Roadtrip 2024: Day 2

Due to a long day yesterday this morning we overslept.. almost till 9 am! It was a big triple room, with big beds, and a nice air conditioner which gave the necessary relaxation.

Kaumudi got up early as usual and had completed her exercise. We got up and had an elaborate bath which refreshed us for the day!! Since it was 11 a.m. by the time we checked out of the hotel we decided to have brunch on the highway.

We started off from Navsari and took a halt at hotel Paras. This was a small but clean vegetarian hotel on the highway which had covered parking! Travelling in Gujarat during summers tells you the importance of having covered parking because if you get down and go inside a hotel to have food the car would be completely roasted by the time you come back!!

The hotel had a simplistic good food prepared fresh and had a good service!! We had a South Indian dish each.. to start with. We then added aloo parathas with curds. Finally Kaumudi had a glass of buttermilk and I had my favourite chai to complete the brunch!!

The road was quite traffic free therefore, Kaumudi decided to drive. Savani is the default DJ during our trips so she accompanied her on the front seat and kept the mood alive by playing some of the fantastic songs!! I stole the ‘stoles’ of the two ladies to cover up the windows of the backseat and use the cushions to have a good nap!

After an hour and half Kaumudi stopped and decided to switch the roles!! I came to the driving seat with the same DJ while Kaumudi had some rest!

The road was so empty that I did not experience any fatigue…as a result we did not stop for a break. I pulled over for a few minutes when Savani decided to switch and go to the back seat to take a nap.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that we reached the Fountain hotel at Kashimira (the gateway to Mumbai) and were able to reach Thane exactly by 4:45 p.m..

My Mama’s house at Thane is very special to me since I have been visiting it every vacation during my childhood years. All the cousins used to assemble in this house and would enjoy a few weeks of vacation together! It used to be a huge group consisting of over nine children and their parents but this two bedroom hall kitchen or 2 BHK as it is called in Mumbai lingo used to be more than sufficient to accommodate all of us! Large apartments are never big enough to accommodate people.. the hosts with large hearts and open arms are!! My Mama and Mami who used to add additional space in their hearts in welcoming us!!

Later as I was working in Mumbai from 1998 to 2019, visiting his house was even more frequent. Kaumudi (as my fiance earlier, and then as my wife) always found this house so homely, that she used to plan the trips herself (even though it was her in-laws house technically!!)

My cousin (Mama’s daughter) planned her visit to coincide with ours. As a result both of us landed from two different directions almost at the same time.

As a result we never realise when we spend 3 hours over lots of chat and the famous chai which is made using my Mama’s recipe! Finally my Mami had to intervene and tell us to go out and get the most important factor of the summer vacations the Hapus mangoes!

The day was extremely refreshing as we met relatives, had some amazing food, discussed many things, heard some fantastic poems, and presentations of the young ones!!

The last picture shows the family get together which involves spreading of mattresses in a row and having chats!!

The Hapus resting under the bed.. and the amazing aroma filling the room!!

The mandatory mattress laying out ritual!! And also the compulsory factor of the youngest kid to start rolling on them before you put in the bedsheets!!

Roadtrip 2024: Day 1

On 17th May, Kaumudi, Savani, and I embarked on a road trip. We have set out for my hometown Sambhaji nagar (Aurangabad)… But will be visiting multiple places through the journey. This series plans to chronicle the experiences!

We started at 7:15 am from Gandhinagar (late by around 30 minutes as planned!). And reached Vadodara to meet my friend Nitin Bhate. We used to be neighbours at IIT Bombay. Had a wonderful brunch made by his wife Neelima and met his son Amey after almost 15  years.

We then started off for Navsari where we had planned to take a halt. However the 4 hour journey shown on the Google map resulted into almost 6 hours due to heavy traffic on the Vadodara Mumbai highway.

It was extremely hot and dry so we had to take frequent breaks to keep ourselves hydrated and cool off. Finally we checked into the hotel at Navsari had dinner and slept like a log! We had a plan to visit the National Salt Satyagraha memorial at Dandi which is around 25 km away from the hotel. But  looking at the sunny day ahead and the scary Google map showing 5 hour drive to our next destination Thane, we dropped the idea of visiting it.

Bharuch

One of the unique buildings are Bharuch

After a long day of driving!!

Ameya, Nitin, Neelima, Kaumudi, Sameer, and Savani!!

Square with a steel installation!

Mouth Fresheners or mood fresheners!!

Bharuch railway station

सुहास सहस्रबुद्धे: ७९ नॉट आऊट!

आज दादांचा वाढदिवस. त्यांना आवडणाऱ्या क्रिकेटच्या भाषेत सांगायचं तर:

सुहास सहस्रबुद्धे: ७९ नॉट आऊट!

माझ्या नातेवाईकांना आणि त्यांच्या आप्तस्वकियांना त्यांचे बरेच गुण माहिती आहेत परंतु त्यांची एक वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण आवड म्हणजे एक एप्रिल रोजी त्यांच्यातला बहुरूपी जागा होतो आणि दरवेळी नवीन व्यक्तींना त्याचा प्रसाद मिळतो! मी काही वर्षांपूर्वी त्यांच्या ह्या आवडीबद्दल काही महिन्यांपूर्वी फेसबुक वर एक लेख लिहिला होता. आज त्यांच्या वाढदिवस निमित्त तो लेख इथे देतोय:

For the non-marathi friends:

My father: Suhas Sahasrabudhe, has been using make up in addition to some acting, to have some fun on the April fools day! It is a harmless and fun event he repeats year after year!.

Almost a month in advance, he decides his character, the theme, and spots a ‘bakra’. As April 1 approaches, he plants various clues and references around the theme. Finally, on the D-Day, he gets his make-up man friend, slips in to the role, and visits the Bakra!!!

Many a times it turns at least as an initial shock, and sometimes it may fail too! However, since it is not very serious and the intention being ‘fun’, no body feels offended! All of them have a round of chai, a photo session, and the episode ends there (until the March of next year, when he starts planning for another theme for yet another ‘bakra’).

Nowadays, the grandchildren too love this one day wonder of slipping in characters, and accompany him!

This April, a Marathi newspaper in Aurangabad covered this interesting and harmless ‘Bahurupi: My father!