A day outside the city

The opportunity to spend a day at a village is something unique for any city dweller. The calm and soothing environment coupled with the absence of usual hustle and bustle of a normal urban day is something which we crave for. A recent trip to such a place gave me the chance to observe a lot of things which I never managed to identify before. 

About 20 Km from the outer limit of Pune towards Lavale, few small villages are situated. The fact that they are located right at the foothills of the beautiful western ghats makes them scenic. Taking a diversion off the highway, a well constructed road led us to this village. On the way, there were green fields on both sides with the hills at the background. A bit more careful observation and we managed to see a lot of varieties of flowers. The area is known for its horticulture. A drive of another 30 minutes through the beautiful fields and we reached the village. A pair of cows on one side and 2 more buffaloes around 500 meters away greeted us. Welcome to the heart of India! 

At the centre of this place stood an almost dilapidated building which was the main business center. A bank, local panchayat office, a small doctor's clinic was situated in it. Just outside the building, a small shop under the shade of a tree was selling paan,cigarette(No standard brands). A look around and  I observed few old men wearing the traditional marathi attire seating at one corner, some school children riding their bicycles, a farmer in the middle of the field situated behind the building. The calm surroundings, the leisurely pace with which life was moving around me was captivating. After completing our work, we were taken to a place for our lunch. This place was situated at an higher altitude and the short journey left me in awe of nature. It was a 4 Km journey with a series of mild crest n troughs through the hills. The weather was cloudy and it accompanied slight drizzle at times and the presence of  vast expanse of fields which were close to their scenic best after embracing the onset of the monsoons made the journey memorable. 

As we had our lunch with a clear view of the beautiful valley in front of us, I paused for a moment and tried to admire the powers of the creators of this beautiful world.