LaVaSa = A Walk in The Clouds

I read a poster about Lavasa sometime in the past which read:"Enter a world of extraordinary scale & reach". Welcome to Lavasa, an idea so colossal, so visionary & fantabulous that I am convinced this will be a feather-in-the-cap of free India. I met Mr Nathan Andrews at an RCI dinner a month ago & upon exchanging visiting cards, we started talking about free India's largest hill-station. He invited me to visit Lavasa; it took me more than a month to take up his offer & drive down 190 Kms last weekend on a typical Mumbai Monsoon Weekend - the best time to visit the Western Ghats. I have been to almost all the "known" weekend retreats around Mumbai including Mahabaleshwar, Panchgani, Matheran, Lonavla, Khandala & almost all the beach resorts within driving distance from Mumbai. I was not prepared for what I saw & felt after driving into the Mose Valley near Pune.

Situated in the sprawling lap of nature, Lavasa is "A Walk In The Clouds"- a beautiful world of peace & calm. It offers tranquil surroundings and its only guest-house presently is called "Ekaant" (Sanskrit for Solitude). Everything about this hillstation is very contemporary, yet truly timeless.Lavasa is a dynamic swirl of opposites. One is far far away from the madding crowd, yet close to the bustling metropolis of Pune (Only 35 Kms)... side by side with nature, but right in the midst of technology - We had wireless broadband at Ekaant (I could not believe it and had not carried by notebook with my logical thought-process!). At Lavasa, one is caught up in the lively spirit of enterprise, but soothed by the gentle hand of spirituality. International in execution and bursting with possibilities!

At 3000 feet above sea level, Lavasa offers a vibrant self-contained world encircling 25,000 acres of lakes and hills with a concept design that seamlessly evolves living spaces around a central water body.Let me tell you what impressed us the most- 40 Kms of a two lane motor-way from Chandni Chowk to Ekaant - this road can put the best roads in Switzerland or North America to shame. This road was laid down by the parent company that is backing the Lavasa project - HCC or Hindustan Construction Company three years ago!!! There is not a single pot-hole or even a small 2 inch efect in the road after three Monsoons in the Western Ghats!!! Roads in Mumbai -the financial capital of India do not last one month & are likened to craters on the moon within a few days of being inaugurated. It was a pleasure to drive on this 'Made-in-India" by Indians motor-way but even this feel-good feeling was superceded by the "Drive In The Clouds" that followed when I almost reached the summit after a lush-green drive through the Maharashtra countryside. The clouds walked into our car, into our hair & into our Lungs - This was the best pollution free experience of my life in India!!!!

From the main entry-gate, it is a 6 Km drive with waterfalls all around to Ekaant, their guest-house (now open to the public) which is at one of the highest points of Lavasa! Ekaant is modern architecture at its best with two storeyed twin glass-walled buildings made of stone with balconies that overlook the Mose Valley (see pictures!). You open the sliding doors of the rooms and again - The Clouds walk in!!!! Yes, Folks... I am writing like an excited child, but Lavasa did make me feel like a child. (The Lavasa Logo has the concept of man breaking away from the bonds of earth by becoming airborne, is based on the liberating idea of transformation. Transformation that frees the soul from within, promoting self-discovery for a fuller, richer life. So one can soar, and have more time for the self and family.... see www.lavasa.com).

From our balcony, we could get a bird's eye view of the development going on by the lakeside - The ITC Fortune is almost ready and due to open this September, the Novotel & Pullman with its Convention Center will be ready by 2010.The entire hill station has been imaginatively laid out along the valley's water confluences to promote elegant lakeside living. Dasve, the first of the town centers (see photos) will offer a choice of elegant housing, from Portofino-inspired lakeside apartments (which I personally did not quite like - too tiny for my liking with tinier windows) to a multiple array of villas in Goan-Mediterranean design, providing a unique standard for living in India.

It was aound 7pm when we checked in at Ekaant - took us all of 4 hours from Mumbai. We had taken the journey non-stop & were hungry- courteous room-dining staff got us hot pakoras & Masala Chai. Close your eyes and imagine the aroma of Onion Bhajias, Masala Chai & Rain Clouds flooding your nostrils - believe me, this is Nirvana:)

Dish-TV with Sharukh Khan broke the solitude and I watched some cricket being played at Dacca. 8.30pm, we were hungry again:), and marched down with our umbrellas to the multi-cuisine restaurant on the ground level. A sumptuous multi-country buffet with chilled Fosters beer rounded off the evening & facilitated a slow release of pent-up endorphins. There was just the sound of rain on the glass windows all through the night. For someone like me who likes water, this was the most beautiful way to go to sleep with nature.

A late Sunday morning rising and a courteous call from the reception at 9.15am saying the breakfast closes at 9.30am - for all of us who usually have no breakfast in Mumbai, we were surprised at our own gastric wants. We rushed down to have a nice hot Indian breakfast with Fresh watermelon juice & mouth-watering Upma! Then came the walks & discovery that bamboo is native to the Mose valley (see photos). Sunday morning saw a whole lot of tourists who had driven up from Pune for Lunch to Ekaant. It was a pleasure to meet up with the friendly team behind LaVaSa including Mr Pillai & Mr Saxena. Our original plan of driving down before Lunch to Mumbai was shot down by the Lavasa staff who insisted we try their Sunday Lunch Buffet. Food was wonderful - I liked the amazing Cottage Cheese & Pokchoy salad(Must ask the chef where did he get the Pokchoy leaves from?). Hats off to the Executive Chef!

On our way back home, we all unanimously thought we were going back home from a fairy-tale world. I remembered the Sunday morning presentation on Lavasa by Shalini-one of the customer care executives. "Lavasa indeed is setting a new paradigm for India in urban and infrastructure planning. Central to the project are robust systems managed by professional service providers. High speed internet, comprehensive landline & mobile phone services and first-class roads will ensure that one is always connected.An artificial dam (see photo) will create a reservoir - more than sufficient to meet the demand. In addition, Lavasa provides state-of-the-art water sewage treatment plants and uninterrupted power supply to its resients. with the support of effective e-governance systems, the Hill Station is facilitating the all-round growth of the region"

Lavasa's infrastructure will also help develop the surrounding areas and provide opportunities to the locals of the region. A commitment to ensuring that everyone in Lavasa lives life on their own terms. Once again, I was proud to be an Indian, proud that I did not migrate to the USA after my MBBS, proud that our children will live in a a new India being moulded by a few visionary Indians. I am convinced that India is the future of civilization. I hope to contribute part of my being & knowledge in some form to LaVaSa...More later... Jai Hind! Jai Maharashtra!