MONSOON, KUDALIKA AND ME

MONSOON, KUDALIKA AND ME

The Monsoon propelled me out of literary laziness. It , as always, did alter my mood for the better. 
This year the rain gods laid it out in all splendor. Asking me to smell the rain, feel the wind.    Alluring me to kiss it and letting me feel the rain drops on my head. Sing a lullaby .
The lush green outdoors, the swirling rivers and the majestic waterfalls beckoned me. Promising to dance with me as the rains fall. 
Who am I , a  creation of this very element, to say no.  Yes, I was like a child wanting to rush to his mothers arms. 
So with a little persuasion , a little nudge from me  and some research ,  few friends packed our bags and set out. Albeit on a short trip.
Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. We were never the ones to allow it to be nothing. 
Our first stop was the rain soaked Lonavala.  It is a small town about 15 sq miles  in area and at a moderate elevation of about 2000 sft.  I had visited it a number of times but each time brings back memories of train journeys made during child hood when the family travelled from the then Bombay to Kerala. No sooner you leave the great city behind , and as the train trudges and whistles  along , you soon find the train entering Lonavala station. The cacophony of numerous voices offering you the enticing Lonavala chikki. 
The monsoon is a special treat in this picturesque part of the western ghats. It either pours or drizzles , never stops. The clean air and the cloud of mist that covers the place makes it pristine.  The  numerous  small waterfalls , you pass by,  envelopes you with its musical flow. 
We reached the place after a delicious but quick snack of hot batata vadas from the stall on the expressway. My friend has a kingly set of bungalows set on some lovely  terrain. These were used by his family for leisure  getaways  and was well appointed and maintained its old world charm.  I had often enticed him to visit the place by promising him a night of Star gazing with my telescope. We chatted  watched the rain beat down the trees  and silently took in the sounds.  A generous help of the finest of single malts helped in keeping us warm. The finale was the delicious burji pav that we  managed to get for dinner, at an hour before midnight , after driving in the rains through curving roads and well past the town market. The piping hot burji ,amply inter-spread with minutely sliced onions, and tomatoes, fresh green chillies just enough to give a hint of spice and garnished with coriander as fresh as they come, was served with golden brown  Pav made crisp outside by tossing it on a hot plate generously spluttered with butter. A simple but heavenly meal watching  and hearing the rain fall in front of us.
After catching up a few hours of sleep  off we drove very early in the morning, out of town, across valleys and small rivulets  that had sprung to life after being fed by the rain. The serene clear morning air caught the drizzle in an embrace that defined the harmony of nature.  We had a two and half hour ride ahead. We were heading to  Kolad village, in Raigad district of Maharashtra and our rendezvous with the river Kundalika on whose banks the village exists.  Kundalika is a small  river flowing from the Hills of Sahyadri to the Arabian sea. The  river is fed by the excess water from Tata Power's Mulshi Dam Project on to a series of hydroelectric projects and dams, where the water is released in the morning typically in the morning. Between 6 and 9 am we were told. 
Adventure lovers have found a unique way of enjoying the release of the dam water.  We were planning to white water raft on this moderately turbulant river.  Rafting is conducted on the river using the rapids generated by the rushing water released from the dam. All of us were sufficiently strong of heart that  a rafting of grade II and III can  be experienced over a 14 km circuit. 
A quick breakfast of poha and chai on the way and a determined effort to frequently avoid being lost we finally made it to the river front. Another group of youngsters joined us and soon  the guides there held a demo of do's and donts ,all while the drizzle kept us company.  Life vest and gear came next. Then the journey began. 
For the next three to four hours the rain,  Kudalika and us  in perfect union were completely lost to the outside world. I ended up as one of the two lead rafters ostensibly because I had blabbered that I had done this before! That fact , I muttered , lent that extra bit of adventure and risk to the whole exercise.  It also meant rest of the guys who were rowing were compelled to sync with the two of us! Instructions like right, left, front left,  down , lock etc kept flowing from the guide as the river , now in full flow and the intermittent rapids,  frowned at being  intruded by a bunch of novices. The rain lashed and laughed at this epic struggle between man and nature. The river almost engulfed us few times  as we stuck to the course. The cry of victory each time we avoided being toppled, kept the lurking fear at bay. 
The raft and gear were built well and along with the guide must  also get the credit for our success at rmaining afloat.
Soon Kundalika fell in love. I am sure it was with me. The others must have  felt as well!  The Bard had said " Hell hath no fury than a women scorned" . We embraced her. Waltzed with her along with the rain. There was no room for any scorn. Her fury was lost    and as a hesitant sun tried to peep through the grey and white satin clouds, she decided to become calm. The river flowed smoothly and the rain kept company.
That was signal for us to abandon the raft and  jump into the water. A rope ensured that none of us eloped with the river.  A round of photography followed as the guide used a contraption on his helmet and captured these moments for posterity. 
Kundalika flows on leading into the Arabian sea. Alas our courtship had to end as I ( so too the others)was not yet ready to accompany her to the sea. We bade goodbye , carried the raft on to the shore and had a fast switch over to warm clothing . These were in our car which was driven by by the staff to this landing point by the agency who arranged this. We were famished as the whole experience and it's physical dimension depleted good amount of calories. 
I was satisfied.  My tryst with the rains was once again memorable. Life  and the adventure goes on.