时间：2022-05-27 03:37:12
The Konkan coast is still untouched by the hustle and bustle of Mumbai. check into the quaint rK’s Villa homestay and spend some memorable moments around Kashid. tEXt aND PhOtOGraPhs
You can hardly believe you are just downwind from Mumbai while driving along the coast of raigad district. a mere 30 km as the crow flies from the southern tip of the congested peninsula, life slows to a crawl and you are glad that there is not even a peep of the big city on the horizon.
The vista opens out even further driving south from the little town of alibag. White sand beaches and hectares of low-lying mudflats are interspersed with tiny fishing hamlets, set amidst verdant coconut and areca nut plantations and lush paddy fields. I headed to one such sleepy hamlet called Kashid, a further 30 km south from alibag. you could be forgiven for missing the hamlet altogether if not for the boards put up by the few guest houses and a lone resort.
Kashid is sandwiched between the white sand and surf of the arabian Sea on one side, and the foothills of the Western Ghats on the other. I checked into a quaint farmstead tucked away into the minor folds of the hills on the outer periphery of Kashid. The farmstead is called rK’s Villa and is run by the genial rubina Khan. It is part of Mahindra homestays. The Khan family hails from Mumbai and this is their weekend retreat, which they let out to guests. Spread over three acres, the farmstead is located a stone’s throw away from the ocean and is happily set back from the buzz of the main highway.
The Khan family home is modestly built over three levels with all the amenities that you will ever require without going over-the-top. I chose the master bedroom for myself and with it got the entire top level of the house to myself. The bedroom, framed by three balconies, opens out to the ocean on one side, the farm on another and looks to the distant jungle in the third one. The Khan household makes you feel at home. It was reassuring to see furniture and curtains that were uncoordinated and interactions with staff at the home were refreshingly informal. The house was built level-by-level painstakingly over several years as the family grew, thus reflecting the moods and tastes of each spurt of construction.
With an eye on agriculture, Khan planted the farm with a number of alphonso mango and chikoo trees along with coconut palms. one part of the farm is dedicated to cultivating the local variety of rice—kolam. The rice served is always from their own harvest, which is a novelty indeed. a gaggle of ducks, geese and chickens give life to the farm, along with a few goats. For time pass you always have the dogs—duke, apollo and Zeus to keep you company. and finally, you have the mandatory pool and a hammock to space out. The food at the Khan household is simply lip-smacking. It is as traditional as it gets with maska-pav and omelette at breakfast to a selection of ethnic seafood and meat curries, topped with free-range eggs from the farm.
While my heart and body was set on snoozing away in my room, the mind wanted to delve further into what seemed to be a fascinating region. I borrowed a motorcycle and hit the road to explore the region around Kashid. The first stop was Kashid beach. one look here and you will know why this region is currently hot property for the high and mighty to build their vacation homes in. The white sand of Kashid beach is framed by crumbling sandstone hills which form spectacular cliffs on the sea face, which is a surreal sight as India has very few spots on its coast where the ocean meets a cliff. You will soon require a star map to navigate this seafront as most of the land facing the ocean has been gobbled up equally by familiar names and closet billionaires.
Further down the coast is the town of Murud, home to a lively fish market and the Murud-Janjira fort. You will need to hire a boat to get here, about a kilometre offshore. It was built by the Siddis, an ethnic group with Afro-Arab origins. It is quite an experience to ride up to the fort(possible only in high tide) and explore its ramparts. But go early in the morning or late in the evening as noon can be really warm. Another structure of interest is the Murud Palace, home to its erstwhile nawab, but the palace can only be viewed from the outside as entry is prohibited. The fish market though is always an experience and it was fun watching the cook from RK’s, who had accompanied me, haggle his way through the seafood supply for the day.
There is nothing like an early morning walk on the beach. But on this particular stretch of coast line you have an added attraction—bullock cart racing. While Mumbai is home to the fanciest of four wheels, here the wheel and axles are powered by more earthy means. Bullock cart racing is the favoured pastime for the locals and it is said the standing in society is dictated by your stock of racing bulls. A good pair of bulls fetches upward of 6 lakh but it is hard to find a seller. Racing events are a regular feature and everyday morning the beaches come alive with racers taking their carts out for a practice spin.
To check out a little piece of history I decided to drop into the hamlets of Korlai and Revdanda, north of Kashid. Revdanda is a small village set inside an old Portugese fort. It played host to one of St. Francis Xavier’s first sermons in India, but even more interestingly today it is home to one of India’s last few Jewish communities. It takes quite some effort to locate the Bet-El Synagogue in Revdanda in the warren of cobbled lanes. The synagogue is the place for the last remaining members of the community here to congregate and its caretaker Benjamin(Banjo-bhai) is the person to find, if you want to know more about the community. Overlooking the town of Revdanda and across the creek is the fort at Korlai. To get to the fort you need to use the staircase behind Korlai lighthouse. The vantage that the fort offers is simply breathtaking. A mere 89 ft wide but spread over a ridge more than 2,000 ft long the fort commands the approaches to this part of coastline. The hamlet of Korlai meanwhile is still home to people who speak Portuguese Creole, which is known locally as Kristi.
The last activity on my agenda was clambering up the hillock on Kashid beach to get a bird’s-eye view. Peering down the cliff into the waves crashing below, the sea breeze threatened to lift me with it, while the water turned azure to grey as dusk approached. As the sun sank, an ethereal calm enveloped the place and it was easy to see why it is so sought after now.