Mumbai-Pune-Mumbai

I know that thousands of people do this daily and even more do it on Weekends.But everytime I make that trip between Mumbai-Pune on weekends, I cannot help but appreciate how much I love this stretch of travel and with all the things it helps me with.

As a kid,I always thought of Pune as that junction that used to arrive after the journey through the Lonavla-Khandala ghaats;the junction that used to arrive after the train went over the bridge across the Mula-Mutha river ( I now know that bridge as the 'Sangam' Bridge); the junction that I only used to look out to from behind the glass panes of the Air conditioned confines of the train compartment. I don't know why, but I always used to wonder what was beyond that railway station!!
For starters, there's the usual 2 modes of travel that can help you make this journey; road and rail (I'm totally discounting that 15 min flight from Mumbai which I have done too)
Take the train from Mumbai and you are sure to have that unique journey experience that this route offers. Although, there are close to 8 dedicated trains that ply between the 2 cities, the 'Deccan Queen' rules the roost even today. Once upon a time, it was a status symbol to take this train. Now though, it's just another train...although probably it would help to know that this one is amongst the quickest and would get you to your destination in flat 3 hrs. Personally, I view this journey as one that can be roughly divided into 4 parts. The first one that gets you out of Mumbai until you reach Kalyan on the outskirts is just a dull drab. The scenery ( if i
can call it that) is just a mixture of the usual Mumbai suburban rush, rubbish, apartments that seem to be kissing each other.. ( Hope you get the picture!) The next one from thereon, until you reach Karjat is a bit of a mixture, starting with views of the lower middle class localities hugging the Outskirts of Mumbai and ending with wide open spaces as you reach closer to karjat. (Of course, you also cross through Neral that houses the toy-trains that take you up to Matheran). Karjat is also where you 'have' to have that famous 'vada-pav' while the railways take their time to add those 2 additional engines onto the train that helps it make the climb that awaits across the next stretch. So, Karjat station for me is symbolic of that stopover you make in life, where you relax, refill your thoughts from time to time! (Hope this doesn't sound too dramatic).Also, most trains on this route have a Pantry car (Surprised? cause it's all done in 3 hrs) where you can savour cutlets, oily omelette's etc with some bread along with cups of 'tea-bag' chai and 'milk powder' coffee.Moving on, the next stretch of the journey is absolutely a treat. The train chugs along at an idyllic pace as it crosses through the renowned Khandala-Lonavla Ghats. Scenic views of the valley below are on offer. This stretch turns even more pristine during the monsoons with little gushing waterfalls forming up at regular intervals. It is absolutely a treat to push your head a bit and catch the ends of the train when it goes round the curve. (I do that even today!). Once you get across this section filled with tunnels (Large and small ones alike), you reach Lonavla, after which you get a feel of the semi-rural areas before you finally reach Pune.

The other option of course is taking the road. Here, though, you have 2 options. One of them is the very well built expressway (This, for many of us, was a marvel even until a few years ago).Although, it is still a pain to get through the city before you get to Wakad where you actually hit the Express lane, the ride after this is very much seamless. Right until the point when you reach Panvel on the outskirts of Mumbai. The road is indeed very well constructed. There are huge signboards all along the route, advising drivers on how to ride the expressway. There are also huge advertising boards, marketing everything from real-estate to Banking services. There're also food jaunts along the exits and although there's variety of food on offer, it's a bit of a rip-off. Of course, the expressway does not offer you the romance that the old Mumbai-Pune highway has in store. Although this road too is now very well maintained, it wasn't an easy ride when there was no expressway. I remember riding the old highway as a kid to Lonavala during the monsoons. Vehicles literally had to grind their way up the gradients, snaking along the curves.

I personally prefer taking the train since it's faster (and more economical too :D). More importantly, I enjoy this ride and have been a regular at it now every time I travel back home to Mumbai on weekends.And I have some good old Bollywood music for company. Rhythm and Rail. The perfect combination!

Random

• Quick...Now say this with all the style and attitude you got!

"Hello India.....Do you like Akon?
The crowd: yeah (loud)
Do you like the Black Eyed Peas?
Crowd: Yeah (again)
Do you know who's the Goadfather of them all?
Crowd: (muffled sounds)
Here comes WYCLEF JEAN!
Crowd: (loud cheering)"

Was at the Hard Rock cafe a couple of Weekends ago (didn't even know that one existed in Pune until then) for the VH1 initiative performance by Wyclef Jean. Had a great time. Although it was a very short performance, it packed a punch. Thoroughly entertainng. Started with his "Sweetest girl" track from the Latest album Carnival II - Memoirs of an immigrant. It was a treat for the crowd to go along with the chorus shouting "dollar dollar bill y'all....dollar dollar bill y'all". The girls got a piece of Wyclef when they joined him during his rendition of "hips don't lie". And of course there was also "gone till November" and a surprise jig with Aadesh Srivastava (Bollywod...huh?). Although it was a bit dissapointing that "maria Maria" wasn't on the charts that evening.

• Global recession, rising inflation, rising oil prices, the impending food grain shortage are all over the place nowadays. But this piece of news beats everything else hands down. Don't really know what to make out of it.

http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/may/03camel.htm

• Mumbai is cooler than most other place in Maharashtra currently. The rest of the state has been reeling under a heatwave. Pune was sizzling hot last week at a shade above 40.