Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
-Henry David Thoreau
I came. I saw. I was mesmerized. I decided to settle down. I made my retirement plans. I made my castles in the air. I leased out my future home from Lavasa Corporation. I will now utilize the rest of my life in putting the foundations to my dreams at Lavasa. With a playground that covers the whole valley, outdoors that start right at your doorstep, chances are you will run out of excuses to live life at Lavasa. Nature trails that zigzag across the hills, offer a perfect recreational activity for nature lovers. Parks at Lavasa offer countless relaxation and leisure activities for its residents. For those of you following my Lavasa Life, let me today write about the night-life at Lavasa.
How good is the night sky over your house? How well can you see the stars? How many stars can you see from your house? If you really want to see the beauty of the night sky, drive down to Lavasa. Many factors determine how well you can see the night sky. Natural weather patterns have an obvious effect. But even when clouds are not seen, high haze, which may well be invisible to you, can obscure many stars. Humidity causes air to scatter light, reducing the contrast between the "black” sky and the stars, making fainter stars harder to see and stars close together difficult to distinguish. What you might see as three stars on a clear, dark night may look like only one with high levels of humidity in the air. But by far the biggest thief of the night sky is light pollution. Light pollution won't cause physical or mental health problems. It won't give you cancer, but it is a cancer on the beauty of the night sky. It robs us of a natural treasure. City-folks, you don't know what you are missing. I did not too till I saw the night sky at Lavasa. It was one of those rare clear-sky nights during the monsoons at Lavasa (I think the most beautiful season of the year at Lavasa).
The International Dark-Sky Association ( www.darksky.org) defines light pollution as "any adverse effect of manmade light. It is often used to denote urban sky glow.” The association describes several types of light pollution, including glare, light trespass and energy waste. All forms of light pollution deal with light going to places where it is not needed or wanted. Some forms of light pollution, while intended to make you safer at night, actually do more harm than good. Environmental sensitivity is one of the driving factors in the development of Lavasa. Modern technologies merged with time tested ideas have been deployed to maintain the natural settings of the environment. The Environment Management Plan (EMP) addresses several initiatives to protect and enhance the green cover. As far as I know, only 12% of the total area of 25,000 hectares will be developed. The remainder will be left as it is. Presently Ekaant -the Lodge is the only tourist recreational facility at Dasve. You see small clusters of lights at night from Ekaant in villages comprising of 15-20 tenements. The only other lights seen in the valley are the street lamps over the road made on the Warasgaon Dam.
The long, warm nights of August provide some dazzling sights. The Milky Way arcs high overhead, adding a soft glow to the dark sky -- but only if you are away from pesky city lights. The constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius are at their best, anchoring the southern end of the Milky Way. Jupiter points the way to Sagittarius. Mars and Saturn drop from sight in the glare of sunset, where Venus and Mercury already lurk. That leaves Jupiter as the only naked-eye planet easily visible for most of the month. if you have a telescope, this is the place to see the stars at night, especially on a warm dry night at Lavasa.
The lights bring out the character of Ekaant. Strong, Silent, Handsome & Eternal. Look at the pictures. I fell in love all over again, once again:) with the stars & the night-lights of Lavasa. I had some friends writing to me from Israel asking if they can buy a retreat at Lavasa. Must remember to forward their enquiries to Nathan & colleagues. I wish these visionaries had started this project in the 70s. Anyways my children and their children will enjoy the fruits of people who are shaping the future modern India.
The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.
-William James
