Just 32km from the Khopoli exit off the Mumbai Pune, is a tiny village named Uddar near Pali. We headed to this gem of a village last weekend to visit a friend’s farm.
While Mumbai was inundated with rain on the 4th of July we set off into the wilderness on a drive that had the wipers on full speed almost the entire way. It was a perfect day for a rain drive / picnic with spectacular views of green expanses, trees washed clean and waterfalls.
The rain Gods decided to ease up as we approached the exit off the expressway and the scenic paths through wooded areas towards Pali and Uddar village were incredible. Our two year old son actually thought he was in a jungle having recently been to Ranthambore and asked ‘Where is the tiger?’
The drive to Balaji Farms took approximately 2hours from Chembur with us following the sms that read ‘Tke xpressway. Ignore Shedung Khopoli exit. Cross Khalapur toll n tke Khopoli exit 200 metres aftr toll, BFR food court. Aftr exit tke a U turn, get on bridge n come out on t othr side of xpressway. Take middle rd to Pali. Aftr 25 km u will cross HP pump on right. Take 1st right aftr pump. Follow narrow village rd fr 7 km then turn left at poultry farm. Do NOT go on Kavele rd on right. 1km aftr is Balaji Farm, Uddar village.’ The farm is run and owned by an enterprising Mumbai based couple who endeavour to recreate all the simple elements of village life within seven acres of land – fields, orchards, temple, pond, waterfall, farm animals, and Indian country homes, made by unskilled hands, with natural materials and rustic décor, which are comfortable, clean and furnished with necessary amenities.
The experience here is truly back to nature starting with each cottage being designed in tune with the elements – Jal, Vayu, Prithvi and Akaash right down to the fish for lunch being caught in the farm pond.
We spent the better part of Saturday exploring every nook and cranny of the farm. Exciting discoveries were to be found near the entrance itself – the owners have a buggy which is reserved for family and friends and this little red contraption had me hooked. My husband Hashim who is an adventure enthusiast was more than a little aghast at my driving skills in the buggy that at 15 kmph needs all your strength to be controlled over off road paths – ‘You are a maniac in this!’ he claimed.
Hashim has studied geology and so the agate stones that were part of the rubble on the farm zig zag paths were terribly exciting for him. We lost him for hours as he picked and checked and preened over his treasures. These stones are all off the river bed. A tributary of the Amba river flows along the farm and as it is connected to a dam, water levels keep changing.
The property even has a temple which has been recently constructed and blessed. While digging and excavating at construction time, the owners found ancient relics and idols of a bygone era on the property. Further investigation revealed that these were remains of a temple from the age of the Emperor Aurangzeb. The new temple has a slab of rock from the original while the idols are all new as apparently broken idols cannot be worshipped. The temple pujari was happy to bless us and praised the lord when the 2 year old recited ‘Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu…’
The farm is a child’s haven – an Alsatian named Magic, a Lasa Apso named Malmal, Money the cat, cows, bulls, turtles, hares, a turkey family with two babies, guinea fowl, chickens, hens, roosters, two lambs, ducks, geese, frogs, fish, snakes….what more could a child ask for. These are what dreams are made of!
Even the animals have interesting stories: The papa turkey used to be quite the Romeo before the arrival of his poults and would harass the hens, peck at them, strut his stuff and be a nuisance. From the time his two bachhas were born, however, he has matured, follows them around and does not show off anymore.
If you head to this farm in the near future you will see a little duckling following a hen. The hen sat upon the duck eggs and since the time it hatched, the ducking has identified the hen as its mother. A really cute sight.
The monsoons usher in the appearance and sightings of creepy crawlies, the most excitement generating ones being snakes. We were lucky to find a tiny Striped Keelback (non poisonous) that we held and let our son touch and feel before we set it off in the grass. The other was a 3 foot long Checkered Keelback that was entangled in the pond nets while hoping to snack on fish. This snake although non poisonous has a mean bite and is very bite happy. One munch from it will require the victim to have rabies shots. We called a young boy from the village who is a snake enthusiast to help free the snake from the net and he dealt with it and then released it in the wilderness.
The farm has a range of interesting books placed at the lounge area. The topics range from birds to flowers to snakes and animals that are found in the region.
The lounge has been stylised to recreate the feel of a Goa shack complete with sand flooring, ambient lighting, boat motifs and a bar counter.
Every meal at Balaji is cooked using local ingredients (though the fowl are strictly pets) and is flavourful with traditional Maharashtrian recipes being followed.
After a wholesome dinner and merriment at the lounge, when we finally tucked into our bed in the bamboo cottage – Vayu - we were entertained by a cacophony of frogs. It is the most incredible music and to a city dwellers ears, quite melodious too!
Sunday morning, we woke up to the sounds of the temple bells, the birds twittering and opened the door to a breathtaking view of the surrounding hills and waterfalls. The village Uddar is landlocked between a set of mountain ranges and so panoramic views are always on offer.
Morning exercise included rowing in the pond, fishing for lunch, trying to catch Guinea fowl and chickens, cycling though the property and buggy rides on undulating terrain through puddles and over rocks.
We declined the offer to sightsee around the neighbourhood but with a little more time at Pali, would definitely visit interesting places like Ballaleshwar Ganapati Temple, one of the famous eight Ashtavinayak temples of Maharashtra, Unhere hot springs and even an ancient temple frequented by the tribals who believe Jatayu, the fabled bird from the Ramayana breathed his last there.
We wished weekends could be longer as we bade farewell to the crew that run the estate and headed back home with great memories and stories. The fun was not yet over though. A few kilometres from the village we stopped at a restaurant named Sai Palace whose owner runs an Emu farm. The ostrich like animals stared at us and we stared back in amazement while the baby recalled a favourite ostrich story from his collection of books.
Whoever said weekends in the wilderness in the midst of nature were relaxing? For sure we were refreshed but after all the activity now we need a day off to rest.
Priya
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