Sudhagad Trek

Sudhagad Trek

This time I and Sanjay stuck to our guns.We must go to a fort which we have never visited .We voiced our opinion vociferously and turned tables on Raju who was insisting on Rajgad. We convinced Vilas and others since it was an easy trek. There was another surprise waiting for others .I had decided to travel by public transport for a change against private car .So when the date was decided I asked Ravi to call up ST offices at Thane and Mumbai Central to find the timing and departure.

We had planned it on Sunday and Monday so that we don’t have to face crowds at the top and get accommodation easily at the DharmaShala or at the  Temple.I realsied that there was another advantage : I get adequate time  for preparations on Saturday. So on previous Saturday I packed my haversack and was ready to go next morning. I had called my driver so he picked me up and we went to Kurla ST terminus.It was a Sunday and Public Holiday so practically all buses were delayed .We waited at the depot and as I told Chandrakant to fetch me a Navakaal, the bus for Pali entered the depot in a jiffy.I lifted my sack and boarded the bus.The seat was comfortable meant  for journalists as indicated on the window.It was seat no 12 reserved for VIP.I was lucky ,maybe it was because Ravi had booked it for me and he is a smooth talker.

Just then Chandrakant came in and delivered the newspaper.I was reading Nava Kaal after ages.Well it was engrossing  .The bus reached Panvel and made a detour around the huge ST Complex and I saw the Bunglow ‘Shree” which I had visited with Devendra and had enjoyed food with the ‘Mishals’ 30 years back when we had purchased our first home from this  engineer  with MSEB .A simple man who was made to pay the atrocious transfer fees of 20,000 ,30 years back.It was criminal and left bad taste in our mouth.We never returned to that mentally deranged and deprived colony who were oblivious of rules and regulations.The bus got back on the main route and I dozed off,as I had got up in the wee hours and tiptoed to get ready lest my wife and son get up on a Sunday.

I was woken up by my cell ring tone.Raju was on the other side.” Where are you boss?’ he enquired.Well er …. I glanced out and said Karnala .He hungup OK . Then I looked around as the bus sped across on the broadened road.Well this does not look like  Goa Road,I thought hard. I wondered trying to dig into my memory of visuals.Just then the bus entered Khopoli  and turned right and I saw Madhuvan where during my quick trips to Pune we had enjoyed beer with a friend who had turned hostile for he lost patience due to timidity.Damm it this is Khopoli Pali Road .I was happy, I was to travel through a region called Maval .The road was good for a few miles then it became tough.The first town was Parali .It was buzzing with activity.I would click when the bus came to every halt.This Parali is different from Parali Vaijnath .The bus moved on the next was Jambhulpada it too was cute but bursting at seams.Entire populace was on roads on the Sunday.The third was Padeli a similar town .Now I was travelling for nearly 3 hours.At Padeli cute school children got on to the bus.They were travelling to their school in Pali.I guess these towns were self sufficient and the kids happy .

Pali arrived and I got off the Bus .I had steaming hot Misal Pav at the canteen and a paan at the stall and I got talking with the owner.He gave me a commentary on the Fort and the facilities on the sudhagad.Bang opposite was  a huge and steep mountain which was another fort.It was around 2000 feet .The top is only 2-3 acres and nowhere to stay so very few people visit it. I was told.I waited for Sanjay and Anjali to arrive and also for the Bus to Thakarwadi which was delayed.Just then the Bus to Donse arrived and we hopped in. Vilas called up, they were travelling in two cars. “ Come to Donse I told him.Thakar wadi bus is stranded as the driver has not arrived.”  After 30 minutes we got off at Donse. The village was small.We spread our plastic spreadsheet and relaxed till the other party arrived.

There was no signal on the cells and time was running out.We were  now in a fix.Sanjay then declared that if they don’t come in next 10 minutes ,we just start off the trek.Just then two cars arrived.There was a family of Vinay and nandu who arrived on his mobike. But the real sensation was Chad a white  man of 37 who was from Canada.Chad was athletic and wore long hair like the hippies.We got introduced and then hired the services of Santosh from the village who would be our guide to the fort.He insisted that we have tea and keep vehicles at a secure place to which we agreed.So after hot tea and some arguments  we started off with Santosh at the head with his nameless dog and we in toe.At first we walked along a stream then a gradual ascent through the forest. Every one was in high spirits except me as I was apprehensive of the entire   trail. I was walking at the helm to keep pace in case I loose ground over time.Then suddenly the ordeal started.The way was full of boulders and rocks and stones and the ascent moderately steep and  worst part continuous. This seemed a bit odd for on many treks there are natural landings and at times a road downhill for a while.

I was huffing and puffing but somehow managing with others.Gauri was youngest in the group but with all her skinniness  she was doing well for her age .Half an hour and we sat at one clearing having candies and chatting.A few snaps were clicked.Someone commented on my silence. I had no answer for my own tonguetie,perhaps the anger of having lost lot of time at the base.Then as we commenced the ordeal ,I realized that  none of the stone presented a friendly face .All were sharp ,jagged and  queer ,not surely like those of the mountain streams which are smoothed out due to years of travel by villagers and by falling waters sliding on them in monsoon.Now my heel was aching and my breath going at breakneck speed.Raju who was a smoker also did not light up as he was severly dyspneic.

We had started off at 4 pm and now we were here climbing for 3 hours straight and the worst thing happened.We had exhausted all our waterbottles and it was growing dark.I cursed my self for inadequate preps.Yes ,I had forgotten to take my torch or headlight.We how passed tall gates of the fort which were like those of Aurangabad fort but could not click as the light was poor. I Raju and anjali were trailing.I was now nearly crawling due to fatigue ,fear and insufficiency . On seeing my state Sanjay volunteered to take my haversack which I gave him reluctantly.But inspite of becoming light it hardly made a difference. Now it was pitch dark and I was groping for every foot hold and at times  falling  and  picking myself up cutting a sorry figure.Just then vilas arrived with his torch and holding my hand we climbed ahead atlast reaching the top .Everyone was seemingly seated on the landing of the temple.All were very quiet and recovering from the treacherous climb.

I again cursed myself for not carrying a torch.I hauled myself on the temple floor  but was in no state to find more about the temple or paying my respects to the deity .It was a no moon day and the sky was studded with stars. ‘Yes “ I told my slf “This is for what we come here for ,hazarding our limb and life to admire mere beauty of  the world like deprived  thirsty children we try to drink forth from the cup of life” shrikant was in gret mood as he was doing a trek after the failed trek of Pindari in a gusto and really doing well.  “ The star towards our right is the Great Shukra or Saturn” he said admiringly and the constellation is the archer and the deer.i tended to agree but felt that Saturn in never so low on the horizon.  His enthusiasm was brimming and then he called his friend who and expert. “ It is likely to be venus  said the voice on the other side after he got oriented to our positions”  A party had gone ahead into the dark night to fetch water as we had exhausted all  of it. I saluted their courage for it was really risky to get to any water front for presence of wild animals if any.It was now 20 minutes and none had returned.Then Shrikant took a torch and ventured out to find them.These guys are just heroic.I wondered. Then he to vanished into the darkness.  We sat there catching our breath. Sanjay put his  cell on .He is a Marathi music buff and loves to hear bhaav geets at such junctures. Then after 10 minutes I got nervy.Well if they are looking for the right direction back towards us ,we should help them .I held a lighted match to indicate our  location. Just then they arrived out of the bushes.

We all relocated to a Dharmashala or tourist enclave which was roofed and with a elevated and enclosed landing all aroud  open to sky in the centre. This is just cozy I thought as it was warm too.We settled inside naturally.A team got to cooking while we struggled with light and torches.Then out came the rum and the glasses and the cola drinks and the party zoomed off. Cigarettes were lighted and voices raised .The topics flirted from politics to cinema to sports and Raju was at his best.But this time another lady outsmarted him.It was Madhuri who having hard stuff after ages.It was her first trek and she had done very well .She was a diabetic too.

At around 1 am we called it a day and I got into my sleeping bag.But it did little to help me get over the decibles snorted into my ear by Vinay.So I relocated and tried to catch some sleep while her husband snored away to glory,Madhuri was having terrible hallucinations and and Mhatre who was with us for the first time and who was leading all the way during ascent was the good samaritan to help her with water and tablets and verbal assurances and at times taunts as well.He was fully justified being a teetotaller .Insomnia due to all this rukus affected me badly.At 6 am I got up hesitantly .

Tea was being prepared as we lazed off and the the natures call came in very clearly .I got out confidently and went across the old delapidated house which was locked on the right side were the great bushes and I could see the hills and valleys as morning breeze made it an exclusive experience.Then there was a call to go for a swim ,I was thrilled by the idea but the cold discouraged me.Then there was noodles and omlettes  for breakfast.

At around 11 am we packed off and clicked snaps .Chad was a merry man.He was dabbling with katthak a dance form .His hindi was acceptible and so was his ponytail .he surely  was very well dressed for the occasion that is the Trek .We started the climb downwards throught the same array of stones  and rocks and I cursed as every step down twisted my knee and ankle .It was terrible and I just managed not to skid or slip and thud. For 1 hour we climbed down and gradually I trailed as usual till we came to the rockfront and stone carved caricature of a soldier with sword .It was the Diety of Khsetrapal  like that of Vetoba ot Bhairoba also called Veer .We rested for a while beaneath the rock was a water spring which yeilded clear pure sweet  real mineral water.I drank like a fish to tide my body and soul with this nectar of the mountain. A jack fruit tree stood witness as Nandu climbed onto it like an ape and plucked out a raw jackfruit .And  Chad and Shrikant heriocally went up the rockfront  while we clicked.Later I told Raju that this was unusual road and robably some one had changed the direction of the waterfall recently and this had denuded the upper soil bearing rocks and stones and boulders which presented hostile face.

It is here that we digressed onto another beautiful jungle road unwittingly due to misplaced  arrow signs.Actually ot was the road going to Thakarwadi.I declared this to the group when there were arguments .Even then we persisted .Now having gone on the edge of the mountain laterally at one point we realised that we were on  a wrong track especially since two vehicles stood down at Donse and we had to get down at Donse.I Sanjay and anjali were cool as we would get a Bus from Thakarwadi as well.It is here that we were a bit nervous. A group led by vilas went ahead  and after a while we lost contact with them.Tempers flew.We send Nandu to trace them and after sustaining for 20 minutes Nandu came back with Vilas.Sanjay then said that we are going back but Vilas the leader had spotted 2 Adivasi who showed them the way down. Now there was this catch .Just then nandu called up santosh the guide who was actually supposed to come to take us down today.He had ditched us.santosh then gave instruction to get down to a plateau much visible .He was coming there to fetch us.Then we all joined Vilas and lo in 30 minutes sharp we were at the decided place.Santosh then took us down near the river where some people were mining sand from the river bed. On way nandu spotted a moulted snake skin of a cobra.There were small bushes  with leaves that smelled of Ajwain ,but Madhuri said it was Akkal Kadha .I plucked and inhaled the medicinal aroma that pepped me up.

Twenty minutes and we were into the village.Ordering tea at the watering hole ,I Sanjay and Anajli gulped hot tea with biscuits.It was 4 pm and we ran for the bus.I took us to Pali.An old villager requested me to take his ticket as he sat next to me I obliged .We alighted at Pali.Then after an hour got the Bus for Thane.At 10 pm I was travelling in rickshaw heading for home.Very clod breeze did affect me next day.But I was at home for dinner.Next day was business as usual.