Destination - Dhanu

The Divine Paradise - a Tranquil Holiday Resort 

Finally, Saturday dawned and I took the northbound express train to Dahanu from Borivali suburb of Mumbai Megacity. I boarded the general compartment but got the place to sit in the packed train. The dust and din of the concrete jungle soon receded past and the train sped through salt pans, fields, hills and rivulets. Steve and party went by road. The train journey lasted about ninety minutes in contrast to the road journey of about two hours.

Three more groups of multimedia professionals joined us. They came from different places by separate modes of transport. All in all, we were a motley crowd of over a dozen men, women, senior citizens and children. In fact, the vast expanses of the resort can accommodate over a hundred visitors at a time and can still look empty.

The Divine Paradise is located at a distance of about two kilometres away from the railway station. A stretch of about hundred yards of dust road shooting off at the right from the narrow tarred road leads to this isolated holiday resort. If you are looking for an experience of living in a real village away from the madding crowd of the city and yet enjoy a peaceful and comfortable stay, this is the ideal place. There is not a sound of another civilization or human habitation except some feeble strand of film music from a far away loud speaker carried away in the wind from some distant village event.

I wondered what an easy get away this place is! How soon one is transported from a world of endless rush, mounting cares and frazzled nerves into an environment of absolute calm, easy pace and blissful charms of nature! The sights, sounds and smells of the place are altogether different from what you are used to day after day. Here your heart beats at its own natural rhythm.

The area is vast, full of shades of a variety of fruit trees and numerous tall coconut palms. It is crisscrossed with well paved walks, grassy lawns and cozy sit-outs provided with benches, tables and swings. The resort has a swimming pool, a cowshed, a huge netted enclosure for birds and a stage for dances and live performances.

About a dozen aesthetically designed cottages line up the central walk-way. Each cottage is self contained and fitted with all the modern amenities. In addition a huge dormitory hall can accommodate dozens of people at a time. Water is clean, plenty and available all the time. The resort is equipped with imported heave-duty pump and power generator. Automatic sprinkler irrigation system has been installed covering the whole area which gives the resort the wet and evergreen look of the tropical rain forest.

The entire area of about twelve acres is fenced and is safe. A magnificent gate of carved wood adorns the entrance. Wash basins and drinking water facilities are fitted wherever needed. Well planned drainage system is in place to eliminate the problem of water-clogging. The entire place is kept spotlessly clean with not a single piece of garbage littering around.

The resort has a spacious dining hall, a TV lounge, conference hall, the main portico where we had a jolly evening sipping soft drinks. The moment we arrived we were served slices of home-grown papaya and other fruits at the main sit-out under the trees. The lunch and dinner were sumptuous and delicious.

I had my afternoon siesta on the grassy lawn outside in the cool breeze under the shadowy trees. Spending almost the whole day outside the four walls of a building was a beatific experience. Every ticking of the second, every move of the minutes and hours hands of the nature’s clock was synchronized with the biorhythm and was visibly felt in the changing hues and moods of the day. The night sky was clear and free of pollution and all the starry constellations were visible in the dark sky straight out of the astronomical atlas.

Not a single moment is to be lost of this beautiful experience. A few of us were awake until late night and recited a shortened rosary in front of Mother Mary’s grotto in stones covered by the thick foliage of a chickoo tree. A slightly inebriated Baburao too got carried away by a kind of pantheonic experience and venerated Our Lady in his own way.

The weather is like that of a hill station. It is cool throughout the day unlike sizzling Mumbai. The nights are chilly. The nights are dark but the place is dimly illuminated by beautiful and unobtrusive lighting. Steve and I got up early and ventured out in the cold morning covering ourselves in woollen shawls like the shepherds of Bethlehem. Early riser, cherubic little Eleena, too was up and ready and accompanied us to say “Hi” to Mama Mary at the grotto. Intriguingly, she saw tenderly smiling Jesus above Mama Mary, which we failed to see with our adult eyes.

I cut down my cost to bare essentials by saving on ordinary class travel and accommodation. In the final analysis I gained a priceless experience at less than the cost of an evening out at any of the city malls.

A huge funding must have gone into the making of this resort. The day-to-day maintenance of the resort too is not a small feat. A dozen farm hands are working throughout the year sprucing up the area. The cooks, cleaning staff and watchmen are all the time in service whether the resort operates or not. Now the owner has assigned Steve the responsibility to promote the place in a big way. Steve says he has already recruited a dozen staff for the kitchen and maintenance work. He has tied up with the professionals for music and entertainment. Steve is full of enthusiasm which drives him to work single-handedly to the limit, despite some setbacks.

The idea seems to be that more funding for further improvement will be channelled as the revenue starts to generate. It means that you will find the place much more enjoyable at every re-visit. I earnestly hope that this paradise on earth will impart the Divine experience to one and all.

Dahanu Homestay - A Tribal Experience The light drizzles by a riverside, hills and a peaceful farm.  Huts on a vast green farm hidden behind a meandering river and lush green hills. Welcome to our homestay, just 3.5 hours drive from Mumbai by road or by train. Your hosts will help you try your hand at farming on the chickoo and vegetable farm, and cook up some delicious organic meals. You can try your hand at Warli art taught by the Warli tribals themselves or visit the historic Barot caves on a morning trek with your picnic basket. Read, relax and take it easy. This is a leisure holiday where you spend your time the way you like it. Do note, for special interest groups who would like an insight into the Warli culture, we can arrange the famous Tarpa music and dance program specially customized for you. DABHOSA WATERFALL RESORT Overlooking the magnificient Dabhosa waterfall is this exotic 2 acre campsite. There are Waterfall View Rooms. The waterfall is a sight to be seen in the monsoons when it roars all the way down its 300 ft height. Its a superb adventure spot with Kayaking, Valley Crossing and Zip Line, Rappelling and laddering, Trekking, fishing being the options available. The nights are a complete back to nature experience with the roar of the waterfall in the background