Into the clouds and back...Misty Malshej

By now, R and I have developed quite a reputation of being vagabonds...Come a weekend and we are off to some unknown offbeat corner. Naturally, then, it came as a major surprise to everyone that we hadn't planned anything for the Independence Day long weekend or the Eid break! Well, our logic was to beat the crowds that would be heading out of town, and spend some quiet time at home!

Then, the two day break arrived. Eid and Ganesha Chaturthi. After four days of incessant rains the sun was finally shining brightly. The sky was a clear blue. The air fresh and crisp. Just the perfect day to roll down your windows and go off on a long drive! So we did just that....

On a whim, decided to head off to Malshej Ghat - the MUST SEE monsoon destination of Maharashtra. The lure of driving through clouds, soaking in a waterfall and watching flamingos take off in synchronized flight was too much to resist! So we grabbed a few essentials, had a hearty breakfast (and thank God for that) and hit the road by 10:45 am (too late a start for a 300 km round trip, but better now than never). What followed was a crazy and yet awesome day! We did drive through the clouds (and was it great or what!), didn't soak in a waterfall (there was no place to change into dry clothes again), nor see the flamingos (horrendous roads ate into our time), but had a lovely time simply drinking in the beauty of this piece of heaven and walking hand in hand into the mist.

Dear R has already written a wonderful post about the trip, so the lazy me will simply put a link to the post here (click here to go to R's blog post about Malshej Ghat) and save myself the trouble of writing about it all over again ;-)

Instead, I will simply follow the maxim that a picture speaks a thousand words and let these talk about the magic of Malshej!

Into the clouds.....

One of the hundreds by the roadside

The bliss of solitude!

Busy bee

Lost in the clouds....

And back....

P.S - Photos contributed by M and R (before someone cribs again!)

Wings of Joy



The Striped Tiger

Mumbai - a city choking with pollution and population! Would you believe that tucked away somewhere not far away from this madness is a piece of heaven? Where countless butterflies spread their colourful wings in joy!



The Oakleaf Butterfly

Unbelievable, yet true. This piece of heaven is created through the hard work of a single man - Rajendra Ovalekar, who decided to convert his 2 acre plot of agricultural land into a garden for butterflies. India's foremost expert on butterflies, Isaac Kehimkar, lent his expertise and support in making this garden a reality.



The Common Grass Yellow (this fellow is really tiny!)



At the Ovalekarwadi Butterfly Garden, butterflies are not bred in an artificial environment. Instead, special varieties of plants are cultivated here that provide ideal food and breeding grounds for butterflies, thereby attracting these delicate winged creatures in large numbers.



The Danaid Eggfly



As can be expected, the garden has become a favourite hangout for butterflies, naturalists and shutterbugs alike.

The garden is home to more than 70 species of butterflies, with several migratory species visiting as well. On any good morning, it wouldn't be too difficult to spot atleast 20 to 25 varieties. We spotted quite a few ourselves....



The Common Crow



But capturing these creatures of flight in a camera is quite a task in itself! It requires tremendous amounts of patience and luck to get the right shot. And it is absolutely essential to stay quiet and not disturb the butterflies (sadly, something that a lot of visitors there simply refused to understand).



The Striped Tiger



The Blue Tiger

In order to really enjoy the Butterfly Garden and get good photographs, it is best to arrive as early in the morning as possible when butterflies are at their slowest. Butterflies become increasingly active as the day progresses.

The Common Jezebel



The Common Rose



Mr. Ovalekar and his team are always available at hand to guide the amateur visitors in spotting butterflies, cocoons, caterpillars and other interesting creatures found in the garden.

Located off Godhbunder Road, Thane (West), the Butterfly Garden is open on Sundays between 07:00 am to 02:00 pm. A nominal entry fee is charged. Space to park cars is available at the garden and breakfast can be arranged if adequate advance notice is provided to the team. Contact numbers are: +919892138338/ +919869323383.

For the Mumbaikar tired of seeing concrete jungles, the Ovalekarwadi Butterfly Garden is truly a sight for sore eyes....




The Great Eggfly Female

 
Photos contributed by Mr. Raman Sharaph















The Mumbai Museum

With almost all of Mumbai heading off to some or the other weekend destination close by, R and I decided to avoid crowded outstations and dedicate the long weekend to some long pending local city sightseeing.

We began Saturday with a visit to the Church of St John the Evangelist, more popularly known as the Afghan Church. This church was constructed by the British to commemorate the dead of the First Afghan War of 1838. Sadly for us, the Church was closed as now the Church holds very few masses. 

Next we visited the Jahangir Art Gallery. On display were several collections of modern art by renowned artists. But R and I don't quite understand modern art and hence we decided not to spend too much time here. After a quick bite at Samovar, the famous restaurant at the Art Gallery, we headed to the Mumbai Museum.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya

Originally known as the Prince of Wales Museum, this Museum was set up in the early 1900s in honor of the Prince of Wales (who later on became King George V) visiting India. The Museum architect George Wittet has designed this building in the Indo-Saracenic style, which incorporates features of Indian as well as Western architecture. Later, the Museum was renamed as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya.

The museum has a collection of: 

• Stone Sculptures, predominantly from sites in Maharashtra, Karnataka and parts of western India; 
• Miniature Paintings from the various schools of miniature painting that developed in India; 
• Decorative Art Objects in ivory, silver, jade, etc; 
• Indian Coins, dating all the way back to the 7th Century B.C; 
• Nepalese Art, primarily being metal sculptures of the various gods, goddesses and demigods worshiped in Nepal; 
• Prehistoric stone age tools and artifacts; 
• Natural History Section which houses a collection of 'taxidermied specimens' of mammals, birds and reptiles. 
• Certain sections displaying Arms and Armors, European Oil Paintings, etc were closed for reorganization and renovation. 

I personally liked the Coin Gallery very much (who doesn't love money, eh!) as it illustrates how the usage of currency developed and flourished in different eras in India over the centuries. Some of the specimens in the Natural History Section are also mind blowing! I was totally astounded by the sheer size of the Rhino (as large as a Mahindra Scorpio!), a 21.5 foot long Whale Shark (these things normally grow to a size of about 50 feet!!!! Gulp! Thankfully, they are not interested in harming humans) and a 6 foot tall Bison (he was damn handsome too!). But overall, being the animal lover that I am, I was saddened to see all these dead creatures. The kids at the museum were having a good time though. I guess in a place like Mumbai, most kids don't get to see anything more than pigeons, dogs and cats!

A good part of the collection at this museum has been donated by generous individuals such as Sir Ratan Tata and Sir Dorabji Tata. Though the collection at this museum can not hold a candle to the Salarjung Museum of Hyderabad, it is certainly worth a visit. Ultimately, R and I enjoyed the time we spent here, though our legs were aching like hell!