TRIP TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
The trip to alibaug had been a start of new trend in the agaskars' calendar year routine. So even though some of the people couldn't make it this time around, it was nice to see the rest willing to keep the trend on. So happened the trip to tunnel top…

DAY: 1
If Alibaug started with a bang, this was an explosion. The bus (a smaller bus in this case) started from Borivali with the Agashi Gang (Nandoo kaka and Co. including Arun Appa) and the Tawades from Borivali, picking up Vasant Agaskar and co. from Thakur complex. Then we moved on to Goregaon to pick up the Bangur Nagarites, that is Annoo and Family and Kelkars and finally the last of the lot, Jaideep, Bebi atya and of course with her lots of snacks. As we left now for our destination after the much needed tea at Anand restaurant, and the Bebi atya's bag of snacks opened, one thing was pretty sure, we could have all died of laughter, but never of hunger!!!

It was fun and frolic from then on, what with Swagat, Annoo and Nandoo at their colourful best! It was singing all along the way interspersed with dancing too. The Antakshari (A game of songs), though supposed to be a competition among two groups soon turned out to be a one man entertainment show…and there could have been only one man "Swagat". If outings and trips were cricket…Swagat would be "Sachin Tendulkar!" It was an amazing mixture new songs and old songs, also not to forget some good old Marathi ones too. The only bad ones were from some sung by Kshipra and Chani, by a silly group called viva…oh my god, no it was "V-I-V-A", that the way the two girls called it. "Dumb Charades" followed, between the boys and the girls. The girls lost as they always do, isn't it funny that in Dumb Charades it's always the "Dumb ones" who lose (it was a joke. no offence meant). Actually we would have won by a big margin if we had been able to hide Jaideep somewhere. If there is ever a crash course on Charades, Jaideep goes at my expense, quick time too.

So engrossed was everyone that we missed the turn of the road to tunneltop. It was then that the real fun of the place began as we took a narrow winding road to the tunnel top. It turned out to be a blessing it disguise that we had a smaller bus; a 35 seater would never had made it. But it was a beautiful road up the hill resort. It had started raining outside and with the bus moving at a snails pace, the boys and girls preferred to walk out and climb on top of the bus. Annoo and Nandoo were there to add to their enthusiasm. The place which everyone except myself, Hetal and to some extent Sanman I suppose (because he is a half Punekar too) seemed to be skeptical about turned out to be a paradise. To see greenery all around, not a building of cement and mortar, or tar roads around, it was something that our sore city eyes badly needed. Though someone ought to have told Swagat that it was a hill resort, not a beach because he was roaming around two days without his shirt on. Well, anyways every big party needs a streaker. We landed down to a nice breakfast. Then it was a walk down to the tunnel below, which turned on the pace for the entire two days, lots of pictures taken there. Lunch followed by games of Frisbee and good old cricket and musical chairs. But, it seemed like Saashaa had the most fun running around the pavilion kind of lunch area and going around and round a post, which she specially liked. She also saw a "calotes" (Chameleon kind of a reptile) the fist time in her life.

The ambience in the evening was superb, incidentally this place is a like a paradise amidst the bhor ghat, absolutely serene, green, lots of waterfalls in the rains and far far away from civilization. The only hint of technology comes through the noise of the now and then passing trains below. The place is literally on top of a tunnel and hence the name. Though we felt on the top of the world over there. We went for a walk along a trail which ended on the edge of a valley, with picturesque mountains and low-level clouds. Swapnil had a time of his life snapping pictures, (must have finished a dozen of rolls and must have put the cost in the common fund, now you know why the per head cost was so high) We then headed back and circumnavigated the place to finally come and seat across a plain of green overlooking the tracks below and also the road, which leads to the top. It was absolutely wonderful to see the trains passing in and out of the tunnels in the ghat. Lots of fun, leg pulling and wisecracks were the order of the evening. Sightings of some peacocks made it all the more fun. There was a small rivulet running nearby with water falling over a neat cup of leaves made by someone and the sound thus created was blissful (I really think it deserved a mention).

The dinner was wonderful, with kerosene lamps providing the light. It felt as if we had taken a step back in time and we were back in to the village era. The food was simple but very tasty. After the enjoyable dinner we had a small game and performances from individuals, ending again in good old Antakshari. We turned into our tents at around a little after midnight. But it was quite some time before we went to sleep. Bhaisaheb with his portable radio was proving a threat to our sleep. I forgot who I slept next to, but whoever he was the guy played football in bed.

DAY: 2
Some wise guys who wanted to have a morning walk at 5:30 woke me up, though I just lazed around the bed until 6:45 I think. If the evenings at tunneltop were good, mornings were still better. Everyone quickly bathed and dressed up in colourful clothes, ready to make the much-awaited trek to the waterfalls below. The trail down to the waterfall was small, undulating, awkward, snaking the way around through the forest and lots of fun. There were a lot of slips and falls along the way, and the senior member of the family showed a lot of spirit to go the entire length to the falls below, because it being an extremely draining and strenuous task even for the youngsters, especially when you know at the back of your mind that you have to climb up the entire distance again. Swapnil and myself carried the extra load … Saashaa, taking turns. Though we kept getting some real important tips from her in hiking like, " go slowly", "Watch out for the stone", so on and so forth.

But the sight of the waterfall made everyone forget the pain we had to go through, the water fell from a height and formed a small pond below. We waded into the pool and had the time of our lives. Saashaa stayed out saying, "Yuck, Gaanda pani" (Dirty Water). It was just about this time that it had begun to drizzle at Tunneltop. The waterfall was a real beautiful one, more importantly there was no crowd there, and this being a less known and rarely visited place I presume. The final stretch of the trail to the waterfall is quite a steep one and one can overlook directly onto the waterfall. The waterfall is a ledge of rock, over which the water flows and drops down about 25 feet below into a pond formed by the fall itself and the overflows to form a mountain stream running down to the plains below. The setting of the waterfall nestled amidst greenery is a picture that shall remain imprinted in our minds forever. It even prompted someone to suggest, that the young brigade would come back here for a monsoon picnic again.

I think, the only thing that enabled everyone to go through the ordeal of climbing the way back to our tents was the knowledge that a hot and hearty breakfast was waiting for us, and not to forget the hot cup of tea, which was just the right thing on the cold drizzling day. It was back to the camp then for as lunch followed breakfast. It was then some lazing around the beds and the swings. Some of us preferred to watch the model of tunneltop kept in the dinning area. Then as evening began nearing everybody started packing their baggage. It was raining hard now and after a final photo session it was time to leave.

Now even though Hetal and myself had joined the picnickers from Bombay, we had decided to leave by train from Tunneltop since it was the fastest way to reach back home to Pune from there. So we left, climbing down those winding steps to the railway line below. We had an armed escort of Sanman, Swagat and Swapnil, armed with umbrellas of course. Now this pretty adventurous and a slightly dangerous part, because there is no railway platform. And there is only about 2' between the track and the ravine below. (We got a hearing from Aai of never doing this kind of a thing again as she was scared at watching the scene from 100 feet up, actually everybody was, and I thought if only she knew the things we had done on treks back in college) And as Sinhagad rolled in, we had to close our umbrellas as the force of the wind from the oncoming train has the tendency to push you outwards. The train stops only for twenty seconds or so. And as we climbed up the steps of the train, and waved to the trio below, it dawned to us that this was the end of the most wonderful picnic we ever had. Or more positively, the beginning of many more to come.

After that, the bus left, stopping at a restaurant on the highway and then moving on to drop everybody at their destination and finally reaching Borivali at 1:00 pm in the night. The Agashi Company reached home at almost the same time. As for us, we changed trains at Lonavla, reached pune at about 8:00 pm. We had dinner at the 24-Hour Café at the station. We reached home and went off to bed, taking about Tunneltop, tunneltop and tunneltop. And in deep slumber, we were dreaming the same.

Finally, I would like to say that it was considerable fun and pleasure in spending the two days with all the wonderful members of the family. In the daily hustle bustle of our life, it a refreshing change to be together, at a wonderful place with wonderful people. With our minds away from all the worries and the only talk being fun, amusement and good things about each other, It brings the family close together, thought I don't know how can we get closer than what we really are. But the Agaskars is a fabric of whom each of us is a thread woven together, each thread in its own different way holding on to the other and helping to make the fabric more beautiful and strong. Also laudable is the way, new threads weaved into the already existing one, and not affecting the fabric in any ways, other then making it better.

But each fabric needs a dry clean wash, to make it last longer and stay the way it is. And I feel that this picnics that we have started is an ideal wash for us. So, next time we make the trip make sure everyone is there. But all or some, I am raring to go to the next one…when and where?..Just tell me and count me in.

~Swaroop