When I reached the hostels, very early in the morning, Sandesh was already ready. In a few minutes Ajay and Anil arrived.
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“Let’s move.” Anil ordered the troops.
“Hey, it’s just four of us, where are the rest?”
“Don’t bother, all of the others have given up. Either they are sleeping or pretending to be asleep.”
That’s it then, just four of us. Ajay did not have his own bicycle, and he was not considering the trip, however one of his friends offered him a bicycle. That was a last minute addition.
We started moving towards Katraj. The first steep slopes we faced were just a sampler for the remaining journey. We were fresh and energetic, the air was cool, traffic was very light. As we passed through the Pune Bangalore highway, there was a smell of fresh sugarcane juice in the air. It started lighting up we spotted a roadside tea shop that was just opening. We were his first customers for the day. As we crossed Bhor, the smell of food from the roadside restaurants made us feel hungry. We had some food. It was just the beginning of the trip. We had no idea about how much money we were going to need. Well in those days water was free.
The stretch between Bhor and the Varandha ghat was very boring. There were hardly any trees, the area was mostly barren and hot.
“Why did you choose this route? This looks like a very treacherous journey”,
“This is the shortest route from Pune to Ratnagiri, only about 300 kilometers, just keep going, this will end very soon.” was the response.
The road as it exists now, has been rebuilt recently. At that time the Deoghar dam was only in the plans, and the area was very dry.
There are many ghats to enter the Konkan region. In most cases it is a descending journey as you move west. Bhor ghat (or Varandha ghat) is an exception. You need to climb steep slopes first and then go down double the distance. As we started to climb up, the tree cover reappeared, and the sun became mild. Going down the ghat was a very pleasurable experience for me, the road surface was good, and we could achieve very high speed. Well today I know it is unsafe to do so, but at that time I did not know. There was hardly any traffic, and it was only the sound of wind in my ears that accompanied me throughout.
“Where do we stay tonight?”, the thought of planning only appeared in my mind as we crossed the Birwadi junction.
“In Mahad, I guess. That is the only town nearby”.
Going to Mahad requires travelling a few kilo meters in the wrong direction, but we did not have much choice.
“I know someone there. Surendra is my very close friend from Alibag, and his mother stays in Mahad. She is the Head Mistress of the girls highschool, and she can tell us about a place to stay. it will be easy to find her residence. Almost everyone in Mahad will be knowing her.”
Everyone immediately accepted the offer. Today, if I want to talk to Anil, I need to take his appointment and wait for at least four days. At that time we did not even think twice before knocking at someone's door, late in the evening.
“Very nice to see you Makarand, come on in”. I was greeted with a soft voice.
My friend Surendra and other members of his family were staying in Alibag, his mother was staying in Mahad as she was a school teacher in Mahad. She used to visit Alibaug on weekends.
“Datar Madam, I am not alone, I have three friends with me. We are going from Pune to Ratnagiri on bicycle, and we are looking for a place to stay in Mahad. Can you help us find one?”
She was a teacher for many years and we used to call her “Madam”, instead of aunty or kaku. I was reluctant to enter the house since we were all dirty from the day’s travel.
“Oh! That explains. All of you, go to the backyard by going around the house. There is a well and plenty of water. Take a bath, get fresh and then we will see.” Being a Headmistress of a school there was a command in her voice.
It was very refreshing to take a bath with water fresh out of the well. In winter the well water feels warm and in summer it feels cool. It was already dark outside and we did not need any cover. We could wash our clothes and hang them on a rope in a backyard. We also looked for a toilet, it was also necessary to clean ourselves from inside. As we entered the house, it was filled with a smell of freshly cooked rice.
“All of you must be hungry. Dinner is ready, a quick menu of Pithla and rice.”
At that time, we were ready to eat anything, and the menu sounded more delicious than any other option to eat outside. We were so hungry and tired that the words
“You will stay here in my house, there is no need to find any other place.” was an offer we could not reject.
“Madam, we want to start very early in the morning. We want to cover as much distance before the sun comes up. We don’t want to trouble you by waking up early.” I tried to be humble, but there was no real force in my voice.
“No problem, we will see that tomorrow.”
“Have you informed your parents about your trip?”, the thought of informing parents had not even struck me till that time.
“Should I? Or should I not?”. I started wondering.
My parents were in Alibag and with no telephones it was close to impossible any way.
“Someone from my school is travelling to Alibag tomorrow, and I can send a message, if you want.”.
“Madam, please don’t tell my parents. They will be worried about my whereabouts, and I have no way to keep updating them. I will inform them once I am back in Pune.” was my thoughtful response.
“Makes sense. Travel safe, and do not try any stunts.”
At the end of day one, we were physically tired. We had completed one third of our onward journey, 110 kilometers, so we were on track to reach Ratnagiri on day three. I was fast asleep and may be snoring, within seconds after lying down.
* A few years later Datar madam retired from her school, and is now staying in Alibag with Surendra and his family. Her daughter Sushama Tai also taught in the same school. Sushamatai also retired recently and stays in Mahad. Whenever I go to Alibaug, I still visit them and yes I still don’t need to call them ahead of time.
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