-----------------5----3-----------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|--0----------------------------------------

Repeat the same upto “Sameetega mujhko”. Tu bata zara is slightly different.

e|-----------5/7------3-----2----------------
B|--2--3--5----------------------5----3------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Verse

[D]

Doobati hai [G] tujhme

e|-10--9--7----------------------------------
B|-----------10--7------7--------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Aaj meri [D] kashti

e|------------7------------------------------
B|--7--8--10------10-----10------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|--0--------------------0-------------------

Guftagu mein [G] utari

e|-10--9--7----------------------------------
B|-----------10--7------7--------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

baat ki [D] tarah

e|------7------------------------------------
B|--10-----10--9--10-------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Dekhke tujhe [G] hi

e|-10--9--7----------------------------------
B|-----------10--7/12------7-----------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Raat ki [D] hawaa ne

e|------------7------------------------------
B|--7--8--10------10-----10------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|--0--------------------0-------------------

Saans thaam [G] li hai

e|-10--9--10/12---7--------------------------
B|-------------------10/12-------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

haath ki [D] tarah
e|------7------------------------------------
B|--10-----10--9--10-------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------

[Chorus]
Play as earlier.

[D]

ki ankhon mein teri
raat ki [G] nadi …
yeh bazi toh [A] haari hai
sau feesadi [G] … [A]

Interlude

Sarod interlude…

G|-------------------------------6-6---------
D|--------------------4-4---7-7--------------
A|--5--7--5--4--5----------------------------
e|-------------------------------------------

B|-------------------------------------------
G|--4--6/7----6--4------4--------------------
D|-------------------7-----7--5--------------
A|-------------------------------------------

e|-------------------------------------------
B|--------------7--5-----5/7--5--------------
G|--------4--4--------6----------7-----------
D|--4--5-------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Flute interlude

B|-------------------------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|--7/9--7--6--7------5--7--5--4--5----------
A|-------------------------------------------

Sarod continues…

e|-------------------------------------------
B|--5/7---7-7---5---5/8----------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|--0---------------0------------------------

e|-------------------------------------------
B|-----5--7---5/10--8--7--5--5---------------
G|--7---------------------------6--6/7-------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|--0----------------------------------------

Verse

[D]

Uth gaye kadam [G] toh
Ankh jukh [D] rahi hai
jaise koi [G] gehri
baat ho [A] yahaan

[D] ho..
kho rahen hai [G] dono
ek dusre [D] mein
jaise sardi[G]yon ki
shaam [A] mein dhuaan [D]

[Chorus]
[D] yeh paani bhi tera
aaina [G] huaa
sitaron mein [A] tujhko
hai gina [G] huaa [A]  … [D]

[D] Ho…

Bikharne ka mujhko
Shauq hai [G] bada…
Sameetega [A] mujhko
Tu bata [G] zara … [D] … [A] … [G] … [A] … [D]

The post Shauq (Qala, Sireesha female version) – Guitar tabs (fingerstyle) and chords appeared first on ruturaj.net.

Keep the finger position like a D-chord,
effectively playing A major with a tang
of F#m.

e|-9-----------------------------------------
B|---10-----12-----9--10---------------------
G|-------9-----------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

e|-9---------------12------------------------
B|---10-----12--------12-----9--10-----------
G|-------9-----------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Start strumming A major very lightly.

Tu Mera Koi Na Hoke Bhi Kuch Lage
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----------3--2--0---0--0h2--0--------------
G|-2--2--4---------------------2--1--1h2-----
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0---------------------------------0-------

x2

Kiya Re Jo Bhi Tune Kaise Kiya Re
Jiya Ko Mere Baandh Aise Liya Re

e|-4--4--4--4--5--4h5-------2--0---0--2------
B|---------------------------------------3---
G|-----------------------------------------2-
D|-------------------------------------------
A|----------------0------------------------0-

x2

Samajh Ke Bhi Na Samajh Main Saku

e|-------------------------------------------
B|-5--5--5--5--4h5/7--------5--3--2--3--0----
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0------------------------0-----------0----

Tu Mera Koi Na Hoke Bhi Kuch Lage
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----------3--2--0---0--0h2--0--------------
G|-2--2--4---------------------2--1--1h2-----
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0---------------------------------0-------

x3

Chorus

Apna Bana Le Piya, Apna Bana Le Piya
e|-----------------------2--0----------------
B|-2--2--2-----2--2--2---------3--2--2-------
G|----------4--------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0---------------------0-------------------

Apna Bana Le Mujhe
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--2--2-----2--2--2-----------------------
G|----------4--------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Apna Bana Le Piya
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-0--0--2--0--------------------------------
G|-------------2--2--2-----------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Repeat the above for

Apna Bana Le Piya
Apna Bana Le Piya
Dil Ke Nagar Mein
Shehar Tu Basa Le Piya

Instrumental

e|-4--4--4--5--4h5---2--0--2--0--------------
B|-------------------------------3--2--------
G|-------------------------------------------

e|-4--4--4--5--4h5---2--0--5--2--------------
B|-------------------------------3--2--------
G|-------------------------------------------

e|-------------------------------------------
B|-5--5--5--5-----3h5/7/5/7--5--3--2--3--2---
G|-----------------------------------------4-

e|-------------------------------------------
B|----------3--2--0---0--0h2--0-----------h5-
G|-2--2--4---------------------2--1--1h2-----

Verse

Chhoone Se Tere
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--3--5---3---2---------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Haan Tere Haan Tere
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-5--3--2----5--3--2------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0----------0------------------------------

Feeki Ruton Ko Rang Lage
e|----2--2--2--------------------------------
B|-------------3--2---0--2--3--3/5-----------
G|-2-----------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------

Hmm..
B|--3--5p3p2---------------------------------

Chhoone Se Tere
Haan Tere Haan Tere
Feeki Ruton Ko Rang Lage
(Repeat above Choone Se Tere ...)

Teri Disha Mein
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--3--5---3---2---------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Kyun Chalne Se Mere
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-5--3--2----5--3--2------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0----------0------------------------------

Pairon Ko Pankh Lage
e|----2--2--2---2/4---2---0---0--------------
B|-------------------------------------------
G|-2-----------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------

Raha Na Mere Kaam Ka Jag Saara

e|-4--4--4--5--4h5---2--0--2--0--------------
B|-------------------------------3--2--------
G|-------------------------------------------

Haan Bas Tere Naam Se Hi Guzaara
e|-4--4--4--5--4h5---2--0--5--2--------------
B|-------------------------------3--2--------
G|-------------------------------------------

Ulajh Ke Yoon Na
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-5--5--5--5-----3h5/7/5/7--5--3--2--3--2---
G|-----------------------------------------4-

Sulajh Na Sakun
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----------3--2--0---0--0h2--0-----------h5-
G|-2--2--4---------------------2--1--1h2-----

Tu Mera Koyi Na
Hoke Bhi Kuchh Laage
Tu Mera Koyi Na
(use same notes as earlier tu mera koi na… )

Hoke Bhi Kuchh Laage
e|-0--0--0-----------------------------------
B|----------3---3/5--------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0------------0----------------------------

Apna Bana Le Piya
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--2--2--0--2--2--2-----------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------0-----------------------------

Apna Bana Le Piya
e|----------2--0-----------------------------
B|-2--2--2--------3--2--2--------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------0-----------------------------

Apna Bana Le Mujhe
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--2--2--0--2--2--2-----------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------0-----------------------------

Apna Bana Le Piya
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----------2--------------------------------
G|-2--4--4-----4--2--2-----------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Apna Bana Le Piya
Apna Bana Le Piya
Dil Ke Nagar Mein
Shehar Tu Basa Le Piya
(Same as above)

Verse

Ho Sab Kuchh Mera Chahe
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--5--3p2----2--5--3p2-----2--5--3p2------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0------------0-------------0--------------

Naam Apne Likha Le
e|----2--2-----------------------------------
B|-2--------5--3--3/5~~--5-------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------0-----------------------------

Badle Mein Itni Toh
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2--3~~---2h3~~--2--3~~--3-----------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-0-----------------------------------------

Yaari Nibha Le
e|-4h5/7~~---4--2----------------------------
B|-----------------5~~-----------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Jag Ki Hirasat Se
e|-5---4h5~~---4h5~~-----4h5~~---5-----------
B|-------------------------------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

Mujhko Chhuda Le
e|-4---2h4~~---2h4~~-----2h4~~---2~~---------
B|-----------------------------------5-------

Apna Bana Le
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3--2--3~~---2h3~~~---3--------------------

Bas Apna Bana Le

e|-------------------------------------------
B|-2h3---3--5--3--2h3~~~---------------------
G|-------------------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------
A|-------------------------------------------

x2 (Apna bana le)
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3--5--3--2h3~~~---2~~~------==------------
G|-------------------------4--2--------------

Chords

(F#m) Tu Mera Koyi (E) Naa
Hoke Bhi Kuch (F#m) Laage
(F#m) Tu Mera Koyi (E) Naa
Hoke Bhi Kuch (F#m) Laage

(F#m) Kiya Re Jo Bhi (E) Toone
Kaise Kiya (F#m) Re
Jiya Ko Mere (E) Baandh
Aise Liya (F#m) Re

(A) Samajh Ke Bhi (D) Na
Samajh Main (E) Sakun

(D) Saweron Ka Mere
Tu Sooraj (F#m) Laage
Tu Mera Koyi (D) Na
Hoke Bhi Kuchh (F#m) Laage

(F#m) Tu Mera Koyi (E) Naa
Hoke Bhi Kuch (F#m) Laage
(F#m) Tu Mera Koyi (E) Naa
Hoke Bhi Kuch (F#m) Laage

(F#m) Apna Bana Le Piya
(E) Apna Bana Le Piya
(F#m) Apna Bana Le Mujhe
(E) Apna Bana Le Piya

(F#m) Apna Bana Le Piya
(E) Apna Bana Le Piya
(F#m) Dil Ke Nagar Mein
(E) Shehar Tu Basa Le (D) Piya

Music

E F#m
E D F#m
E

(F#m) Chhoone Se (D) Tere
(F#m) Haan Tere Haan (D) Tere
(F#m) Feeki Ruton Ko (E) Rang (A) Lage

Hmm.. Chhoone Se Tere
Haan Tere Haan Tere
Feeki Ruton Ko Rang Lage

(F#m) Teri Disha (D) Mein
(F#m) Kyun Chalne Se (D) Mere
(F#m) Pairon Ko Pankh (D) Lage

(F#m) Raha Na Mere (E) Kaam Ka Jag (F#m) Saara
Haan Bas (E) Tere Naam Se Hi (F#m) Guzaara

(F#m) Ulajh Ke Yoon (A) Na
(D) Sulajh Na (E) Sakun

(E) Zubaaniyan Teri
Jhoothi Bhi Sach (F#m) Laage
Tu Mera Koyi (E) Na
Hoke Bhi Kuchh (F#m) Laage

(E) Zubaaniyan Teri
Jhoothi Bhi Sach (F#m) Laage
Tu Mera Koyi (E) Na
Hoke Bhi Kuchh (D) Laage

(F#m) Apna Bana Le Piya
(E) Apna Bana Le Piya
(F#m) Apna Bana Le Mujhe
(E) Apna Bana Le Piya

(F#m) Apna Bana Le Piya
(E) Apna Bana Le Piya
(F#m) Dil Ke Nagar Mein
(E) Shehar Tu Basa Le (D) Piya

(F#m) Ho Sab Kuchh Mera (A) Chahe
Naam (D) Apne Likha (A) Le
(D) Badle Mein (E) Itni Toh
(D) Yaari Nibha (A) Le

(A) Jag Ki (F#m) Hirasat Se
(E) Mujhko Chhuda Le
Apna (D) Bana Le
Bas (E) Apna Bana (A) Le

(D) Apna Bana (A) Le
(E) Apna Bana (A) Le

The post Apna Bana le – Guitar tabs (fingerstyle) and chords appeared first on ruturaj.net.

Intro

For the first part, fret the ring finger on the 3rd fret.

e|-3----3--------3--------3--------3---------
B|-3------3--------3--------3--------3-------
G|-0--------0--------0--------0--------0-----
D|-------------------------------------------

e|-3--------3--------3--------3--------------
B|---3--------3--------3--------3------------
G|-----2--------2--------2--------2----------
D|-------------------------------------------

Change hand position and fret 3rd fret with index finger.

e|-3--------3--------3--------3--------------
B|---3--------3--------3--------3------------
G|-----4--------4--------4--------4----------
D|-------------------------------------------

e|-3--------3--------3--------3--------------
B|---3--------3--------3--------3------------
G|-----5--------5--------5--------5----------
D|-------------------------------------------

e|-3--------3--------3--------3--------------
B|---3--------3--------3--------3------------
G|-----0--------0--------0--------0----------
D|-------------------------------------------

Verse

(G) Pyaar Jhootha Tha Jataya Hi (D) Kyon
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3--3--3--3-----------------4-----3--------
G|-------------4--2--4/5----------------------
D|-0-----------0--------------0--------------

(G) Pyaar Jhootha Tha Jataya (D) Hi (Cm) Kyon
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3--3--3--3-----------------4-----3--------
G|-------------4--2--4/5---------------------
D|-0-----------0--------------0--------------

(Cm) Aise Jaana Tha To Aaya Hi (G) Kyon
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3/4--4--4--4------------------------------
G|-----------------5--5/7--5--4--------------
D|-0------------------0-------0--------------

(Cm) Aise Jaana Tha To Aaya Hi (G) Kyon
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3/4--4--4--4------------------------------
G|-----------------5--5/7--5--4--------------
D|-0------------------0-------0--------------

(Cm) Ae Sitam-gar Tu Zara
e|-------3--2----2h3--2----------------------
B|----3------------------4--3----------------
G|-4-------------0---------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------
use your ring finger for the 4th fret, and
use your index and middle finger for 2nd and
3rd fret.

(D) Aur Sitam Kar De (Cm) Aa
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3--3--4--3--------3-----------------------
G|-------------5--5--------------------------
D|-0-----------------0-----------------------

(Cm) Aaja Bewajah Sa Yeh
e|-------3-------2-3--2----------------------
B|----3------------------4--3----------------
G|-4-------------0---------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------

(D) Rishta Khatam Kar De (G) Aa
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3--3--4--3--------3-----------------------
G|-------------5--5--0-----------------------
D|-0-----------------0-----------------------

Chorus

(G) O Bedardeya
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3-----------------------------------------
G|----5--2-2---5--4--------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------

(G) Yaar Bedardeya
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-3-----------------------------------------
G|----5--2-2---5--4--------------------------
D|-0-----------------------------------------

x2

(G)O Bedarde (Cm) ya (This moves to Cm)
e|-------------------------------------------
B|---------------4---------------------------
G|-4----2--4--5------------------------------
D|---5---------------------------------------

Yaar Bedarde(G)ya (... and returning to G)
e|-------------------------------------------
B|-6--4---------4--3-------------------------
G|--------5-5--------------------------------
D|-------------------------------------------

Verse 2, 3
Follow the same notes as in verse 1

Outro

Kaisa Banjar Seena Hoga
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----3------3-------------------------------
G|-4------4------5--4--2--4------------------
D|----5--------------------------------------

Ismein Jab Tu Hi Na Hoga
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----3------3-------------------------------
G|-4------4------5--4--2--4------------------
D|----5--------------------------------------

Tujh Bin Jee Toh Loonga
e|-------------------------------------------
B|----3---3/5--5---3/5--5--------------------
G|-4-----------------------------------------
D|----5--------------------------------------

Lekin Jeena Kya Woh Jeena Hoga
e|-1/4--4------------------------------------
B|-------------3------3----------------------
G|----------4------4------5--4--2--4---------
D|-------------------------------------------

The post O Bedardeya Guitar tabs (finger style) and chords appeared first on ruturaj.net.

The heat had already picked up, but so had our zest for another long bike ride. The last big one was back in 2017. It was getting difficult to think of a destination as all directions north and south of Mumbai (atleast realistic distances) promised only one thing – rising mercury levels.

It was going to be our first big ride with our larger machines

• BMW 310 GS for me
• KTM Duke 250 for Kanade
• Dominar 400 of DevD

Thoughts of Himachal Pradesh were quickly out of the window with its 3-day one-direction ride to reach Manali or somewhere close which entailed atleast 7 days of just riding to get to a place and back home. Central India would’ve sizzled, which left us with only 2 options. Either pack our bikes in a crate and send it somewhere or go down south. With Devendra’s bucket-list item of riding in Bandipur reserve and mine to visit the Jog falls created a perfect union of a plan falling in place.

A tentative plan was hatched

• day 1 : mumbai to outskirts of Davanagere : 730km 12hrs
• day 2 : towards mysuru 350km 6hrs
• day 3 : mysuru palace, and roaming
• day 4 : mysuru to ooty 3hrs via bandipur
• day 5 : ooty roaming
• day 6 : ooty to mangaluru 383km 9hrs
• day 7 : mangaluru to jog falls 220km 5hrs – (back to gokarna 120km 3hrs or honnavar 68km 1.5 hrs)
• day 8 : jog falls to kolhpaur – 6hrs – 362km
• day 9 : backto mumbai 374km 7 hrs
• day 10: ??? backup

This plan was along a similar ride that I had done 9 years back. Well – nothing wrong in history repeating, definitely not when its sight seeing.

Day 1, to Hubli

Mar 26, 2022

Davangere was the original destination, but we got caught in a massive Lonavala traffic jam (where some Chemical tanker had turned turtle). It costed us an additional 1 hr just to reach Pune.

The bigger machines under our crotch meant we were riding faster than what we had done in our earlier rides. By the time we crossed into Karnataka it was 3pm post our lunch. And as expected the AH-47 just opens up like a new engine after a few 1000s of km and a nice drink of synthetic oil.

Coming into the Belgaum area, the clouds had started to thicken cooling the weather from high 30s to sub 30. But it also meant that precipitation was about to be encountered. As we hit the wretched single lane Dharwad-Hubli section – it hit us, and hit us hard. I didn’t pay any heed to Kanade’s suggestion of waiting at a tapri for tea and seeing out the rain, so we continued into a drenched halt somewhere on the road. We lost another 1 hour for the rains and Davangere was well out of sight as it was already 7pm by the time we reached outskirts of Hubli and decided to call it a day.

Day 2, to Mysore

Mar 27, 2022

तिसऱ्यांदा हगायला गेलो, फुल पाणी !

That was Kanade’s reponse when he came back from the toilet while we waited for him at the Shri Siddaroodha Swami Math in Hubli. Kanjurkars wanted to have a darshan before we headed further. As we reached outskirts of Devangere we halted for breakfast, where Kanade again complained of stomach cramps, and he visited the small make-shift structure in the back of the hotel, yet again!

The heat was getting unbearable along with our constant vibrations of motorcycles running over 100kpmh. With Kanade’s breaks we thought Mysore too would be difficult, however a Roko that I had at least put a break on his uncontrolled flow.

We took a pleasant break from the AH47 and moved on to the smaller roads from Sira heading towards Mysore. The state highways were slower than the 100kmph+ AH, but was cooler with lots of trees, trees that we started to observe and wonder about their names. Huge canopies, covering the road with the summer blooms of yellow.

It was an uneventful journey further on keeping aside a “tasty” bhelpuri that DevD had in one of the villages. Mysore’s hotel was next to a hospital, where Kanade enjoyed a calming accent of a Dr who prescribed him Lacto Bacillus. The day end with us roaming, eating in the popular Forum mall that was 10m walk from our hotel.

Day 3, Mysore

Mar 28, 2022

Sporlac had done its work. Kanade was back with his uber confidence. Today, it was gonna be local sight seeing, with the zoo, RRR (the hotel) and the light show of Mysore Palace.

But it began with Hotel Original Vinayaka Mylari serving hot dosas with a specific tasting aloo subzi. The zoo was next in the heat, however, the zoo was full with tropical trees with a meshed shadows hitting the floor. We were amazed by the temperature drop and started to observe the trees even more along with the splendid collection of animals and birds ranging from the tropics of East Asia to that of Brazil!

RRR, the hotel was a big surprise, hardly had veg. which was the definition for the food for the day for Kanjurkars. We ended up having lunch on a street side Dosa-idli vendor. The evening light show invited us to a scam, the locals running amok on the gates of the palace explained that its some off-day for the palace with no show, rather we should enjoy GST free shopping in some shop. BS!

We fell for it, but rather ventured out for a decent restaurant and ended up having food in the dens of the Gufha restaurant with its dark decor and Shikari Shambhus waiting the tables. The food was great as well.

Back at the hotel, we figured out which trees were really beautifying Mysore, it turned out the most common one was Shirish (Rain tree) and the yellow blooming canopy was the Copper Pod or the Yellow Flame tree.

Day 4, to Ooty

Mar 29, 2022

Missing Mysore Palace was not something that we expected after a day’s halt. So we headed out for the Palace in the morning before we moved to Ooty.

The way to Ooty was via Mysore Airport and crossing the Kabini river reminding me of the wildlife reserve known for its black panther or the black leopard. Bandipur Tiger Reserve came up in the heat, the deciduous trees had already dropped its leaves in this summer time. However the weather was pleasant with a some cloud cover. We crossed the Karnataka state into Tamilnadu changing the forest name into Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

As we started climbing the hills after the forest crossing we had the best lunch of our trip at a small hill town of Gudalur at the Venus Hotel. We climbed further towards Ooty I was waiting for the hairpin bends from my last trip. But what greeted us were the tall Wilson plantation’s Nilgiri trees or the Eucalyptus. With that climbing altitude the mountain weather showered us with another free treat of rains.

Weather in Ooty as expected was cool and we headed out in the market for our dinner / snacks and ended up in A2B restaurant full with people from Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai. It felt like a typical tourist place.

Day 5, Ooty

Mar 30, 2022

A talk with the owner suggested that Ooty’s Dodabetta peak was closed for road construction, however when we ventured out, it was all normal. We spent a typical boating experience in the lake and then proceeded for Dodabetta.

Lunch was followed in the Muglai styled Angaara restaurant followed by our retreat to the hotel where we all just lazed doing nothing. The evening followed sooner than we expected and we just enjoyed some street kababs and tea.

Day 6, to Kadur, KA

Mar 31, 2022

The last day, I had felt a little under the weather. Luckily the morning was all fine and it was our day to head for Kadur on our way to Sharavati Valley’s gem, the Jog falls.

It was a long day ahead almost 9hrs of riding however, most of it was through smaller towns and villages skipping the big large 6 lane carriageways. By Ooty we had agreed that it was pointless for us to ride hard with the buzzing machines on the dry, wide man-made heat traps called the National highways. We had settled on a calmer 90kmph and consciously finding routes that ran through the “green” patches in Google maps.

At the outskirts of Hassan, we took route towards Belur ( as I had kept an incorrect mental map ). However while waiting for lunch on outskirts of a lovely KTDC Belur resort, we found that there is an old temple in the city which was quite famous. We headed there post lunch which finished only by 4.30pm. Had a nice tour of the temple that reminded me of Hampi’s architecture and sculpture.

Back on the saddles, it was already sunset time when we headed through Chikmanglur’s hills and it was our first night time riding experience of the trip when we spent our last hour of riding in pitch dark highway from Chikmanglur to Kadur.

Day 7, to Jog Falls

Apr 1, 2022

Today’s ride was a shorter one, but still a 4-5 hours long one to Jog Falls. The ride reminded me of our route to Kadur via smaller towns with a lot of greenery. However the last 1 hr of the route was through denser forest around the road where we managed to have a fleeting glimpse of the Indian Cobra in its hooded stance as well !

As we headed in the last 10km we wondered how and where the falls are. We were just riding on a plateau with no real steep hills to accommodate for the dropping torrent. But the last 7-8, we started descending steeply and going through thicker cover. Crossing the Sharavati river and finally at the destination, we could see a sharp cliff but still no waterfall. We dreaded if the heat of the summer had led the majestic cascade into just a trickle. But luckily a few days of shower earlier had ensured that we didn’t miss the regal site.

As we enjoyed the view, we pondered. Our original plan had to stay at Jog and head out the next day on our return leg to Mumbai. But we decided we’ll head out to Hubbli for the night’s stay, so that the next day, Saturday Apr 2, everybody could be home leaving a Sunday to rest. After a biscuits and buttermilk to replace a meal we headed out again through villages and towns hitting Hubli by early evening.

Day 8, to Home

Apr 2, 2022

With a perfect timing of having a reserve day of Sunday, Apr 3. We headed out for Mumbai. As we reached near Belgavi we were amazed at the summer bloom in full regalia, The Rosy trumpet, the Pink trumput, the Copper Pod (Yellow Flame Tree), the Rain trees and few lavender blushes of the Jacaranda.

We had another great veg lunch on the outskirts of Wai at Abhiruchi restaurant in Surur. It was the hottest day of our travel, even guzzling litres of water we were hardly losing liquids to urine.

At the lunch,  there was a small change of plan for our rides. My parents were in Pune, and my kid-nieces wanted me there. So at the Sinhagad junction we had our last laughs with some water and jokes on Kanade and “phone time” of DevD, then headed our ways. Kanjurgmarg as I read on Whatsapp came by 8pm. By that time I was already playing in the garden with the kids after another bike ride, but on an Activa!

Directions

Numbers

• Distance travelled – 2500 km
• Hours on Saddle – 50 hours
• Mileage – ~30kmpl
• Petrol consumed ~ 83 litres
• Fuel Cost –  ₹9000
• Stay + Food ~ ₹10,000
• Total Cost ~ ₹20,000
• and .. the priceless love and shade of the summer blooming trees

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It was the 8th month of 2021 and yet – No bike ride in the year !? The rains had eased, so had Sars-Cov-2, atleast around Mumbai, so …

एक ride तो बनता है

So the quest began for a route, and as usual the eyes always get stuck on the blue amongst the outer reaches of Mumbai. A straight line on a blue body came up slightly north-east of Igatpuri, The Waki dam. Looking around, the ever elusive Upper Vaitarna gave the sly. It turned out to be a fairly long 330 km. ride.

The early morning started with rains, damn ! Luckily by the time we hit roads it was dry. At the Vakola junction, across the road I saw burly guy with a big bike and a bigger top box, it had to be JK. With his newly wed lady, the Tiger 900 Rally Pro! Up ahead we met with the Kanjurkars and soon we were blasting on NH3 till… ofcourse the Bhiwandi – Kalyan morning traffic caught us.

Post Kalyan, it was faster and the stomachs too seemed to have dried up making us have the Asangaon pit stop at the food mall. There on, nearing Kasara the rains welcomed, I was having no protection unlike some and we continued to ride through the recently land-slided Kasara ghats reaching Igatpuri in hard hitting heavy rains.

Drenched completely and cold, at the Khambale junction we stopped for tea. And immediately ahead the scenery changed, rains stopped, roads, vehicles, noises dropping away for paddy greenery, lush wet earth and winding roads navigating through sleepy huts. Around, far away in the distance the hazy blue-green hills around igatpuri gave a grand-canyon-ish look with random tall columns, cones and plateaus. Of-course, the silly bike photos with hills and greens in background coursed its way through phones.

At the Waki dam, spent a good time doing nothing, like kids just throwing stones in water and trash talking. The water was little muddy and along with the “no entry” sign boards which most people didn’t heed to – deterred me for a swim.

Ahead, was very well paved tar roads, unexpectedly good for the “white” thin lines on Google maps are associated with. It was taking ahead to the Upper Vaitarna, the biggest catchment for Mumbai’s water reserves. Had another no-focal-non-directional timeout at the “Ram Setu bridge” dividing the reservoir in two. There on with some Nick’s videography we moved towards the Khodala village after which the route and luck was to turn southwards towards Vihigaon completing the loop.

We waddled on our bikes, enjoying the hilly roads reminding me of Ratanagiri’s green hills. Things soon were to get sour. The ideal tour was converted to a realistic adventure when I hit a calf in a group of cattle who abruptly came into my bike. I was probably 20kmph and had to let go of the bike crashing down! Strike-one Luckily I was unhurt but that wasn’t the case with the bike. Got it upright tried starting the engine – luckily it whirred to life. But the handle was slightly out of shape, I had no option to hobble back on the bike back to Mumbai riding one shoulder dropped like “Vijay Dinanath Chauhan”.

Near Vihigaon, my mood wasn’t great to discover more near the waterfalls, so we headed on to Kasara ghat where we had to climb almost 60% of the ghat again towards Igatpuri as its a one-way. A U-turn on the plateau and back for Mumbai we stopped somewhere before Shirol at Hotel Vrindavan for lunch. It was 3.45pm. A quick dash of simple paneer-mutter, daal and rotis was good enough to get us back on the saddles for the last pitch to Mumbai.

The day wasn’t yet over for me, at home while I was inspecting the parked bike, I managed to topple it over my car ! 2nd fall of the day for the bike Strike-two and injuring my car as well Strike-three – Out! Perfect! A day well spent, literally ! BC

Route

Photos

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I’d been longing for a long cycle trip, Corona was just making matters worse. The cycle rutted… However, recently got it fixed with new pair of tires and I was thinking of a route. Mumbai-Pune had been on my mind for a skating trip. But skating is something I hadn’t done since ages and wasn’t practical atleast right now… So wondered… why not cycle. So it started …

Route

A normal google maps routing shows a car route through the expressway. Personally I have been on the old NH-4 (now NH-48) so many times so it seemed a logical choice – smooth roads, known path, fairly straight (without unnecessary by-passes increasing the distance). The trip via Panvel town – Khopoli – Lonavala town showed approximately 150-160kms. Perfect! Not drastically different from the Vandri bicycle ride.  Divided it into 4 legs/pitches, 40km each with 2hrs per pitch. Which meant 8-10 hrs of riding.

Legs

1. Khar – Panvel town ( near Shri Datt Snacks ) – 46km – ~2hrs
2. Panvel town – Khopoli (via Chowk, old Mumbai-Pune) – 46km – ~2hrs
3. Khopoli – Kamshet (via Lonavala town) – 31km – ~3hrs ? (Has an excruciating ghat section)
4. Kamshet – Bavdhan, Pune – 41km – ~2hrs

The journey

Saturday, Jan 23, 2021

I’d been constantly visualizing the timings in my mind, and on the day of the journey I woke by 4am. Took a look at my luggage and felt its heavy with the WFH essentials. Got an idea, that I should replace the laptop with an iPad, a few days of office work without VPN should be OK.

Leg 1, 6:15am, to Shri Datt Snacs, Panvel

This route was the most boring. All the route through the city and then through Navi Mumbai and Panvel. At the Kalamboli junction, I ensured I went through the second right turn through Panvel town. No major hiccups here. I reached around 8:30am. I purchased a bottle of water and had a muli-paratha that mom had packed for me. I took off in 10m.

Leg 2, 8.45am, to Khopoli

The route finally got better without a lot of city buildings, however slight ups and downs of the slopes started to seep in. Also encountered the first dog attack just after Panvel, a group of 3-4 dogs charged me barking all the way for a few meters. By the time I reached Khopoli, it was 10am. Around 1.5hrs to cover ~35km, well on time. I was feeling a lot drained as I hadn’t eaten a lot or even had any water after Panvel. I decided to have first go of Electral and tea. I tried having another paratha, but it seemed too dry for my liking. My thighs were already starting to ache. However it wasn’t bad, I knew it was just lack of nutrition for the body. I was quite pumped up, the sun had started to beat down, I decided I’ll make a strong push for Lonavala through the infamous ghat section and post that have more rest and food. In another 15m I was crossing Khopoli.

Leg 3, 10.15am, to Kamshet via Lonavala.

The ghat section started, atleast as I thought, but it was just the start of the climb from Khopoli to Tata power station, which would’ve eventually linked me to the ghat section. The slope was getting steeper by the minute and speed slower that the rate of climb. The nutrition lacked thighs were screaming, the mask was already down that I had sported willingly till Khopoli. Another minute and I was on the largest gear on the bike ensuring highest torque with same power. This was to reduce the effort of climbing. Yet… I thought I was just trudging. I was so slow while riding that my front wheel was constantly wiggling left-right as I was trying to maintain balance due to the slow speed. It reminded me of the slow-cycle-race in schools. This slope seemed to be a perfect pitch for that event! Soon the effort seemed just worthless, as I was hardly progressing along and I decided to hop off and push the cycle ahead.

I thought the push would be atleast at a decent speed, but the amount of scientific work required was the same, pushing my 18kg cycle + ~65kg body up the hill. I kept pushing. A man who had got out of a car, was walking behind me and easily overtook me. The slope too was increasing… I had a mental map that I’d encounter a police chowky on the right after which a small distance ahead I’ll have to cross to the left to continue on the old highway. That chowky just seemed around the next turn. But the “that” turn never came. Finally saw that chowky after a grueling climb, still pushing my cycle.

Ahead, just before the turn for old-highway, under the bridge, I saw another cyclist having water, cleaning up the sweat with a towel. He too had a bag strapped on to his carrier. He saw me and thought of me as a ‘loser’ and called me in a typical mumbai-styled “ppccchhh” sound, a sound only familier with Mumbaites. Just showed the bottle asking if I wanted water, proud me, denied and smiled and gave a thumbs-up. The bottle that I had purchased at Panvel got over in Khopoli and I hadn’t purchased any as I thought it’d be extra weight. Though thirsty I wasn’t parched, I carried ahead.

As the old Shingroba temple neared, I had lost all the energy and was thinking of hiring a small tempo to take me on the top. I was already starting to see green-patches where the light was bright, I had experienced this during my runs when I’m extremely tired. Had read it somewhere that blood starts to drain from the brain to support the muscles or something. I needed to stop. I kept resisting that tempo thought and decided to stop next to the temple, where in the old days, drivers used to offer to the temple deity for safe passage through the dangerous ghats. I asked for some water and luckily it was there, devoured 2 glasses, tore another pouch of electral and just poured some powder straight into the mouth. I rested for a 10-15min, feeling better.

I got up and started again, trying to pedal, but in-vain. Back on the feet pushing. I neared the Khandala’s slope where a lot of boys, families had stopped their cars, bikes next to the road where the old Amrutanjan bridge stood. A lot of shacks offering tea, biscuits and the staple vada-pav. I decided it was enough of push and I must eat! I got into a shop and asked for tea. Thought of eating the parathas, but again they were too dry for my already parched throat. I saw Maggi packets hanging, and happily ordered Maggi noodles, another staple of Indian adventures. It was almost 12. I decided to rest for a 15m, but my body wasn’t just ready. I spent well over 30m – 45m there. The shopkeeper said

बस अता शेवटचा टप्पा आहे, मग पुण्या पर्यंत उतार (Just the last climb, post that it’ll be easy all the way till Pune)

And true to his word, my cycling which had started post the sumptuous hot Maggi, had been strangled again for a push as the last climb towards the Khandala Ghat view point. Post that I was back on the saddle, executing orders to the thighs again. Lonavala must’ve come around 1pm. It was already too hot since start of the ghats and the 1pm time didn’t help at all. However the slopes had eased to ups-downs and I decided to be on schedule for my next pit-stop, Kamshet. As usual it was chaotic on a noon Lonavala town.

Down hill from Lonavala, passing through a zillion dhabas. I remembered there was another mountain to climb, didn’t remember where exactly. And it came just before Kamshet, the climb. The motorists had the luxury of Kamshet-1 and Kamshet-2 tunnels, but for us cyclists, it was the hill. Again, couldn’t use pedal-power again and hopped off. Kamshet came around 2.15pm. I decided to have a meal and rest before the last leg to Pune. The 3rd leg, Khopoli – Kmashet had taken me around 3.5 hrs !!! 90% of it was walking

Leg 4, 3.15pm, to Pune

At the hotel in Kamshet, couldn’t muster any courage to have a proper meal. However I ordered Sprite and plain jeera rice. I kept at it for 40m or so and left the hotel next to the HP petrol pump around 2.45. Pune here I come!

I knew this route and I remember it was primarily downhill a very low gradient but easy for cyclists towards Pune. The exit of Talegaon came and so did Somatane phata. I knew I was very close to the Pune by-pass junction. At the junction I was finally so relaxed!! I purchased water, drank the remaining of Sprite. Somehow it was burning when I drank it. Seemed I’d developed blisters in my mouth.

Ravet came, the official exit point of Mumbai-Pune expressway, and I knew I was in Pune!! The road moved towards Wakad junction and started to climb again as I started encountering a lot of bridges for the underpasses. My destination of Bavdhan was after the last small climb after Baner. When I ringed the bell at my cousin’s place, it was dot 5.30pm !

For the return journey, I didn’t want to wait for an entire weekend to get back to Mumbai and decided to get back in a Volvo bus with the twin-wheeled chariot of mine in the belly of the bus.

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Song is in the scale of G

Chords

[Chorus]
[G] तुम जो हुये मेरे [Am] हमसफ़र, [D] रस्ते बदल [G] गये
[G] लाखों दिये मेरे [Am] प्यार [D] की राहों में [C] जल [G] गये

[G] क्या मंज़ि[D]लें [C] क्या कार[Am]वाँ,
बाहों में [D] तेरी है [C] सारा [G] जहां
[G] आ जान-ए-[D]जां, [C] चल दे व[Am]हाँ,
मिलते [D]जहाँ है [C]ज़मीन [G] आसमान
[G] मंज़िल से भी कही [Am] दूर [D] हम आज निकल [G] गये
[G] लाखों दिये मेरे [Am] प्यार [D] की राहों में [C] जल [G] गये

[G] आया म[D]ज़ा, [C] लाया न[Am]शा,
तेरे ल[D]बों की बहा[C]रों का [G] रंग
[G] मौसम ज[D]वां, [C] साथी ह[Am]सीं,
उस पे न[D]ज़र के इ[C]शारों का [G] रंग
[G] जितने भी रंग थे [Am] सब ते[D]री आखों में ढल [G] गये
[G] लाखों दिये मेरे [Am] प्यार [D] की राहों में [C] जल [G] गये

[Chorus]

ह्मंऽऽऽऽऽ …
[Play the humming same as the chorus]

Strumming Pattern

D---D-U-D-U

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Not really a span of time to talk a lot about, but we did manage to scrape some dust of gold from it and trek to Devkund after a cool 150km motorbike ride.

We started from our homes around 5.30am and met each other at Vashi and headed towards Khopoli. The route we were gonna take was Mumbai – Khalapur – Pali – Rawalje – Tata Bhira power plant.

The bike ride

We were on our motorbikes, the road to Khalapur was pretty much flawless ( old Mumbai Pune road ), after that towards Pali was a hit and miss, more of miss-miss-miss-few-occurances-of-hit. A lot of construction work is going since 2-3 years, some stretches of only few 100-500m is concrete while other is work in progress, older tarmac or plain old dirt. From Pali, the road is better as there isn’t much of vehicular traffic towards the TATA Bhira Plant. We reached the location by 10.15am.

Trek

We decided not to take a guide and started off by 10.30am. However on our very first fork, we were clueless, luckily a villager was at sight and he helped us through. Further ahead there were at-least 3-4 occasions where we had to move left-right to confirm the path. The Path is more of a trail which at times crosses the water. Whenever that happens, you’re bound to lose it. On our way there was another lonely trekker from Pune whom we tagged along or vice-versa. It took us 12.30pm to reach the destination. The waterfall was a little anti-climatic. The strong flow had reduced to a stream under which one could easily stand although it does fall from quite a height.

After 7-8 months of large inactivity even the simple trek did make us feel tired, especially the last hillock climb. Before heading in the pool we decided to have lunch to prevent cramps swimming through our bodies. The pool water was crisp and cool, it took more than a minute to actually complete submerge ourselves in. After a quick refreshing swim, we were back on our trail by 1.30pm.

At the base, we had a stomach full of anda bhurji, omelette, pav staple and by 4pm the bikes were firing again taking us home.

Route

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