Kasarsai Dam and Beyond

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Famous proverb, agreed by many, followed by few. Well, I'm one of those, who follows this from the heart. And I have my own version of it. It goes something like this

No road trip, makes roy ma sad boy.

Pretty lame, huh. If you have anything better, do mention it in the comments.

So this time, I set out on a trip to Kasarsai Dam with my friend Zeyn.

One does not always ride solo, cause even Han Solo is not solo. He always has Chewbacca for company. (For those who don't know Han Solo and Chewbacca, go watch Star Wars). And yes, me and Zeyn are like Han Solo and Chewie.

Okay. Now coming back to the trip. I had been to Kasarsai a few times earlier as well. Its a pretty nice place - with a serene environment, the sound of lapping water, chirping of birds, wind blowing on your face and finally the pleasant view of the setting sun.

Kasarsai in its glory. Pic cortesy: ATS Photography

This was what I was accustomed to when I thought of Kasarsai Dam. And so I recommended Zeyn (the work a lot guy) to come along.

The road till Kasarsai village from Hinjewadi is pretty well maintained. But from the village till the dam is a mess. Its difficult to differentiate between a road and a pothole here. While traversing these roads, I remembered the tagline of CEAT Tyres - 'Born Tough'.

Travel Tip: Better keep a check on the vehicle health before going for it, cause there are no villages in its 1km radius.

On reaching the dam I could literally see how bad the drought has hit Maharashtra. The lake had dried up to less than half its capacity. The surrounding greenery had all been turned to barren patches. The only birds to survive this harsh scene were the crows. Such a disappointment.

Nonetheless one could go down right next to the waters. We went there and sat enjoying whatever we could hope to enjoy. Talking and waiting for at least the good view of the setting sun. Forgetting that it was summer and it was more than an hour before the blazing sun would go down.

But pretty soon we realized this and decided to explore the lands beyond the lake. Hardly had we seen any vehicle passing by.

Curiosity. Thats what it had been for us. Ignited the engine, reved hard and sped to the unknown. Oh! That was just a bit of exaggeration. The roads were just as bad and so we went slowly minding the ditches.

Up ahead we encountered a few villages and farms. Someone needs to inform the farmers that sugarcane is not the best crop to be cultivated in drought like situations.

sugarcane farms

The villages were a mix of the old and the new. There were houses hosting new shining cars and others with sheds for the cattle. Was it progress or regress its difficult to say. So was the case with the roads - good at some places and almost missing in others.

These here were some of the pics we got on our way. Blur or clear, good or bad, all photo credits go to Zeynwa and his phonewa.

The rich and the poor, right next to each other

Such trips are nice, where one gets to explore the unknown. It made me a little nostalgic, looking at kids play in the harvested fields. On our way back we did get to see the sunset.

People speak of road trips to Ladakh, Kashmir, Kanyakumari and so on. But trust me these small trips are just as good as the big ones.

Cause, a road trip is never about the destination, as it is about the journey.

‘I’m chronicling my road trip adventure for CEAT Tyres in association with BlogAdda.’