As not vitiated by a speck of ‘herdship mentality' that Mumbaikars borne, I took a robust Bolero and marched towards the western ghat segment in Satara district. No. Not to Mahabaleshwar or Panchgani that have amused Mumbaikars for long or assumed Mumbai suburban look; they are no less crowded than Borivli or Dadar.
We took the other way.
One IT professional, a young lad, took the route which was as inspiring as the weekly program that featured hills and forts by Milind Gunaji, the debonair actor, model and basically a trekker. The route required masculine leg muscles, in the least.
Otherwise eschewed due to its rough terrain, Satara is a vast place and can’t be confined to a small article like this, anytime.
Remember Maratha King Shivaji, with his few hundreds of untrained but courageous supporters, strategically deploying his troops at different forts and locations, impossible to reach by climbing on foot, forget horses, had non-plussed ever boasting Moghul invaders, with the strength of soldiers eual to lakhs.
The main city, more a town, is clean and modest, yet to assume the abnormal shape Pune has acquired and Kolhapur is acquiring.
Sajjangad (Fort of Good People) hardly 10 kilometers away from Satara is situated on mountain range where Sant Ramdas Swami, one of the strategic political advisors of King Shivaji, spent his last few years resting in peace.
Tarkatirth Laxmanshastri Joshi and subsequently MePu Rege took enormous efforts to build the knowledge base in Marathi on the line of Britannica Encyclopedia sitting in Wai city on the bank of Krishna River. It’s the epicenter of knowledge and the volumes on different branches of education, history and science in Marathi are constantly written to bring the knowledge in Marathi.
Sajjangad (Fort of Good People) hardly 10 kilometers away from Satara is situated on mountain range where Sant Ramdas Swami, one of the strategic political advisors of King Shivaji, spent his last few years resting in peace.
You cannot understand how and why can such a Sant or a brave king keep these regions spell bound with their magic and aura, centuries after centuries, unless you visit the place. I always wondered in my school days, why the poor, lackluster, half hungry, those bereft of everything in their life might be visiting such pious and/or historical places. The answer is the spell that gives them cause to survive and fight, perhaps. The spell that would last “Yavatchandra Divakarou” (till the Sun and moon exist). Beseeching may be the facade of the inherent strength unknown to them.
The general habit of differentiating between experimental and commercial form of entertainment is too visible here. Sajjangad is defined and narrated as a spiritual place more than a picnic destination and cast away by many, young and old, which is true.
However, remember what you do in a closed door gymnasium to maintain your health is available here in an open, vast and panoramic backdrop with zero pollution that would definitely enhance your annual take of fitness. Add to that the spiritual intake, a bonus that is not added in your CTC by your employer.
Top up all this with Sant Ramdas Swami’s philosophical poetry by in the form of shlokas narrated in his Manache Shlok and DaasBodh. The narratives are so simple and flowing and touching that, if you are under a long drawn impression that philosophy is something beyond general understanding, your impressions are bound to get shattered.
You’d literally fall in love with the simplicity and the rhythm of the poetry. No parallel work of poetry has been written in last 350 years, I vouch. If you are a book handler and in habit of going through pages, if not an avid reader, the open library on Sajjangad where all the literature of Sant Ramdas Swami is available would drive you to buy Marathi and English versions of Manache Shlok and DaasBodh and read them.
Wai is Centre of Marathi Vishwakosh (Encyclopedia).
Tarkatirth Laxmanshastri Joshi and subsequently MePu Rege took enormous efforts to build the knowledge base in Marathi on the line of Britannica Encyclopedia sitting in Wai city on the bank of Krishna River. It’s the epicenter of knowledge and the volumes on different branches of education, history and science in Marathi are constantly written to bring the knowledge in Marathi.In consonance with time now CDs are made. The administrative staff here was a surprise being courteous and ever willing to give information like the scholars are imparting the worldly knowledge.
The work is immense and beyond just appreciation. But the most admiring thing about the library I found is that the librarian allowed us to enter and handle the books as it is done in most European and Western countries, thoroughly trusting us though outwardly at least I never looked a studious fellow, I repeat outwardly.
Apart from this the bank of Krishna river is getting into actual lime light as it being regarded as the replica of Ganga Ghat and shooting of sensible and yet popular films like Gangajal, Omkara, Mrityudand etc in recent times due to political interference on the Ganga Ghat.
Earlier, “22nd June 1897”, meaningful Marathi movie (1979) winning two National Awards directed by debutant director duo, Nachiket and Jayu Patwardhan (also the screenwriters, with dialogs from specialist Vijay Tendulkar), based on assignation of British Government officer Rand ICS and Lt. Ayerst by Chapekar brothers annoyed by the behaviour at the time of plague in Pune in 1897, was filmed in Wai showing the foresight of the director-duo.
There are many of this kind of extra ordinary historical, geographical, spiritual and adventurous anecdotes in and around Satara.
A place to be visited after reading about it or the place that will compel you to read about after visiting it.
- Divakar Kambli
Categories:
Culture,
DaasBodh,
Divakar Kambli,
Forts,
Indian Cinema,
Maharashtra,
Manache Shlok,
Nachiket and Jayu Patwardhan,
Philosophy,
Poetry,
Poets,
Sant Ramdas,
Satara,
Tourism,
Wai
The rich in values is often neglected/ignored and the rich in culture is conveniently forgotten. Probably if a McDonald's opens at Sajjangad or any fort for that matter, it will find a maddening rush of the young & the restless. The generation of today is fancied by the glass glazing walls of the multiplexes and the valour of Akshay Kumar but none can fathom the heroics and architectural marvels of Shivaji and his men. Admiration towards the nature has remained now only to adoring the artificial Chinese Singaporean plants that adorn the gangways of malls.
It is good that these things are still of value to people like you who take efforts to bring out the natural beauty that our state can boast of.
Jai Maharashtra
Digambar Sakpal
Divakar Kambli's article on Satara: a Destination, Robust Yet Modest is informative and picturesque. "The rich in values is often neglected/ignored and the rich in culture is conveniently forgotton" are wonderful comments by Digambar sakpal. These statements are true globally. While rushing to McDonalds should not have anything to do with deviating from rich Indian culture and rich Indian values. A unique (oily) taste of McDonald food simply attract the people to their joints worlwide. What is my concern is the inherent danger of their rich fatty food to our health.
Arun S. Dabholkar