Forest on a Forehead – Matheran (28th and 29th March 2009)

A train journey of almost 24 hours from Bangalore to Dadar, allowed me little sleep, little birdwatching through the window, little more reading and plenty of single-sided conversation with a Mumbai local (he was talking and I was pretending to listen). My mother had arranged for a colleague to meet me at the station since I didn’t know anyone there. We found each other, got out of the bustling station, took a taxi and headed towards his home in Bhandup. I met his lovely family, had dinner and couldn’t wait to sleep.

We left the next morning at 06:00, took a local train to Dadar where I was to meet the rest of the group going to Matheran. A motley group consisting of much older people gathered and we took the Deccan Queen and got off at Neral station after 2 hours. In 2 groups of five each, we took taxis till Dasturi, making hairpin bends uphill and providing panoramic views of the plains from above. The drive took half an hour and it was from Dasturi that the Matheran Municipal Council took over. This was the best part – The only hill station in Asia, I think, where no vehicular traffic is allowed. There were plenty of horses around and push-carts too. A toy train from Neral till Matheran is another option but we didn’t plan ahead so didn’t get tickets. The other and best option is to walk; which is what we eventually did. A dusty one and a half hours later, we made it ‘Radha Cottage’, located beyond the market area and the ‘posh’ hotels. Who needs a discotheque in a hotel on a quiet hill station?! I refuse to try and understand!

After a brief breakfast and introduction, 15 of us with experts Dr. Shubhalakshmi and Isaac Kehimkar, set off for the Charlotte Lake to do the ‘pond-dipping’ activity. We looked at all the insects on our way, trying to identify which family it belonged to and learn some taxonomy. Thanks to a butterfly bait (overripe fruits mashed to a paste), Blue Oakleaf butterflies in good number were seen in a drugged/drunken stupor. We did the pond-dipping activity in a small puddle almost and came up with some truly fascinating insects like the water scorpion and the whirligig beetle (which goes round and round on the surface and then dives!)

After tea at 16:15, we set out again on a long walk with little luck with insects. Purposefully avoiding the tourist ‘Points’ like ‘Echo Point’ and ‘Sunset Point’, we wandered along the red mud road, occasionally moving aside to let speeding horses fly by, leaving us to breather the refreshing red dust. The only ‘point’ we were going to was the ‘One Tree Hill Point’, famous for bearing a single tree on a hill. It was tragically funny when we found a medium-sized shrub with a tall flag-tipped pole next to it on a hillock. Thankfully, it was a circuitous route and brought us back hungry and tired.

An enlightening quiz on the events of the day, a slideshow on moths, dinner and some more photos, brought the end of the day and left 6 hours of precious sleep on antique cots.

The next morning, after a heavy breakfast, we set out to the actual lake and though we didn’t see much else new, the walk in good company was a delight. The ‘Oakleaf Point’ as we had christened it, now attracted birds like the White-rumped Shama and some lucky butterflies had ‘v’-shaped bite marks on their wings. Lunch, a small discussion and feedback forms followed, after which 3 of us made a beeline to the market and walked downhill pretty fast. A cab from Dasturi to Neral and a local train from Neral to Dadar left me standing three and a half hours early for my train home.

Vrinda invited me to her house and later we went out for coffee opposite the beach on Carter Road. The Capoera group she has been with for a year were rehearsing the Brazilian martial art form on the beach to a growing crowd and it was a delight to watch them spin on their heads and hands to a constant lively rhythm. We came back to her place at 20:00 and I got dropped at Khar Road station. I bought a ticket to Dadar, thanking my lucky stars for the not-so-crowded-that-I-get-pushed-off train. Chalukya Express was waiting on platform 7 and I downed 2 cups of the best tea ever before boarding.