Travel With a Couple

A new addition this year is the Studio Potter’s market.

Studio Pottery is about modern artists working as individuals or groups. Typical studio pottery is mostly table ware or cook ware, but artists explore many non-functional or sculptural items.

The potter’s market threw a variety of artifacts. Vinayaka seemed to be the flavor of all times. (and perhaps all artists). He came in various postures and various sizes, limited only by the sculptors imagination. Crawling, lying supine…

Playful pottery by someone was about funny cartoon characters moulded into puppets and clay animals. Studio potters work with various clays – terracotta, low fired earthernware, high fired stoneware and porcelain making functional ware for home, kitchen, sculpture and murals.

Some of them had their motorized potter’s wheel giving a chance to many visitors to try their hands on clay.

At 13, Altamash Gaziyani is just like any other neibhourhood boys. Except that he does a few things more than an average 13 year old. He loves reading Tintin and Shakespeare at the same time. And its not just cooking that he loves to do with his hands. It is also about some magical poetry in clay.

That’s why he was there at Kalaghoda 2009. Clay Magic was where Altamash preseted his creations in clay. Altamash was excited to be there in the festival. The twinkle in his eyes while demonstrating, making his wares and selling it says it all.

Kalaghoda Arts Festival is certainly turning out to be interesting year after year. Giving the platform for many budding artists in many fields, while giving a feast for the rest of us.

This year Kalaghoda Festival started literally on a high for us. Perched on the open upper deck of a double-decker bus, we went on a heritage ride through the city (the southern part of Mumbai and the original city). And we enjoyed every moment of the ride.

Starting from the Regal circle, near Prince of Wales Museum, the ride covered some of the best-loved landmarks – the Gateway of India, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai University, Marine Drive, Asiatic Society…

The trip was organised (as part of Kalaghoda Festival) by The Bombay Heritage Walks team, founded by two city-based architects Abha Bahl and Brinda Gaitonde. Started in 1999, the group organises walking tours around the city, which are quite interesting and informative. We had gone for 2 or 3 walks earlier.

MTDC also arranges heritage bus rides aptly, named Mumbai Darashan, regularly. Try it once. It’s worth it.

The Sula Vineyard Tour

It was there all the time. But never captured our interest until when a three-day weekend came and we had not made any plans. Driving to a nearby place became the only option, and the toss fell for Nasik. In Nasik, what?

Of the many things we planned to do in and around Nasik, there was one obvious choice – Sula vineyards. Rajeev Samant’s return from the US and setting up a vineyard & winery and making it a success is now a sort of legend atleast in the corporate circles. But raising a toast to this corporate success is not the reason people flock to this place. To know the reason, simply visit.

The sprawling farm overlooking the Gangapur dam at a distance is a sight to relish. With or without a glass of wine. The wine tasting tour comes at Rs 150/- per head. A tour around the winery and a tasting session of six wines is what you get. Apart from tasting some good wine, we did learn some new things as well.

For starters, we didn’t know that the grapes that one buy from the market are not the same as those used for wine making. Second, drinking and tasting wine is an art and a bit of science, for your body temperature changes it taste. Now we know how to enjoy fine wine – or so we think.

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Hold the wine glass on its stem; Swirl the wine in the glass; Take a small sip; Spread it inside the mouth; Sense the flavours tickling the taste buds …

Pandavleni is another slice from history worth visiting.  Though not as grand as the Ajanta Caves (and therefore lesser known), Pandavleni is similar to those caves in Ajanta, Kanheri, Karla etc. Considered to be over 2000 years old ( 1 BC to 800 AD), the caves served as Viharas/monastries.

Pandavleni is about 8 km from Nashik City on the Nashik-Mumbai highway. Trekking up the hill takes about 20 minutes. The uphill climb is easy as steps are constructed.

At the base is the Dadasaheb Phalke Smarak park with recreation facilities run by the municipal corporation.

Sunset at Pandavleni

Next time if you are in Nashik, leave an evening for Pandavleni. After a dose of history and architecture, enjoy the sunset before you start the downhill journey.