Mahabaleshwar – A Trip Divine
Abhinav Aggarwal
The New Year began with a bang for the Rotary Club of Bombay with the trip of a lifetime organised meticulously by Fellowship Chair Rtn. Ashok Minawala and Fellowship Co-chair Rtn. Manoj Murarka under the direction of President Rtn. Nirav Shah and First Lady R/Anne Devina Shah. This fellowship was also generously supported by Rtn. Zinia Lawyer, Rtn. Jimmy Pochkhanawala, the Piramal family, the President’s parents and several others dedicated to conservation of the beautiful hill-station Mahabaleshwar.
This was the first time that 50 Rotarians and their families attended, making it a total of 117. The action started on January 1 at Babbington House, a heritage bungalow. The property used to belong to R/Anne Navaz Pochkhanawala’s family who later sold it to its present owner Suresh Raheja. Rtn. Jimmy Pochkhanawala gave a brief presentation about the history and heritage of the property, which was followed by cocktails, dinner, DJ and dance. All the young at heart were on the dance floor, led by the youngest – Rtn. Sameer Tapia’s mother! Those spotted having a good time included Manoj and Swapana Murarka, Vandan and Ekta Shah, Mudit and Malti Jain, Sameer and Arwa Tapia, Hiren and Bijal Kara, Dr. Swati Piramal, Arvind and Rachna Agarwal, Anar Shah, Alok and Mayuri Sekhsaria, Madhusudan and Vandana Daga, Sitaram Shah, President Nirav and Devina, Nidhi and yours truly, to name but a few.
January 2nd dawned early with a nature trail led by Hon. Rtn. Ajay Piramal. It was a refreshing sight to see so many Rotary families returning from the walk so early in the morning — even on a holiday. As you may have guessed, some of us chose to sleep in. After all, somebody had to hold the fort!
We all then met at noon at Greenwoods, the erstwhile mansion of the Maharaja of Sangli, lovingly and painstakingly restored by Hon. Rtn. Ajay and R/Anne Dr. Swati Piramal. Dr. Swati personally led us through a “Flower Show” that she had organised on the lines of the Chelsea Flower Show. There was a piano recital by Rob William Lawton followed by a special performance of the army band, cocktails and lunch.
The food was lovingly prepared by President Nirav’s mother, Arunika, a gourmet chef. Trust me, even the Michelin Guide does not have enough stars to commend this magnificent lady’s talent. President Nirav’s father, Niranjan, played the consummate host and personally served us to ensure we ate well and enjoyed ourselves.
Around 4 p.m., we visited Rtn. Zinia Lawyer’s heritage bungalow, Villa Zinia, and enjoyed her famous tempuras (bhajiyas) and chai. At 6:30 p.m., we were greeted by the solemn “Beating the Retreat” at Greenwoods Piramal. We were then seated under the stars, covered in razais, to witness the musical performance of Padma Vibhushan Pandit Jasraj, who is perhaps the greatest living exponent of Hindustani Classical music. Such was the performance that several of us felt as though the Lord himself came down to hear this great master perform. “What else does one need in life?” asked Rtn. Subhash Sagar with a smile.
This performance of a lifetime was followed by cocktails and a poolside candle-light dinner accompanied by a live vocalist. There is something to be said about enjoying a steaming fondue on a cold Mahabaleshwar night — at a heritage bungalow and under the stars next to a well-heated pool. As if that were not enough, J.V. Mariwala spoke to us on “The Art of Happiness.” Needless to say, we were all very happy! January 3 started with Hon. Rtn. Ajay leading one of his popular treks, which was followed by the famous Brightlands breakfast. At
10 a.m. we were at the Devrai Arts Village. The visit was hosted by film-maker, poet, teacher and playwright Mandakini Mathur.
After coming back to Greenwoods at 12:30 p.m. we were in for a real treat! There was a sitar performance, mixing taranas with tillanas and Bharatnatyam in a fusion by Sandip Kulkarni, and a Japanese tea ceremony and dance by Ryoko De. The garden area had been converted into a spice market and the gazebo was transformed into a paithani shop.
After lunch, we went to Bohemia, the former mansion of the Governor of Bombay Presidency, lovingly restored by the family of late Pranlal Bhogilal. We also visited Glenogle, one of Mahabaleshwar’s 30 spectacular heritage bungalows.
At 6:30 pm there was a slide show by noted naturalist Sunjoy Monga on the Western Ghats. This was followed by a talk on Mahabaleshwar’s 1,000-year-old temples by architect Dhruti Vaidya. Architect Brijesh Chinai, who was responsible for the restoration of Greenwoods, also shared his experiences with us. It was amazing to note what skill, passion and tender loving care can achieve!
January 4 was a sad day. It was the day when this divine dream would end but not before an exquisite breakfast at Greenwoods. There was a choice of waffles and churros among other things. We also visited Mahabaleshwar’s historical temples and enjoyed a talk by Sunjoy Monga on Mumbai’s wildlife. Yes, there is wildlife in Mumbai! President Rtn. Nirav has promised he will help us find it before the year is over.
As stated by PP Rtn. Kalpana Munshi, our visit to Mahabaleshwar was “the best fellowship the Rotary Club of Bombay has ever done.” Immortal words, these.
By Rtn. Abhinav Aggarwal