LONAVLA-KHANDALA

LONAVLA-KHANDALA
Never-ending love story
By Niloufer venkatraman and Andre Morris

Bollywood filmmakers discovered the potential of this favourite hill station getaway as a shooting locale a long time ago, and it continues to form the familiar backdrop to many a bump-and-grind routine. Some things never change. There are trees to run around, cliffs to threaten jumping off from and cinematically appealing lush greenery to denote the state of the starring duo’s hearts. Best of all is it’s so close to home. So close it’s almost part of home. Conventional wisdom in India says stay away from hill roads during the rains. It’s true enough. When the rains come, Mumbaikars take the train to Lonavla, through thick monsoon clouds haplessly pinned into their place by the towering ghats. As it pours down relentlessly, the trains offload scores of Mumbaikars onto the soaked platforms of Lonavla Station. As the downfall increases, soaked to the skin they make their way to Bushy Dam and frolic even more in the falls. The fun is not in getting drenched. It’s the afterwards that seduce Mumbaikars, inviting them into the warm folds of the hills.

It’s the afterwards that are so delicious... playing cards in a cosy room, sipping rum and eating piping hot bhajias, with the relentless sound of the rain beating down outside, the aroma of wet earth... Even the most jaded Mumbaikar could start to feel romantic again. Indeed, there are unforgettable times to be had in dark hotel rooms all over Lonavla.