Posing with my Zelocity workout gear with the quarry as my backdrop

I needed to go #FitTripping for Zelocity by Zivame before the month ends. But unfortunately, I was in Pune in the last week of February. Therefore, I wanted to go outdoors with my cousin in or around Pune. I planned my outfit beforehand, including the green sunglasses and the grey hoodie, both of which were a major part of the outfit. Since I was wearing all black, I required some colours to break the monotony. 

I had actually thought of trekking followed by camping with my cousin and his friends and for the same, had asked him. But his friends had exams due, which meant only the two of us remained. The plan required a group of people, so we dropped it completely. I was disappointed as I had to travel somewhere before the month-end. On this, my mom volunteered and we planned to climb the Parvati Hill, which is in the city again. I was a little reluctant as my mom has just revived from dengue and climbing the 103 steps of Parvati would weaken her further. I thought of asking my cousin for a shorter hike just in case he agrees.

He surprisingly said yes though previously, he was saying how he dislikes one-day treks. I was talking to my cousin Sheetal about our plan, on which she recommended the ARAI Hills, which were nearer to my house in Pune. She informed me that the hills are situated off Paud Road and have a gorgeous quarry up top. I just nodded since I had no clue how close Paud Road was to my house. I quickly checked YouTube for the hills but did not find satisfactory results. However, I later realized that the hills are also known as Vetal Tekdi. Nevertheless, this destination was finalised.

Mesmerised after looking at the view in front

I called my cousin to come home by 4:00 in the noon; we had planned of leaving the house by 5:00 pm when it is a lot cooler and the yellowness is faded too. This timing is apt (I had mentioned about it in my summer travel blog-post a few days ago).

Ishan came home by 3:45 pm and took a nap thereafter. I was to wake him up at 4:45 pm, followed by which, he was to have upma my mom had freshly made for us and her childhood friend who had visited her. I woke him up at the decided time and after getting dressed, we left the house at 5:15 pm. Ishan was wearing his jeans and a pair of flipflops, which was contradictory to the outfit I was dressed in. 

He had brought our uncle's bike and off we started our journey. We crossed Pune Metro construction and soon, after reaching Paud Road, we reached a board that directed us towards ARAI. The initial path was outlined by slums and temporary houses. But later, the road was neater and was dotted with leafless trees alongside. We gradually touched a part that had green plants along with the lifeless trunks and then we were stopped by a guard at the security check. Looking at the little greenness, I fancied the rain falling on me and taking away all the heat from the earth. I wished it rained at that point in time.

The guard let us pass through the gate and we officially entered the ARAI campus. We soon reached the parking space and there it was, the gigantic building of the Automotive Research Association of India  (ARAI)! We could see many people––some of them being the company's employees and some, like us, who were visiting the hills to shake some legs. I could sense that these people visited the hills regularly to exercise and the only thought that occurred to me was how Punekars find time at 5:30 pm to exercise!

Running on the spot with full intensity

We started walking with fellow zealots and were accompanied by a voluminous bunch of leafless trees throughout. Just at the beginning, right when we walk past the tekdi gate, we saw a group of gym equipment, where people––along with grandparents and kids––were exercising. I realized that the tekdi was visited frequently, if not regularly, by most of the people here.

We shot some trial pictures as I wanted to direct my cousin how exactly I wanted my pictures: background blurred out (which means to use the 'portrait' mode of my phone) and without any noise.   The pictures turned out to be fairly good––not impressive but not even terrible. Ishan assured me that the quarry would make an amazing backdrop and the pictures would come out much better than these.

We walked further and I could catch a glimpse of the quarry. I had preconceived it to be 10 times smaller than what it actually was. I was impressed, needless to say, as the shallow waters were framed by trees. I only wondered how beautiful the area would be in monsoon as the number of trees was countless.

The photos came out mystical as if clicked in some part of Europe, where there are leafless trees and only the branches are prominent...just the white hue of snow was missing. We walked further while shooting alongside. I was taken aback by the breathtaking view of the sun and, within no time, reached a barren land that gave a much better view of the quarry.
Honestly, I had not imagined it to be this gigantic. Though it was not filled with water fully, it must be overflowing when it downpours. We clicked few fantastic slow-motion shots and it was then the time to exercise at the cliff. With the scenic quarry as my background and the dynamic Zelocity by Zivame workout wear as the foreground, the shots came out brilliant.

Capturing my cousin Ishan and the splendid sun in one frame

After the yellowness of sun was turned orange and then mixed with a little red, we started descending. Ishan took me from a different route this time which was void of any people. However, it was much prettier than the route we had taken to ascend. While we were nearing the Vetala Temple, we spotted people, fervently climbing up the hillock. Ishan showed me a watchtower that was hiding amongst the long trunks of trees.

We quickened and descended down by 6:50 pm. After reaching ARAI parking space, we grabbed our bike and rushed home. We were going out for pizza with our sister Sheetal!

I am thankful for my cousin for taking me to these hills without hesitation. I was surprised how he did not appear bored even once because usually whoever travels with me for shoots starts with a bland note. But I am glad Ishan sounded okay till the end. The evening was eventful and I am surely coming back in the monsoon again.

VETAL TEKDI HIKE DETAILS

Base
ARAI, off Paud Road

Altitude
790 metres

Difficulty
Super easy

Thoroughly lost as the sunshine highlights my hair with a deep orange hue

Trail Type
Barren path surrounded by trees

Parking Facility
Available (ARAI parking area)

Duration
1/4 Day

Best Season
All around the year

Water and Food Source
None. Carry your own

View from the top
Pune city

What can you expect
Lush greenery in monsoon, Vetala temple, huge open land, large quarry, a watchtower, gym equipment, sunset and sunrise, and birds (if you're lucky, then peacocks too!)

Watch my vlog:

With my cousin Sheetal in November 2017. Photo captured in Goa

If you happen to know my family personally, you would surely be accustomed to our culinary choices and the amount of food we eat. We are far ahead from the term 'foodie'; we're epicureans––people who are devoted to the sensual enjoyment derived from food. If you wish to know me and understand why I am the way I am, you should dine with me and my extended family of Bhagwats. Join us while we're devouring the scrumptious prasad of ukdiche modak and waran bhaat on Ganesh Chaturthi as we chitchat about anything and everything (mostly related to food) or on a Sunday afternoon when we're having the renowned Bedekar misal and comparing it with other misal joints from Thane and Kolhapur. 

Additionally, you would know our affection towards chiwdas and bhadangs and farsaans. Being completely in accordance with such a gourmand family, my cousin Sheetal is a typical Bhagwat––meaning, she loves nibbling on farsaan and sweets from time to time. There has not been a single occasion when someone has opened a pack of snacks and she has not eaten fistfuls of it (even today she eats at least half a fist of it). Out of six cousins, only my sibling and I used to watch what we eat, but now I'm glad my cousin joined our team too.

Clicked at Arambol Beach, Goa in November 2017

Sheetal weighed around 92 kgs before and after passionately following her weight loss regime weighs an unbelievable 65 kgs now (according to the checkup she did two weeks back) in just nine months. The other night, when my cousin Ishan (who is her sibling) had visited me, we were talking about how incredibly dedicated Sheetal is and how proud we are. Ishan was joking about how he had never in his wildest dreams imagined his sister to lose weight.

What I am most surprised about her weight loss journey is that the woman leaves her house at 6:45 am and gets back home around 8:15 pm every day. To maintain this schedule, she wakes up at 5:30 am, does 12 minutes of cardio, has breakfast and gets ready, rides her moped to a bus stop from where the company bus takes her to her workplace. Considering her frenzied roster coupled with her love for food, it's undeniably remarkable.

I don't wish to reveal much of it, but her weight loss regime includes drinking shakes from Herbalife paired with a diet plan. She has also been asked to stay away from baked items, sweets, potatoes, maida, and the like, and do a light workout each day. She follows a fuller workout routine on weekends to maintain the overall health. Also, the trick every dietician would pass on: Intake of small meals after every 3.5 hours.

A comparison between my cousin before the weight loss and after (in November 2017)

She plans to lose 5 kgs more as according to her BMI, she should ideally weigh approx. 60 kgs. I am a cent percent sure she would achieve her target sooner and all I want now is for her to maintain her body. She is determined to eat well and avoid superficially delicious food with working out regularly, of course!

Here's to my sister's amazing dedication...

Have you been moved by any person's weight loss success? Would love to hear it!

Konkani hills sunbathing after a downpour in September

Agreed, Mumbai is not blessed with a chilly winter season but whatever the temperature, whatever the coldness, the weather has unquestionably begun to change. We're nearing February end, which implies the sun is all set to curse Mumbai once more. (I'm getting a milky image of the sun with a face, wearing his black wayfarers and smirking at us.) Summer makes us alter our travel plans. Unlike monsoon, which is an apt season for trekking or withdrawing to a natural milieu, or winters, which are ideal to escape to a hill station, summer is completely bland. It might be wildly hyped in western countries but I openly say I hate it.

The second reason why I despise summer is that of fewer travel opportunities. (The first reason obviously being the humidity and the shift to a city-size oven.) The travel options confine down unless you're considering setting out to a state that's constantly chilly or to someplace abroad. Summers have always been a challenge and what's worse is that my birthday falls on 10th of March. I never have kickass plans on my birthdays because summer days are sunny, humid, and loathsome, though around a  year ago, we had been camping to Kelwa beach, which is a quiet, unruffled shoreline about 2 hours from Mumbai.

Read: Camping at the Beach Travelogue, Part 1

            Camping at the Beach Travelogue, Part 2

            Camping at the Beach Travelogue, Part 3

            Camping at the Beach Travelogue, Part 4

New year, new plans, however the same old enemy––the sun. The options left to travel in and around the city reduce and we are left with either setting an alarm at 5:00 am or sneaking out once the sun sets down. Either way, we miss out on a large chunk of the day.

I never disliked this season as much as I do now. It could probably have to do with my increased inclination towards skincare and the impending tan that clashes with my appearance. Last year, around September, when I had been to Gokarna on a bike, my back was fully sunburnt. Not just my back, but my arms and feet were roasted too. When I returned from the 10-day long excursion did I notice the gruesome sunburns and how wretched I looked. Since then, I have started reconsidering before stepping out after 10:00 am.

Read: Goa Gokarna Travelogue

Things being what they are, how am I planning to manage my travels in summer? Like I said before, I would either hike to a nearby hill by stirring up at dusk or begin prior in evening––that is around 4:45 pm––to a nearby lake and hoping to witness the sunset. Aside from these feasible options, I would keep a stone on my heart, cover my face with my mom's dupatta, guzzle a great deal of water, and do whatever I like to, at whatever point I need to. So if I wish to trek up the high Harishchandragad, then I would do it; so in that case, the sun wouldn't stop me from doing so.

Another workable alternative could be an overnight stay in a lush resort or plunging down a slide in a waterpark. I have already kept these two options at the back of my mind and would execute in case there's nothing left on my summer bucket list.

Wondering what the sunny season has in store for us...

What are your travel plans for the upcoming hot months?

Feeding and posing with the mystical faithful canine

Life was getting excessively busy with weekdays packed with work and weekends spent letting myself loose. I needed a break to cut down the monotony of a full-time job. The best blade for it was to either trek to a mountaintop or ride to a faraway place. I asked everyone I knew if they could take me to a  soulful location, someplace amid the trees and bushes. My sibling was ready to accompany me and tagged his friends along. He frequently goes to the Mama Bhanja Hills by waking up at 5:00 am so he is a regular visitor and knows the slopes extremely well.

He already had planned to climb it with his friends and I was just an add-on. I never knew Thane boasted of any such place; I always thought Yeoor Hills, Gaimukh, Ghodbunder Fort, and the numerous lakes of Thane were the only nature zones of the city. However, I became acquainted due to my brother. Initially, I had presumed it to be an austere place, with a shorter height, lesser trees, lesser amazement, but it turned out to be rather impressive. I am just fancying how heavenly the place would be when it showers. There are a couple of corners in the transit up with dense waterfalls and beautiful intertwined branches. I believe every natural locale has two distinct identities: the one when it rains and the one when it doesn't.

On the previous Sunday, we set an alarm of 5:30 am and by 6:30, left in an autorickshaw for Lokmanya Nagar, which is the base of these hills. After getting down, we realised the place was brimming with filth and a blanket of waste spread across the ground. However, disregarding this sight, I was surprised to see the magnitude of the place. The sight, though enveloped with crushed bottles and flattened packages, looked promising; I knew the hills would have a lot to offer.

A selfie captured before the ascend

We furthered and reached a point where we had to climb flinty stairs. That's when my brother informed me that the entire trek is full of imprecise stony steps that instantly delighted me––not because it made the trek easier but because it imbued the vibe of a fort. Thane has a lot of unidentified history and I feel like digging out and understanding all of it. For instance, Ghodbunder Fort had intrigued me for its rich history where the Portuguese built it, the Marathas acquired it, and the British repurposed it as the East India Company's district headquarters. I wish I could witness the history because these memoirs really draw my interest.

We rested midway for a few minutes as the trek was not fatiguing at any stretch of the imagination. I was full of zeal and don't recall gasping even once. The view from the hills was incredible: the sky-high towers of Thane embellished with a milky layer of fog. We could sense a subtle competition: the tallest of towers fighting to be seen, to be recognised. Every climb has its own views and by far, this view was one of the greatest.

We continued our ascend and reached the first base (which I referred to as the second base in my vlog). I could not locate natives but a bunch of trekkers who clearly looked like they were descending after a memorable stay up top. There was a dargah shed attached to a barren yet well-kept piece of land, which implied that the base was meant to wait until the heartbeats normalise. Not waiting for more than five minutes, we put our legs back to work.

Gone into a pensive mode

Soon, after more amount of sweat, we could recognize the two hills––the Mamu hill and the Bhanje hill. We had predecided to go to the latter because the locals at Mamu hill are strict and orthodox. They don't let boys wear shorts let alone girls. Most of the guys with us were in shorts, nicely showing off their knees, because of which we had set our minds on the Bhanje hill all along.

We turned left from the board that directed us with the names of the hills. I saw a shack and only after nearing, learnt that it was Bhanja's dargah shed. There was a political party flag proudly streaming with the breeze and a dog that looked adorable yet protective wagging his tail besides a pair of trekkers. I deviated into a pensive mode and pondered what the dog did over there. Who was this faithful companion and what was his purpose of staying near Bhanja's dargah? From whatever I understood,  the Bhanja's corpse dated 400 years back; so why did the dog stay there?

While I was still musing, I moved to a beautiful spot with the city's horizon as the backdrop. I knew then that I had to take my camera out and pose with the stylish and dynamic workwear by Zivame's Zelocity. I meditated for a little bit and alongside, still contemplated the past and Thane's history and the dog's purpose.

We then moved to the edge of the hill and laid on the ground for a decent sum of time. I just smirked thinking how moments like these motivate us to put another foot ahead. The mere thought of the incredible view on the peak paired with a guaranteed feeling of rest after reaching pushes us to keep on climbing. The exact ongoing sensation of our bodies cooling down after an exhilarating trek and the winds touching your conscience and suddenly everything starts making sense. You are happy that the wind is back and the sweat is gone. Finally, you put on your sweater and gulp down a hot cup of tea and devour a bowl of Maggi or a plate of bhurji pav. Suddenly, you understand that the climb and the breathlessness were all worth it, despite the trouble.

Performing Chakrasana: my favourite yogasana

We walked towards a shadowy area opposite to the dargah to make coffee. We had carried sugar, cups, and coffee powder from home and bought a pack of milk from a grocery shop in Lokmanya Nagar. This was the first time I was making coffee––or rather cooking anything––in the wilderness. The last time I had tried outdoor cooking was at Bhira campsite where one of the overly enthusiastic campers had carried chicken and paneer pieces along with a bunch of other ingredients to marinate and barbecue over the flame. However, we just marinated and couldn't grill because we ran out of matchsticks and keeping the fire alive was situationally impossible.

We blew up music on a portable speaker and sang along with the singers. I watched his friends and thought how cool was it to make coffee outdoors without a flame (and without boiling milk)! I was rather impressed and was convinced that my brother was smart in the wilderness too.

We then fed the mysterious adorable dog some Parle G biscuits and started descending. On our way, we met a lot of people climbing upwards and even a grumpy old man, who after looking at my vest and my sweater tied around the waist, commented in an as elderly manner as possible, “Toh sweater angavar ghala, kamrevar nahi.” (Wear that sweater on your body and not around your waist!) That's when I thanked the boys for taking me to Bhanje hill instead of the Mamu hill.

Practicing yoga while facing a beautiful panorama

Midway, we came across a family going upwards for picnicking. The ladies were draped in sarees and the entire family had their daily footwear on––some wearing Paragon chappals whereas some in sandy floaters. The kids were dragging large bottles of water and the family seemed to be having a jolly time.
This scene instantly took me back to my childhood days when our dear parents took us cousins out relatively every other month. I think the travel bug in me was conceived during those days. Credits to my dad and his cool siblings for taking us to beautiful places.

We then reached the base, hired an autorickshaw, and by taking away a South Indian meal on our way, reached home. The food tasted heavenly and the sleep I got after that was one of the best I've had.

MAMA BHANJA HILLS TREK DETAILS

Altitude
400 metres above sea level

Difficulty
Easy

Trail Type
Rocky steps

Parking Facility
Available at the base

The breathtaking view from the first base

Duration
1/4 Day

Best Season
Monsoon

3. Since the base area is a part of Thane city, you might encounter nuisances from the locals. Be prepared for that

Letting the sun kiss me

History of the Mama Bhanja Hills
I read it on Aulia-e-hind.com and certainly unsure of how true it is.

Around 400 years back, two tall and handsome Iraqi men came to Mahagiri Masjid in Thane and informed the locals that there were two dead bodies on the hills. They requested the people to bury the bodies.

The two men guided these people to a higher hill. On reaching, they saw a dead body that was wrapped in a fresh white cloth (Kafan) with a lovely perfumed fragrance emitting from the body. The people had to identify whether the corpse was a male or a female, so they unveiled the cloth to see the body belonged to the same man who had guided them up top. When they turned to see him, he had disappeared. The locals believed that he was a Wali Allah (friend of God) who had come with a message to bury his body.

Since the hills were rocky and sans any tool, they couldn't dig. However, they heard an Al-Ghaib voice that directed them to use their hands. When they tried digging, the rocks had surprisingly turned so tender that they could easily scoop a grave for the dead body that they were told was Mamu. They then went to the other side of the hill to bury the second dead body that was known as Bhanje...

Watch my vlog:


Have you ever been to the Mama Bhanja hills?

Another post and yet another platform to vent my heart out and to apologise for being ridiculously inactive on the blog. It's on my mind for quite some time and finally, around a couple of days back, I executed my thoughts. I quit my job as a full-time content writer at Della. I had put down my papers and was serving a month's notice. I don't think my reasons would do any justice especially because I loved my job and I had an extraordinary chance of travelling abroad at company costs. Call it my misfortune or the way that this was not meant to be, but I had to quit it. Some internal nuisances drove me to take this step. After sending a resignation email, I used to just stare at my computer screen and my eyes would turn mini buckets. I wanted to stay back for the adorable colleagues and a good working environment, but then my quitting was crucial as well. I wish the things did not occur the way they did and I wished I worked here for a longer time, but I am sure I would get an opportunity as good as this, if not better.

For now, I am simply going to unwind and let my life be. I know one thing for beyond any doubt that I have a phenomenal future. What are my goals for Feb? All things considered, it's just one:

to revive my blog from the ashes of busyness.

So I had developed an amiable bond with my colleagues because having been spent about 12 hours with them each day for over two months coupled with the rate at which I get attached would make me miss them. However, I just have one aim now, which is to become a famous travel and lifestyle blogger.

Tomorrow I have to go to the office to collect my salary and once I'm done with that, and of course celebrating Valentine's, I would start brainstorming and creating an action plan. I have worked in a lot of companies and if I put in the same amount of hard work, seriousness, and professionalism in my blog instead, I would be on a different level altogether. This is what I'm going to do.

I remember those days when I was a degree college student and was living off entirely on my parents' money. I was so dedicated to my blog that for me, composing a post every day was vital to the point that I used to write even during my university exams or even when I was travelling or even when I was sick. I used to focus more on the quantity rather than the quality but now, there's a sea of things I have learnt and know why the quality is beneficial.

I met a couple of colleagues who actually cared about the content and not the pictures. I always thought people are more interested towards the superficial content but it turns out, it's not entirely true. I was honestly sick of not reaching the top and wondering what is going wrong. I knew the answer, but I chose to ignore it.

Hope I get what I am looking for and hope you have a fantastic February full of dreams-come-true.

What are your Feb goals anyway?

It is completely beyond my understanding how a month passes by so quickly. Just a few days back I remember I was climbing Kalavantin Durg with my cousin and a group of friends and how exhilarated I was to be on the top, kickstarting the new year doing something I absolutely love. I remember how I was looking forward to the new year, especially my job since I was turning a month old and my best friend from college was joining me on the team. I also remember buying a cute, sundress as a birthday gift for her and then after that, the whole month just flashed by. January was a sweet month with sweet moments and a lot of hard work.

Looking back on best of Jan memories:

NEW YEAR'S EVE ON KALAVANTIN DURG

Something that I am not able to do as of lately is to trek and dance on nature's laps. So this trek up the huge Kalavantin Durg was close to heart. Climbing this peak in dark was my first night-trek and I'm happy it happened on such an eventful date.

SCHOLARSHIP FROM COLLEGE

Guess who is the second ranker in MACJ course in my college? This scholarship completely blew me off. One odd day, I get a call from a lady who shares this good news with me. It took me a couple of seconds to digest that I had topped and was receiving a scholarship from college. It was such an insanely proud moment to go up the stage and collect my certificate with the cash prize. I am overwhelmed and surprised. So joyous to have ended my education with a scholarship in my hand!

BEST FRIEND JOINS MY OFFICE

My college best friend got accepted in my company and also in the same department. I would be handling another major task soon that's gonna gulp up my entire work, which has made us grow a little away from each other. I hate that the thing that brought us close is now the same thing that is keeping us apart. Nevertheless, I am sure we would work on something and hope the situation normalises.

MY WORK, MY COLLEAGUES, MY BOSS

Scanning through all my internship days, I can affirmatively say that the current company I am working with has no intra-politics whatsoever. Everyone works as a team and though we don't hang out on Saturdays post-work, whatever time we spend in the office is fun-filled. The colleagues are funny and the boss is inspiring. Also, my work is about to get better and better. I had shared on Instagram that I would be travelling to Milan in April, and though it is not confirmed yet, I am hoping it does. Looking forward to an amazing February.

How was your first month of 2018?