Lonavala Beckons

Eight helpless gentlemen led by 21 determined and able-bodied women, set out on a two-day excursion of Lonavala at 8:30 this morning. Sadly, Sitaram Hirvekar could not make it. And happily, Kajal Babani could. But still, the ratio worked out to roughly one man for every three women on the trip!
Predictably, the two-hour journey took four hours, with pit stops at Chembur (to collect bottles of aerated water) and Khopoli (for a much-needed tea break). Breakfast had come in boxes from Vyanjan, courtesy six ‘sponsors’ who do not wish to be named. Music in the bus was suitably upbeat with the Munni badnaam hui song from Dabangg played ad nauseum – mainly to get Hari Singh Shekhawat and Fehmida Khan into doing their little number in the running bus. Before long, parodies were being sung, simply to provoke the two to put up a repeat performance.
But as with all good things, the best was reserved for the end. The place we had booked turned out to be a modest, two-storeyed structure – unpretentious from the outside but surprisingly spick-'n'-span and hospitable inside. Maintained by Hargobind Trust, a Sindhi charitable organization, it houses 24 rooms, 15 of which were reserved for us. Every room is meant for twin-sharing – well-ventilated and spacious with a spotlessly clean toilet-bath attached, freshly washed bed linen, wardrobe, dressing table... the works comparable to any no-frills lodge anywhere in Europe or America. You’d have to try very hard to find a speck of dirt here. And if that’s not enough, you’d be served the most sumptuous vegetarian lunch and dinner imaginable, breakfast and evening snacks, wake-up tea in the morning... all coming from a super-hygeinic kitchen open to inspection. The daily package for food and lodging comes to Rs 300 per head! What more do you want?
Incidentally, should anybody be interested in visiting this place, do call the manager, Mr Kishan Shahani on 91-2114-271674. He is one helluva nice gentleman. The complete address is B/4 Valvan (behind Valvan Village Resort), Lonavala, Maharashtra – 410401 (India).
to be continued...

Renu Babani says:
Well, kudos to the men for coming to the picnic with so many women in tow! A challenge for sure to be able to handle all these strong, determined women, when handling one at home seems a task. Waiting to see the slide show and photos of the picnic. For those who didn't make it, you missed a wonderful opportunity of interacting at close quarters with everyone. We had a blast!
--Renu