• Arts & Culture - History - Places

    Jadhav Gadh. Exuding Old World Charm

    As we approach the entrance, the doorman ceremoniously lifts the bugle and plays. A little embarrassed, we enter the fort. More welcome ceremonies follow. A lady applies sandal paste on our foreheads while a gentleman waits with perfumed towels. Located at about 20-odd km from Pune, off the Pune-Saswad road, this fort-converted-hotel is run by the Orchid Group. An eighteenth century fort built by Pilaji Jadhavrao (a famous general of in the army of Chatrapathi Shahuji, grandson of Chatrapathi Shivaji), Jadhavgad is small and less splendorous compared to other Maratha forts. But it has a quaint charm and the redevelopment…

  • Arts & Culture - Fun - Places

    Of Faith & Creativity – Part II

    Most of us have grown up with the philosophy of seeing God in everything – in every stone, every tree, every human being, every animal and what not. Roadside temples are not anything new in India. We have earlier written about a tree with a slight resemblance to an elephant’s trunk turning into Ganpathi idol and a street side temple. (Of Faith & Creativity). This is another interesting version. A huge rock in the Matheran hills turning into another massive Ganpathi. Clever use of colours and artistic rendering have converted this huge rock into a divine statue complete with a…

  • History - Places

    A Toy Ride. A Joy Ride

    It’s in the long list for UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Whether it will get the heritage tag or not, the Matheran Light Railway is a fun ride as the small bogies laboriously climb up and down the hill. So when a friend and Mid-Day reporter decided to do a story on this to-be or not-to-be heritage rail, we decided to tag along. Being a Saturday, the general seats were all taken. So we went First Class, which is an eight-seater cabin with cushioned seats. Though not the fastest way to reach Matheran (meaning ‘wooded head’), a tiny hill station that…

  • Birdwatching - Nature's Wonders - Places

    Mumbai Winter Visitors Turn Pink

    By this time, they would’ve already set off to Kutch or getting ready for the journey. When we met them in December, they were busy feeding on the algae in the Sewri mudflats. Flamingos migrate to Maharashtra during winter after spending the breeding season in Kutch, Gujarat. Sewri, a port area in Mumbai, is one of their favourite hangouts. How did they choose to come to this derelict area?  Maybe, the rich algae found in the muddy tracts that get exposed during low tides. Feeding on these algae that have a carotenoid pigment, these migratory birds turn rich pink by…