Lavasa - The Kingdom of Zeus is Born

Zeus ( Greek: nominative: Ζεύς Zeús /zdeús/, genitive: Διός Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/) in Greek mythology is the king of the Gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the God of the sky and thunder. In addition to his Indo-European inheritance, the classical "cloud-gatherer" also derives certain iconographic traits from the cultures of the ancient Near East, such as the scepter. In Hindu mythology his counterpart was Indra with ever common weapon as thunderbolt.

Zeus, poetically referred to by the vocative Zeu pater ("O, father Zeus"), is a continuation of *Di̯ēus, the Proto-Indo-European god of the daytime sky, also called *Dyeus ph2tēr ("Sky Father"). The god is known under this name in Sanskrit (cf. Dyaus/Dyaus Pita), Latin (cf. Jupiter, from Iuppiter, deriving from the PIE vocative *dyeu-ph2tēr), deriving from the basic form *dyeu- ("to shine", and in its many derivatives, "sky, heaven, god"). To the Greeks and Romans, the God of the sky was also the supreme God. Zeus is the only deity in the Olympic pantheon whose name has such a transparent Indo-European etymology.
The war of the Titans & Gods in Greek Mythology lasted ten years, after which the gods divided the earth among themselves by drawing lots. Zeus took the sky, Poseidon the sea and Hades the underworld.

After my first visit to Lavasa, I just knew that this was the Indian connection to the Indo-European mythography. Look at the pictures. In free India, we have never seen a planned hill-abode with the best architecture & facilities that contemporary building industry has to offer today. Lavasa at 3000 feet above sea level is indeed the Kingdom of Zeus or Indra that was promised to Hindustan in comparative mythology. This is the Kingdom of Zeus in the skies- this is the place where Zeus-the cloud gatherer resides. This is the promised Kingdom in the skies.

The LavaBahn took pride in being the only blemish-less road in the region which was pot-hole-free, but this time around I counted 5 pot-holes on this road. Must inform the seniors who pride themselves on the LavaBahn! I took a walk on the first Dam and got some excellent aerial shots;) (see pictures). The lakes are overflowing & this is one of the best seasons to visit Lavasa.

The last weekend that I drove there in my new car (Incidentally, this car will have the distinction of being the first vehicle to be registered at a Lavasa address!), the workers were scrubbing the floating piers clean, in preparation for the post-monsoon relaunch of the water-sports. What I repeatedly wondered was why should the eco-friendly team allow the diesel motor-boats to run in the main lake? This is the lake that gives the potable water-supply to the township. In this lake, which is the smallest of the 22km dammed Warasgaon lake, the authorities should only allow paddle-boats or sail boats or rowing boats - no fuel driven boats should be allowed in the main lake touching the Portofino area. There is a huge second lake (see pictures) which I believe will be home to the pontoon boat imported from the USA. This lake should be the venue for all motorised crafts & aquatic-sports. I hope some-one sensible in the Tourism Vertical pays heed to these suggestions.

The Kingdom of Zeus is fast-shaping up and probably will be ready before the projected 2010 Monsoons. There are 2000 skilled engineers and workers besides the unskilled labourers today, working 12-14 hour shifts giving birth to a new township-the likes of which our country has never seen before. On 15th October 2008, the ITC Fortune Hotel is due to kick off its operations with 60 rooms. Shortly, before the end of this year, 500 serviced apartments will be ready. Presently, the Corporation is restricting the visitors cars to 100/day. I think there will have to be extended visitation restrictions till 2010 when the Kingdom will be thrown open to the public.

I am glad I was introduced to Lavasa in its gestational period and am seeing the baby grow in its womb! I'm sure, the delivery will be a moment to cherish. Rumors abound that PVR will set-up a 4 screen multiplex & a world-famous adventure sports company will be setting up shop here. Lavasa - The Kingdom of Zeus is Born!