Probably a 3300 KM of travel in last week was not enough for
so I’m hitting the roads again.
Actually small correction, it’s not road but railroad. This will
be my first outing of this wet season. IndraDev
have already been late in his deliverables by if not at least a month. Anyhow it’s
always better to be late than never. It’s 8:00 in the morning and I’m standing
on Pune Railway Station, Platform No.1, Alone. Even after a numerous attempt with
all of fancy and hype I could create, I was not able to convince even a single
of my knowns to accompany me over the trek. So, pulling me up with the only Ravindra Sangeet I know “Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Ase Tobe Ekla
Cholo Re”, I boarded the Lonavala local.
One hour later, I’m standing on Lonavala Railways Station,
Platform No. 2. I can easily see clouds drenching uphill. But that not my
destination (maybe some other day). Meri manzil kahi aur hai. Some few
minutes later I boarded an Express train to Karjat and yes, the very best of
Shaydri was in front of me, Unadulterated, Untouched. And if to see this
spectacular scenic beauty, a
Sheikh Couple flies in here from UAE annually, no one should be surprised.
Anyhow, this too is not my destination. 40 Min later I was at Karjat Railway Platform and exactly 10 min later I was standing on Palasdhari
Railway Station, soaking in typical anti-Asheesh rainfall (I mean the one which
starts only when ‘m out and stops as soon as I find a shade).
My pre hand research offered me two options, either to scale
up Palasdhari Fort which was visible from here and second one was to move to
Palasdhari waterfall. I wanted to do the former but chose the later. But I have
reasons to it. All that I could read about this place had one thing in common. They
all have warned to beware of wild boars, and some even have heard leapord. Aur abhi toh meri shadi bhi nahi hui hai.
So I opted to be amongs human rather than encountering someone I cannot handle.
As a rule of thumb or a nature's law, or an engineer’s law,
whatever you call it says, "Waterfalls are always located on hills, and
railway tracks are not”. So anywhere you go, the waterfall is always located
away from railway station, so is this. You have to walk for 20 minutes from
station to reach there. The walk passes through lush green surrounding,
and that's enough to turn you on, even if you've been there tens of times. The
first sight of waterfall was disheartening especially when you are obsessed to
relative "big". Nevertheless, the crowd was minimal. And it
was actually a private waterfall.
I moved up the waterfall and sat a rock stable enough to
seat me. The gushing water from both side and water tripping off my sleeves, well
this was my destination. I was able to simulate the same feeling what Indradev shall feel seeing from above. I
might over exaggerate it, but then it was sort of the feeling of being the Lord
of Waterfall.
Moving a little up the water fall I could find a place
lonely enough to do the thing which I like the most, SOUL SEARCHING (and was
much required as the Review Process in office just ended). The whole of Shaydri
was there to listen to me. Express Trains kept making their presence occasionally.
The winds were in a hurry to be somewhere and have dried me by now. After having
a good talk with “Better Me” on what, why, how, where and politely asked him what
next. He said “Ghar chalte hain”.
It’s 9:00 in the night and I’m standing on Pune Railway Station,
Platform No.1, Alone Again. J
