छापा-काटा

छापा-काटा- शेवट सोडल्यास दोन तासाचं अप्रतिम नाटक ! वेगळा विषय निवडण्यापासून ते सादरीकरण,संहिता संवाद आणि कलाकारांच्या निवडी पर्यंत सगळ्या गोष्टी निर्माती मुक्ता बर्वे ने पहिल्याच प्रयत्नात perfect साध्य केल्या आहेत .. आई-मुलगी ह्या विषयावर दोन तासाचं नाटक बेतायचं आणि त्यात कुठेही अवास्तव भडकपणा ,नाटकीपणा न आणताहि ते रंजकतेने सदर करायचं ह्यात लेखक निर्माती आणि दिग्दर्शक पूर्णतः यशस्वी झालेत . रीमा (लागू) ने स्वतःला कलाकार म्हणून नव्याने शोधलंय....शेवटपर्यंत भूमिकेचा बाज आपल्या हावभावातून आणि संवादातून कायम राखला आहे आणि मुक्त बर्वे ने अप्रतिम साथ केली आहे.....नक्की बघण्यासारखं नाटक ...मझा आ गया...

ह्या नाटकाच्या निमित्ताने दुपार च्या प्रयोगांना परत संजीवनी मिळाली आहे असं वाटतंय ...कदाचित रात्रीचे shows न मिळाल्याने हे अपरिहार्य असेल पण नाटकाला मिळणारा प्रतिसाद बघता चांगल्या प्रयोगाला प्रेक्षक नेहमीच उचलून धरतात हे परत सिद्ध होत ...मग वेळ prime time असो वा नसो

जन्मरहस्य

जन्मरहस्य-डॉ. आनंद नाडकर्णी याचं लेखन म्हणजे नाटकात मनोरुग्ण किंवा मानसोपचार ह्यावर भाष्य असणार हे नक्की होतं पण ते ज्या अनुषंगाने नाटकात आलंय आणि ज्या पध्दतीने मांडण्यात आलंय त्यामुळे ते खूप रंजक झालंय आणि लेखकाला जे सांगायचंय ते स्पष्टपणे आणि ठळकपणे लोकांपर्यंत पोचलय ....महत्वाच म्हणजे नाटकाचा गाभा हा बाप-लेक ह्यांच्या नातेसंबंधांवर आधारित आहे पण नॉर्मल माणस आणि मनोरुग्ण ह्यांच्यातली रेषा किती सूक्ष्म असते किंवा ते फक्त जास्त वेळा पलीकडे जातात आणि आपण फक्त भोज्जा करून कदाचित परत येतो हाच काय तो फरक हे फार छान पुढे आलंय.....विचारांच्या interchangeability मुळे किंवा एकाच विचाराचा धागा नॉर्मल आणि मनोरुग्ण ह्यांच्या बाबतीत किती वेगळ्या पद्धतीने interpret केला जातो ते हि मस्त अन अचूक मांडलंय.....डॉ. च लेखन असल्याने संवाद चपखल आहेत आणि शास्त्रीय गोष्टी सोप्या सुलभ करून उलगडून दाखवल्या आहेत .....

अमिता खोपकर ने कमाल केली आहे ...खूप काम नसूनही जबरदस्त बेअरिंग आणि सॉलिड performance......hats off

इला भाटे ज्यांना आवडते त्यांना एक वेगळी modern आणि छान भूमिकेत बघितल्याचा आनंद मिळेल .भरपूर अभिनय करायच्या संधीच तिने सोन केलय ....

गेल्या पंधरा दिवसात आई-मुलगी आणि बाप-लेक अशा नातेसंबंधावर आधारित दोन वेगळी आणि अप्रतिम नाटकं बघायचा योग आला. मराठी रंगभूमी खूप चांगल्या phase मधून जात आहे .....आणि त्याहून ठळक पणे जाणवणारी गोष्ट म्हणजे दोन्ही नाटक स्त्री प्रधान आहेत आणि 50 प्लस अभिनेत्या ह्या मुख्य भूमिकेत आहेत .....त्यानी करियर बेस्ट performances दिले आहेत हेही महत्वाच ..... दर्जेदार कलाकृतींना लोकाश्रय कायम राहिलच

नक्की बघावं असं .......जन्मरहस्य

अस्तु

अस्तु .... इंग्रजी मधे so be it किंवा मराठीत असो ...
अपघाताने निर्माते झालेल्या डॉ मोहन अगाशे अभिनीत अस्तु हा सुमित्रा भावे सुनील सुखठणकर दिग्दर्शित छान चित्रपट बघण्याचा आणि नंतर डॉ मोहन आगाशे ह्यांच्या शी संवाद साधण्याचा योग माझ्या मित्राने मिळवून दिलेल्या मिक्टा चित्रपट महोत्सवातिल तीकिटा मुले आला .... चित्रपट सुरेखच आहे ....एकाच आजाराकडे बघण्याचा कुटुम्बातील प्रत्येकाचा दृष्टिकोण असो की तथाकथित उच्च आणि सुशिक्षित लोक आणि अशिक्षित तरीही संवेदनशील अमृता ह्यांचा दृष्टिकोण असो दिग्दर्शक द्वयि ने अतिरंजकता टालून पण अतिशय समर्पक पण पोहोचवला आहे ....कुठेही बाजु न घेता आजाराशी संबंधित गोष्टी आणि मुद्दे मांडले आहेत ....शेवटी चित्रपट असल्याने काही गोष्टी फारच सोप्या वाटतात पण मुद्दा आणि objectives पूर्ण करण्यात 100% यशस्वी होतात......डॉ च्याच शब्दात सांगायच तर गोष्टी च्या पुस्तकात अभ्यासा च पुस्तक ठेउन प्रेक्षकाना सादर केल आहे ...... सर्व कलाकारांचा अप्रतिम अभिनय हे आणखी विशेष ...इरावती हर्षे निव्वल अप्रतिम ....मिलिंद सोमण is a revealation....अमृता सुभाष आणि डॉ अगाशे तर लाजवाब
हा चित्रपट मुंबई त येइल की नाही माहित नाही पण जर आलाच तर चित्रपट गृहात जावून नाहीतर डीवीडी घेउन आवर्जुन बघा

ह्या चित्रपटाच्या निमित्ताने मी संस्कृत जास्त न शिकल्याच परत थोड वाइट् वाटल

लोकमान्य -एक युगपुरुष

लोकमान्य -एक युगपुरुष । परिणामकारकतेच्या पट्टीवर 10 पैकी 10 .....दिग्दर्शकाच्या नजरेतून टिळक आणि 100 वर्षानंतरही त्यांच्या विचारांचा relevance, सध्याच्या परिस्थितिशी त्याची घातलेली सांगड बऱ्याच प्रमाणात यशस्वी.सुंदर नाजूक बालगंधर्व केल्यानंतर जहाल विचारांचे भारदस्त व्यक्तिमत्वाचे टिळक सुबोध भावे ने शरीरयष्टी बरोबरच डोळ्यातून अप्रतिम साकारले आहेत.नुसत्या नजरेतून कठोर ठाम ज्वलंत विचार पोहोचवण्यात १००% यशस्वी .चिन्मय मांडलेकर अतिशय गुणी आहेच पण ह्या चित्रपटात सध्याच्या काळातील प्रातिनिधिक मकरंद , त्याची तळमळ पोट तिडीक ,अस्वस्थता ,दोलायमान अवस्था त्याने खूप छान दाखवली आहे.बरेचसे प्रसंग हे ओढून ताणून आणलेत असं वाटलं असतं ते केवळ चिन्मय मुळे सहनीय झालेत.

निर्मितीमूल्य ,मागच्या काळातील कला दिग्दर्शन उत्तम. पोवाडा आणि बाकीची गाणी श्रवणीय आणि स्फूर्तीदायक ..एक थोडी खटकलेली गोष्ट म्हणजे आपल्याकडील चरित्रपट्आत नायकाला देवत्व बहाल करूनच पडद्यावर दाखवलं जात तसाच काही प्रमाणात इथेही झालं आहे ....त्यामुळे माणूस म्हणून टिळक जास्त समजत दिसत नाहीत ...खगोल तज्ञ,गणिती,जहालमतवादी आणि असे अनेक पैलू असलेल्या व्यक्तिमत्वाला अडीच तासात न्याय देणं खूप कठीण आहे पण ते दिग्दर्शक ओम राऊत ने पेललं आहे ...चरित्रपट हा documentry न होता एक उत्तम व्यावसायिक चित्रपट झाला तर त्यातून पोहोचणारा संदेश नक्की दूरगामी असतो हे ओम राउत ने जाणून आजच्या प्रेक्षकांना आवडेल भावेल असा एक्शनपट बनवला आहे.....

आणि हो ..नाना पाटेकरची Introduction आणि पडद्यावर तेव्हा दिसणारी चित्र निव्वळ सुंदर

एकूणच एक रोमांचक रंजक अनुभव

शेंगा टरफल गणेशोत्सव ई. च्या पलीकडे नेणारा हा चित्रपट नक्की बघा .....***१/२

Piku

After a long time Watched a movie which I can/want to watch again--For its shear simplicity in storytelling ,craftsmanship,acting,dialogues and even background score,songs and cinematography...सचमुच motion में हि इमोशन है...

****** for PIKU --1st half extraordinarily brilliant

Take a bow Soojit Sirkar for effectively handling this genre(not allowing it to get vulgar one bit) after giving us Vicky Donor and Madras Cafe...Same for Juhi Chaturvedi

As for Acting again a perfect example( earlier being "Margarita with a Straw") of effective casting elevating a film to higher standards....It would not be too wrong if I say that in spite of Amitabh being one of the central characters,I liked Deepika and Irrfan more and its a huge compliment to them(probably first time for me in a Amitabh Movie)

Must Must Must watch PIKU

खूप वर्षापुर्वी जेव्हा अमिताभ आणि मी तरुण होतो आणि जेव्हा अमिताभ च्या चित्रपटात फ़क्त अमिताभच असायचा तेव्हा अमिताभ चे बहुतेक सगळे पिक्चर मी दोनदा तरी बघायचो .....पहिल्यांदा अमिताभ चा पिक्चर बघायचाच म्हणून आणि नंतर पिक्चर मधे अमिताभ ला बघण्यासाठी परत एकदा....
आता अमिताभ आणि मी दोघेही तरुण नाही आणि आता (वयपरत्वे )त्याचाच असा पिक्चर अभावानेच असतो त्यामुळे अशी संधी क्वाचितच मिळते 
पा नंतर पीकू ने तशी संधी दिली आहे 

अर्थात पीकू चा रिपीट शो अमिताभ बरोबरच दीपिका आणि इरफ़ान ला बघण्यासाठी आणि त्यांच्या अभिनयातल्या छोट्या छोट्या जागा परत एन्जॉय करण्यासाठी नक्की

किल्ला

जागतिक स्तरावर नावाजलेले, वाखाणलेले आणि नंतर राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कारांनी गौरवलेले चित्रपट जेव्हा आपल्याकडे प्रदर्शित होतात तेव्हा थोडंस घाबरतच बघितले जातात. चित्रपट आवडला तर प्रश्नच नाही पण समजा नाहीच आवडला तर टीका टिप्पणी करणं कठीण ...एकतर आपल्याला चित्रपट कळला च नाही असं मत सहज होऊ शकतं कारण इतक्या दर्दी लोकांनी तो आधीच नावाजलेला असतो किंवा मुद्दाम प्रसिद्धी साठी प्रवाहा विरुध्द बोलत आहोत असाही म्हटलं जाऊ शकत ...कोर्ट चित्रपटानंतर हे प्रकर्षाने जाणवलं पण मी तो चित्रपट बघितला तेव्हा दोन्ही बाजूंनी भरपूर लिहून झालं होतं

सुदैवाने किल्ला ने निराशा नाही केली ...जेवढी पूर्वप्रसिद्धी आणि स्तुतीसुमने उधळली जात आहेत तेवढा पंचतारांकित चित्रपट नसला तरी छान नक्की आहे ...मुळात मनोरंजक आहे ....लहान मुलांची गोष्ट असल्याने fandry आणि एलिझाबेथ एकादशी शी तुलना अपरिहार्य आहे आणि तुलना केलीच तर माझ्यामते किल्ला ३ नंबर वर असेल .

कोकण /गुहागर चं अप्रतिम छायाचित्रण ,अर्चित देवधर चा चिन्मय काळे ,पार्थ भालेराव चा बंड्या ,खूप खूप कमी संवाद भाव खाऊन जातात .

एक खूप छान गोष्ट म्हणजे हिंदी चित्रपटात प्रचलित असलेली प्रेक्षकांना निर्बुद्ध समजून सगळ समजावून सांगायची प्रथा ह्याही चित्रपटात मोडली आहे ....खूप वेळ फक्त कॅमेरा बोलत असतो ...उगाचच अतिरंजित भावनांचा कल्लोळ नाही ...मस्त underplay ...अमृता सुभाष आणि अर्चित चा संयत अभिनय

अनेक कॅमेरा फ्रेम्स अप्रतिम आहेत ....चिन्मय किल्ल्यावर एकटा राहिल्यानंतर चा सीन ,तो समुद्र किनाऱ्यावर बसलेला सीन मला विशेष आवडले

नक्की बघावा असा किल्ला

बायोस्कोप

बायोस्कोप-- चार प्रथितयश बल्लवाचार्यांनी(शेफ) उत्तमोत्तम पदार्थ (choicest ingredients) वापरून बनवलेली डिश आहे जी सादर करण्या आधी भरपूर सजवली आहे आणि जिचं खूप सुंदर वर्णन सादर करताना केलं आहे. अशी डिश आपल्या समोर आली तर एकतर आपल्या अपेक्षा खूप वाढतात आणि सहसा पंचतारांकित उपहारगृहातील डिश चं जे होत तेच आपलंही डिश चाखताना होतं....मुळात डिश अजिबात वाईट नसते पण आपलं लक्ष आणि appreciation हे इतर आजूबाजूच्या गोष्टींवरच केंद्रित होतं...

मला चार पैकी "बैल " हि लघुकथा खूप आवडली आणि दिल-ए- नादान हि छान वाटली.

एक होता काऊ खूपच cliched' वाटली आणि दुर्दैवाने मित्रा जराही भावली नाही .संदीप खरे कवी म्हणून माझा खूप आवडता आहे पण अभिनेता म्हणून तो ह्या कथेत संपूर्णपणे ineffective आणि मिस cast वाटला ...

बायोस्कोप छे promos जवळजवळ वर्ष दीड वर्ष आधी चालू झाले होते.कदाचित तेव्हाच चित्रपट आला असता तर आणखी भावला असता....कारण मध्यंतरी च्या काळात हिंदीतही असंच एक उपक्रम झाला आणि समलिंगी संबंधानबद्दल बोल्ड भाष्य करणारा "margarita with a straw" हा चित्रपट पण येऊन गेला.

असं असूनही गुलझार च्या उर्दूमिश्रित निवेदनासाठी,कवितांसाठी, पार्श्व संगीत आणि गायनासाठी ,सर्व गुणी कलाकारांच्या उत्तम अभिनयासाठी आणि सगळ्यात महत्वाच म्हणजे सुरवातीच्या कॅलिग्राफी साठी एकदा नक्की बघू शकाल असा .....बायोस्कोप

हाईवे -एक सेल्फ़ी आर पार

हाईवे -एक सेल्फ़ी आर पार...नाव सार्थक करणारा मस्त चित्रपट ...थोड्या काव्यमय भाषेत सांगायच तर मानवी मनाचा कॅलिडोस्कोप....इतकी समांतर कथानक आणि इतके दिग्गज कलाकार (काही वाया घालवलेले) असूनही खुप सुसंगत ....बरीच कथानक ओळखु येण्या इतपत साधी आणि नेहमीची तरीही छोट्या छोट्या हावभावातून देह बोलीतून आणि सूंदर एक्सप्रेशन नी खुलवलेली......गिरीश कुलकर्णी निव्वळ अप्रतिम ...रेणुका शहाणे छोट्याश्या भूमिकेला पूर्ण न्याय देऊन जाते ...मुक्ता बर्वे ला फार वाव नाही पैन भूमिकेच बेअरिंग नेहमीप्रमाणे चोख ....सुनील बर्वे आणि त्याच्या बायकोच्या भूमिकेतली अभिनेत्री मस्तच ....त्यांचा गाण्याचा आणि a b c d म्हणायचा प्रसंग हिलारियस....
गिरीश कुलकर्णी आणि रेणुका शहाणे चिवड़ा खातानाच्या प्रसंगात गिरीश कुलकर्णी च्या चेहर्यावराचे क्षणार्धात बदलणारे हावभाव निव्वळ अप्रतिम ....टिस्का चोप्रा आपल्या स्माइल मधून योग्य ते convey करते ....हुमा कुरेशी नेहमीप्रमाणे छान
चित्रपटात कैरेक्टर्स ची गर्दी झाली आहे अस नक्की वाटत .एक दोन कथानक कमी करता आली असती ...मध्यांतरानंतर चित्रपट थोडा स्लो होतो पण जास्त लाम्बड़ न लावताच योग्य वेळी संपतोहि....कुठलहि कैरेक्टर caricaturish होउ न देण्याच् संपूर्ण श्रेय दिग्दर्शक उमेश कुलकर्णी च
नक्की बघावा असा हा आर पार जाणारा सेल्फ़ी
खुप दिवसांनी छान चित्रपट पाहिला.....

कट्यार काळजात घुसली

कट्यार काळजात घुसली हा चित्रपट सुमारे ५० वर्षापूर्वीच्या गाजलेल्या नाटकावर “आधारित” आहे हे पक्कं लक्षात ठेऊनच बघायला जा म्हणजे सुबोध भावे ने दिग्दर्शनाच्या पदार्पणातच काय मास्टरपीस बनवलाय त्याचं निर्विवाद कौतुक करता येईल . जर नाटकाचं चित्र रुपांतर अशा नजरेतून बघितलं तर आपल्या मागच्या पिढीतल्या लोकांची थोडीबहुत निराशा नक्की होईल. मी सुबोध भावे नेच दिग्दर्शित केलेलं नाटक ज्यात राहुल देशपांडे खां साहेबांची भूमिका करायचा ते पाहिलं होतं आणि यु ट्यूब मुळे मूळ नाटक हि थोडंफार बघितलं होतं .त्या पार्श्वभूमीवर “आधारित” ला खूप महत्व आहे असं वाटलं.
मर्यादित जागे मुळे नाटकांवर येणारी बंधनं चित्रपटात संपूर्ण झुगारून एक भव्य दिव्य चित्रपट निर्माते दिग्दर्शक आपल्यासमोर ठेवतात .मूळ नाटकाची संहिता कायम ठेऊन, cinematic liberty चा पुरेपूर आणि यथायोग्य वापर करून अथ पासून इति पर्यंत दिग्दर्शकाची संपूर्ण पकड असलेला १६० मिनिटांचा आणि विसेक गाणी असूनही जराही कंटाळवाणा न होणारा असा सर्वांगसुंदर चित्रपट सुबोध भावे ने दिला आहे .
जे मला बालगंधर्व बघताना जाणवलं होतं तेच थोड्याफार फरकाने ह्यातही जाणवतं ते म्हणजे गाणी खूपच पटकन संपवली आहेत ....अर्थात थोड्या वेळात खूप काही सांगायचं असल्याने चित्रपट माध्यमाची hi मर्यादा आहे जी पूर्वीच्या नाटकांना नव्हती .

बालगंधर्व प्रमाणेच ह्याही चित्रपटातली नवीन गाणी हि अप्रतिम आहेत आणि जुन्या गाण्यांशी पूर्णपणे मिसळून आपलं वेगळेपण टिकवणारी आहेत ....शंकर एहसान लॉय चं कौतुक करावं तेव्हढ कमी आहे ....सूर निरागस हो आणि मन मंदिरात निव्वळ अप्रतिम...
चित्रपटाची उच्च निर्मितीमूल्य कपडे ,सेट्स,अलंकार ह्यातून ठळकपणे दिसतात आणि चित्रपटच visual अपील वाढवतात .
सर्वच कलाकारांनी मन लावून काम केली आहेत पण सचिन ला सचिन सारखं वागू न देता त्याचा खां साहेब करणं हे सर्वतोपरी सुबोध भावे चं कौशल्य
सुबोध भावे च्याच म्हणण्यानुसार आपल्या पूर्वजांनी किती छान काही निर्माण करून ठेवलय ते नवीन पिढीला दाखवण्याचा त्याचा एक प्रयत्न आहे . त्यात तो १०० % यशस्वी झालाय हे नक्की

संपूर्ण परिवारासोबत नक्की नक्की बघावा असा चित्रपट

Everest -The Movie

Conquering the SUMMIT is never the end of any trek, reaching down the base camp safely is.
You need to LIVE to tell the TALE.
Its not the ALTITUDE but the ATTITUDE that matters....

Some of the Cardinal Truths of High Altitude treks or for that matter any trek....

EVEREST the movie epitomizes this in a matter of fact way....the second half is gritty, tight ,edge of the seat viewing sans melodrama ....
I am not even amature Himalayan trekker but I could still very wel imagine/identify/feel the difficulty in taking even a baby step at that altitude, or dealing with sudden change in weather or the amazing feeling of scaling THE SUMMIT...
In the film all trekkers are asked "Why do you want to scale Mt.Everest?" and the answers are most revealing /insane/intriguing...
I am not sure about the base camp facilities shown ....I was under impression that high altitude trekking n Liquor doesn't go hand in hand, even the supplies available are bordering luxury ...

Another shortcoming was 3D format ,the vastness was lost on me...maybe the SFX made tents ,helicopter or people look so tiny that they look like a miniature model made for shooting

All said ,its a enthralling watch whether you are trekker or not ..

Everest

Film

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Wazir---Lost Opportunity

If the names of Vidhu Vinod chopra, Big B, Farhan Akhtar ,Abhijat Joshi are associated with a project you cannot doubt the pedigree.Add to it mysterious, intriguing teasers and trailers with Big B on a wheelchair and his deep baritone in the background,Thriller as a Genre and only 103 minutes of run time....All point to a edge of the seat crisp foolproof Thriller ...Cannot fault the audience if expectations are high....

What you get actually is a below average ,slow ,open book plot. Even the dumbest of the dumb moviegoer can predict what is going to happen ..to top it all the director at the climax takes you back and explains in detail in case you have dozed off in between...
Surprisingly for the genre,the music and soundtrack is very good , going with the mood of the movie but sadly songs are not what you have come to theater..Atarangi yari is refreshing and Maula and ter bin are soulful
Farhan Akhtar is excellent initially but loses grip as the plot moves on and Amitabh has very little to do but manages to excel with his quirky dialogues ,expressions and delivery..

The movie can be a one time watch sans any expectations and the tag of Thriller...

As for me, the wait for a tout edge of the seat thriller with the team continues....

Aankhen was very close....

Wazir

Film

TE3N review: Amitabh Bachchan, take a bow

It is not the first time in last 40-50 yrs that Directors have been smitten by the phenomenon called Amitabh Bachchan. The aura surrounding the person,his legendary voice and acting skills have floored many. Director Ribhu Dasgupta is the most recent one to join that list. Sadly that is the biggest flaw of TE3N,apart from its extremely sluggish pace ,for a film in mystery thriller genre. Too much attention and detailing is given to John Biswas’ character ,his helplessness, posture, body language,swagger,not to mention those  infamous blank looks he gives in Award show nights. He is brilliant as John Biswas but the film isn’t.

For a mystery thriller, it gives you too much time to think about all permutation combinations in your mind  ,test them on logic and arrive at conclusion , while not missing anything onscreen in the process.

It’s extremely difficult NOT to predict the only big TWIST in the film. Add to it our filmmaker’s earnest desire and compulsion to explain in detail everything to the audience and not allowing them the luxury of interpreting as per their wisdom.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is surprisingly dry and ineffective as Police Inspector turned Priest.

Even Vidya Balan, who carried Kahani on her shoulders so effortlessly, is wasted as Investigator. Both are utterly unconvincing .

The film is adapted from a Korean movie called Montage .

For Amitabh fans, it’s a one time watch film which falls short on expectation mainly due to its pace …it could have been a much taut 90min movie than the current 136 min.

There is this new breed of directors like R Balki, Sujoy Ghosh, RGV who are in awe of Big B but are capable of extracting amazingly different performances from the legend while at the same time ensuring he does not overpower the narrative. Sadly Ribhu Dasgupta is not in that league ,atleast in TE3N.

डोंगरमाथा....एक निसर्ग मंदिर !! Dongarmatha...Ek Nisarg Mandir!!!”

डोंगरमाथा....एक निसर्ग मंदिर !! Dongarmatha...Ek Nisarg Mandir!!!”

 25 April 2013

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Like many of us, I'm fascinated by the sheer beauty of Konkan and during my annual pilgrimage trips to Harihareshwar (Our Kuldaiwat),Shriwardhan and Dive Agar,I always dreamt of having a beach house with Mango, Cashew and Coconut trees behind a typical Konkan Home. So I was really happy to know that one of my schoolmate has gone ahead and built an ecocare guest house on a hilltop near Parshuram Chiplun.
I was very very eager to visit Dongarmatha(http://dongarmatha.com/)at the earliest but the 'clichéd' office work meant I had to wait till May end.


So finally on a short notice,very early in the morning I alongwith my son and wife left for Chiplun.I was very confidant and hopeful of covering the distance of 250 kms in 4-5 hrs. How wrong I was...Thane-Belapur road till Panvel was crowded as usual at that hour also and Mumbai Goa Highway till Nagothane was no better,this being summer vacation. Fed up of bumper to bumper traffic near Vadkhal Naka, we stopped for a Maharashtrian Breakfast at Kshudha Shanti.

The traffic continued till Nagothane after which I was able to speed up.

From here on till Khed it was a smooth n fast drive . 20km after I passed Khed,I was suppose to turn left on way to famous Parshuram Mandir before Chiplun.From the base of Dongarmatha till top was test of any driver as the climb is very steep with sharp turns and you cannot afford to lose momentum.Thankfully my old car was up to the challenge and we reached the top around Noon.
It was breathtaking sight, the moment we got down from car.The full view of the River Vashishthi on one hand and Chiplun on the other side,strong cool breeze at noon made sure that we forget all the effort of reaching the place.It was instant rejuvenation .
We were warmly Wel-comed by Mangesh and led to our Suite with a Balcony overlooking the Hill and Plantation.It was spacious and airy.Ample use of Bamboo and minimum usage of Steel n Cement made it cooler.Also the cow-dung splashed floor gave it a natural feel.Within moments we were relaxed and fresh.

A welcome drink of Raw Mangoes (Kairi Panhe) was waiting for us and we savoured it ...Our true Konkan Experience had started on a very good note.




Mangesh took us on a short sight-seeing tour of the area and we were amazed by the Vistas offered by common leaving room.One of the locals had climbed on a tall jack fruit tree to take down the fruit for us.It was a very ingenious and simple method of removing fruit w/o harming it.Mangesh was ,very enthusiastically, explaining to us the different environmentally friendly plants he had sowed,how much effort had gone into building what we have today,the road, the tents etc etc.It was fascinating. We could see how proud,and satisfied he felt about the whole thing.His single minded passion and lots of money has resulted into a beautiful eco-friendly Guest House.

By the time we came back from a exploratory tour of the place we were hungry and a simple , nutritious, hot lunch was waiting for us.The vegetables were farm fresh specially selected by Mangesh and you could tell the difference in taste. Konkans’ favorite Sol Kadhi was amazingly tasty and I lost count of how many bowls I had gulped down.
After a sumptuous Lunch, it was Siesta time,but I could hardly sleep.The nice cool breeze,good views all around was ideal for reading and I did just that.

Mangesh and Abhi had planned a boat ride in Vashishthi river in the late afternoon to see crocodiles.Meanwhile we were joined by a group of 8 trekkers who were Abhi's friends.



The Boat Ride for crocodile Safari was amazing. We could see few crocodiles resting on the river bank.There were plenty of birds flocking together, enjoying late evening sun. We seemed to have disturbed their rest as they flew with the sound of boat engine, giving us the beautiful sight of Birds in Flight.Its a photographer's delight to click .My son thoroughly enjoyed the ride and so did all of us.




By the time we were back on Dongarmatha, it was Sunset time and all the photographers took their places for the clicks.Hot masala chai with cakes quenched our thirst.But for the two telecom towers which were in the middle ,the view was splendid.
There was hardly any time for us to be bored but Mangesh had some custom made interesting Games/Puzzles for children and elders alike.It was fun solving them and some were so tricky, we could not figure out the way till end.

While the two groups were chitchatting sharing experiences , we were served with Fanas Gare (jack Fruit) .
Dinner was again a typical Konkani affair with Bharali Wangi, Zunaka and Rice Bhakari along with hot Thecha and to top it all Sewai Kheer.It was a fulfilling experience . By this time both the groups were fairly acquainted and we had dinner together in open Aangan sitting in a circle on floor.

After such a heavy Dinner, nobody wanted to sleep immediately , so Abhi engaged us in some very innovative group activity.We thoroughly enjoyed it.He had also planned for a camp fire and the other group joined him.Myself and Mangesh were trying our hand at the Telescope which he has bought ,for some star gazing.

After a while I took their leave and retired for the night but I could hear the happy voices for quite a long time.

Next day early morning few of us had decided to go for Birding. So at six, we embarked on a small walk on the backyard of Dongarmatha.We could hear the chirping of birds but were not very lucky to spot many.

Nevertheless it was invigorating morning walk. We also discovered a good place to view Sunset w/o obstruction of those Telecom Towers.



It was already Lunch time when we were back and all of us were thinking about the impending traffic while returning back home. Though nobody wanted to leave that calm and serene place,it was time to head home and resume our boring lives once again.
After having lunch, exchanging contact numbers and lots of group photos, with heavy heart and a vow to come back again for longer duration we left Dongarmatha.

By the time we reached home, the traffic,pollution and noise had us crash landing from Dongarmatha to the ground realities of life in Mumbai.

It was amazing one and half days that I spent in the lap of nature and I'm sure to visit the place again whenever time permits and in all seasons.

Thank You Mangesh for your hospitality and personal attention.It was as if we were living in our own relative's home.
All the best and Keep up the good Work!!!

Gr8 Lakes of Kashmir----My encounter with Beauty Bliss and Nirvana----Day 7 : Rest Day Fun at Nandkol and Gangbal Twin Lakes (11500 ft)

AGAR FIRDAUS BAR RU-E-ZAMIN AST, HAMI AST O- HAMI AST O- HAMI AST.   

              IF THERE IS HEAVEN ON EARTH, IT IS HERE, IT IS HERE IT IS HERE.

When we reached to Nandkol and Gangbal twin lakes yesterday , it was hardly 2:30 or 3:00 pm . Suman had already declared the next day as rest day and we could also see the tents of earlier batch. Now a rest day on a week long Himalayan trek is a necessity if you encounter a bad weather in any of the days...the weather in the Himalayan treks is so fickle ,  the terrain difficult  and the trekking groups so heterogeneous in terms of age and experience that it makes sense to have a rest day so that the trek lead can plan accordingly.

Anyways, the prospect of not walking/ climbing the next day was so alluring and comforting that we instantly forgot the strain n pain of the days walk and set out exploring the area around campsite.Since nothing much was on our mind we were in very basic gear... me wearing chappals , santosh barefoot and none of us had any winter gear, head lamp or torch..

Initially the plan was to cross the overflow stream from the lake and go on the other side where the horses were grazing and to try our rock climbing skills on a solitary rock.....No photos available as we had gone there just like that.... Seeing that the rock climbing needs much much greater flexibility from our body than thought, all of us except Santosh backed out.....Our modern day Spiderman with a bit of help from Suman did manage to conquer the 15-20 feet rock and the joy on his face was to be seen to be believed...

After this mission,  I thought of doing a Parikrama  of Nandkol lake.Santosh readily agreed  but Aashish excused himself....we set out on a round trip thinking that it would not be more than 40-45min affair ....How wrong we were going to be...

The Lake is Massive-We started from extreme left of photo

We did inquire with our Horseman if the Parikrama is possible and he and his son replied in affirmative, increasing our hopes ......We started quickly and  covered the initial 100-150 meters fairly quickly as the track was wide and easy. We met two locals alongwith a Team leader from other camp, trout fishing ( the Lake is famous for fishing).A quick query to them also assured us that the Parikrama is doable...As we moved away from the camp and on the curves of the lake, it started getting a bit tricky. The path was now narrower, slanting upwards with loose rocks and moving away from the bank a bit.My footing was unsteady because of flat hard sole but Santosh was extremely comforatble barefoot. I took the cue and removed my chappals...it was difficult initially with the loose cold  stones/ pebbles  hurting the feet but after a while it acted like Accupressure.... What was inviting us was the feeder glaciers of the lakes....the melted water had already caused a big erosion of the mountain visible as Gray below the small white streams at the centre.

The water was crystal clear but the bottom was not visible....Even next to  the  bank it was quite deep....It was calm and extremely Tranquil...Absolute Nirvana....We could have sat there for eternity ,reflecting on the life but ALAS, we were racing against time....Needed to complete the now enormous looking Parikrama before it was dark....

The colour of water was all the possible shades in Asian Paints Colour Book describing Water...Blue, green, emerald, turquoise,aqua blue , acqua marine ...you name it....

Crossing the Stream at far end was also difficult due to depth.....

As we approached the Half way mark , slowly the reality sunk in ....It was going to be difficult....All sort of Doomsday Scenarios started playing in my mind( Surely Santosh must be having similar thoughts)....We were so far away from the camp site,if anything were to happen to one of us or both then? It was slippery crossing the center stream and its small tributaries.....The Giantness of the Glacier above and the Mountain was dwarfing us....Somehow we crossed the streams and went on the other side....Suddenly there was spring in our steps and without a word we covered the majority of second half in quick time... Here , one more challenge awaited  us... Crossing the overflow stream of Gangabal Lake into Nandkol Lake.....The Gradient was steep and water gushing on with great speed....It was difficult to cross it even where it was meeting the lake on somewhat plane ground....The coldness of water was not helping us either. So we were left with no other choice than to follow the stream upwards till the Gangabal lake and hope for a crossing point somewhere near it.... Uphill I spotted one Shepherd and I heaved a sigh of relief when he assured me that there indeed was a stone bridge near the Gangabal Lake.....

Light was fading fast  and we somehow crossed the stream with the help of stone bridge....Once on the other side ie the side of our Camp site our nerves calmed down a bit....From here to camp was a short walk of 20 minutes and the sight of the Camp from top was extremely reassuring.... Hot tomato soup was waiting for us and thankfully, nobody had noticed us missing for a big chunk of time.... We joined the Antakshari and quickly forgotten about our Adventurous Parikrama.....

It was great to go to bed in tents without worrying about time and distance to cover etc.etc....Tomorrow was REST DAY!!!!

This is the Stone Bridge---Our Guide Chouhan Helping the Girls when we went for Sightseeing the next Day

The rest day started with tea as usual but everyone was relaxed...the trek was almost over ...we just needed to climb down few thousand feet ..thats it....

Suman being Suman, called all of us to fall in ( even on a rest day) to decide the plan for the REST DAY...Can you believe this??? Plan the rest day???

Anyways , it was decided to visit the Gangabal lake in the afternoon leaving us with the morning totally free....He threw a googly though, asking if there are any volunteers for preparing lunch or Chai-Pakodas in the afternoon....Nobody came forward for the Rajma-Chawal lunch but to my amazement Santosh offered to make Chai-Pakodas with Me....It reminded me of the Famous dialogue between Amitabh and Dharmendra....Amitabh, after accepting a seemingly improbable Challenge, cheekily asks Dharamda, भाई मैंने कुछ ज्यादा तो नहीं बोला ना ? to which Dharmendra replies full of confidence "पार्टनर अभी बोल दिया तो बोल दिया ..जो होगा देखा जायेगा 

Now making Chai-pakodas was not difficult but to make it for 32 hungry souls with limited resources was going to be interesting.... I asked the main cook to keep the Onions and Potatoes seperate as per his estimate....We were told the time line of 1530-1600 so that we can start at 1630 for Gangabal Lake Sightseeing.....

Anyways, we still had the full morning at our disposal.... I had this long lasting wish of wearing the kashmiri फेरान ever since I saw Chauhan wearing the same.....Now he looked quite Handsome in it and I knew my modelling capabilities but what the Heck....I put it on and got some photos clicked... 

After the photo session Santosh even tried Horse Riding

कल  से हि दीप हम सबके पीछे पडा था  कि हम इस लेक में नहायेंगे … तो बस हम सात आठ लोग आ गये किनारे …. पानी को छुते हि जबरदस्त current  लग गया …  इतना ठंडा पानी  था …… लेकिन हम भी कुछ  कम नही थे … एक बार जो commitment कर ली तो हम अपने आप से भी पुछने वाले नहीं  थे 

ग्रुप के सबसे जानबाझ दो लडको  ने  कुदी मार ली … उनकी हालत देखके हमारे  तो उस ठंडी  में भी पसीने ने छूट  गये …लेकिन फिरभी सब ने अपने अपने तरीके से उस तालाब के बर्फिले ठंडे में और ११५०० फीट कि  उंचाई पे नहाने का काम कर हि डाला  

We were thinking of some team game when suddenly someone suggested  लगोरी ....Now I was totally surprised to find that the game was known to everyone (though under different name) right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari...Literally.

So here we were at 11500 feet in perfect weather on a lush green field, playing Lagori with tennis ball ....It was back to childhood with same competitive spirit. Our team one hands down... but obviously...Just Joking

After warming up with a good Session of Lagori, we played Dodge Ball, Throw ball and many more innovative and improvised games with Football. I must mention here about Hebziba ,a girl from Pune, who showed great enthusiasm and energy throughout. We also made sure that our support staff joined us  so that they don't feel left out...It was high energy stuff....invigorating and refreshing.


In all this excitement we did not realize that its already 1430 hrs and we had an hour left to prepare Pakodas. Myself n Santosh got on with the task of cutting the onions and potatoes. We were able supported by Aneesh Chandran who volunteered quietly. Funnily nobody either knew or believed that we were actually preparing Masala Chai n Pakodas for all.. I prepared the batter .After a quick testing session to confirm its upto the mark, we started the frying session where Santosh was incharge. On the other side we had Masala Chai boiling up with Clove, Elaichi masala.... It was a difficult task because we did not have proper utensils....the kadhai was small and Zara even smaller...लेकिन उसी में तो असली मझा था ….

After we were 90% done with frying, we presented our labor of love for the fellow trekkers to savor....And the reactions we got were so good that it made us feel that the effort was worth it....Within no time the empty dishes came back asking for more Pakodas.... We literally had to keep our portion separate similar to what Amitabh does in सत्ते पे सत्ता ….
It was a successful and satisfying endeavor....the one which once again emphasized the great effort by our kitchen staff throughout the trek in keeping us wel fed...

After the deliciously tasty Pakodas and Masala chai  we embarked ona sightseeing of the Gangabal Lake. Since myself n Santosh had almost touched it yesterday, we quickly took the longer but safer route while suman tried to cross the stream where it met the lake. He needed to put lots of heavy stones to make a bridge...a novel deed which would help the trekkers coming in next batches.

Now Gangabal Lake is Humongous ...Probably the biggest we have seen throughout....Each lake has its own special beauty and charm while there are now familiar similarities like the bowl formed by mountains surrounding the lake at three sides, one mountain glacier feeding the lake, the lake overflowing into streams etc.etc...

Me n Santosh went on the other bank of the lake and savored the calmness ,beauty n Peace while clicking pics.....The Sun playing Hide n Seek through clouds was creating different hues n colours on the lake...Simply Mesmerizing... Here are some clicks

The Fellow Trekkers on the Other Bank of The Lake

HARMUKH PEAK

 

 

While returning from Gangabal , I could click Nandkol Lake in a different angle where it resembles a Heart Shape

 

This Reminds me of SHOLAY

Throughout the trek I could not get proper Sunrise or Sunset...It always used to be Sunrays falling on the mountains....

HARMUKH Up close and Personal

Irrespective of whether you are tired or not ,the sight of your camp is the best sight no matter how much natural beauty you have enjoyed.....

Tonight  was a CAMPFIRE night and Felicitation night for successful completion of trek...We were all looking forward to it...

Before that as a goodwill gesture and to express our gratitude towards our Guide, Horsemen, Kitchen staff etc. we all contributed  some token money to be given to them during Campfire....

We had quite a bit of Surprises in Store for a Campfire Night...

For one, it was actually a Camp Fire with the Locals singing traditional songs, dancing spontaneously around the fire, pulling the trekkers as wel. Many enthusiastically joined...

The sky was full of shining stars....we could spot Satellites , shooting stars n what not...

The Cookie had made a good looking Cake to commemorate successful completion of the trek by the Batch...

During Certificate presentation  all were emotional telling the group what they are taking back in terms of memories... Aashish  being Aashish  was quick to quip " भाई सब लोग इतना कुछ लेके जाएंगे तो यहां  क्या बचेगा ??

 यहां  तक सब ठीक था लेकिन   climax  अभी बाकी था …सबको अपने अपने certificates मिले थे , केक  भी सब खा  चुके थे कि अचानक डॉक्टर साब त्रिष्णा कि तरफ देखते हुवे गुस्से से कुछ बोलने  लगे ।उधर त्रिष्णा भी जोर जोर से बोलने लगी …ये सब  अचानक और जल्दी हो गया कि ग्रुप को चौकने का मौका भी न मिला ....Actually the heated exchange was about तेहजीब और तमीज to be observed by a women regarding her dressing sense....We were shocked, amazed and desperately trying to calm down both of them but with little success...When all of us were thinking कि भाई ये लास्ट में क्या  नजर लाग गयी ट्रेक को ?? When almost everyone was sure of such a nice seven days ending on a sour note, we noticed both Dr. and Trishna smiling and embracing.....Ohh what a relief it was.... Trishna later explain that this is called as " Happening"... its a 2-3 minute skit on current burning topic ...sort of short street play....

Whatever it was... Guys you were Amazing...100% realistic...You could give any damn professional actor run for his money ...Too Good...

With this topic on our lips and full stomach and content mind we returned to our tents for the LAST TIME

Tomorrow we would in the Civilization and sleeping on proper beds after seven nights.....