Saguna Baug – A gem of Maharashtra

The first thing I notice when I’m driving out of Mumbai is the gradual and pleasant change in landscapes. Slums and ugly, broken buildings make way for, little by little, greener lands and cleaner air. Pity our lives, we need to get away just to be able to breathe. And when you do, where do you go? Lonavala, Karjat, Pune, Igatpuri. Change your plans, next time pick Saguna Baug.

                Saguna Baug is a farm. That’s it? You, might ask. Agro-tourism may not sound like the most fun activity to indulge in for the weekend, but give it a shot. It is going to surprise you.   

We reached on Saturday late morning and the first thing we did was buffalo riding. This is a peculiar and unique feature of the place and a novel and fun experience.  ‘Honey’ as he was christened, was patient and took all of us on little joyrides of a couple of minutes each in the lake. What followed would inevitably become the high point of the weekend.

Possible only in the rainy season, this is a two kilometre trek to a waterfall. Walking on muddy soft ground, treacherous stony terrain and climbing the hilly region in the rains with slippers and sandals, we arrived at gushing waters of the fall, spouting chilly water and bringing smiles of unadulterated happiness all around. If you get lucky, you will see the sun shine down on this majestic view and on a rare occasion like this one, even kiss it with a rainbow. For those few moments, time won’t matter. Nothing but the beauty you behold. 

The path, looks more dangerous than it is and we met people of all ages, from toddlers who cannot walk to aunties and uncles who look like they can’t, everyone wanted a piece of this. There are arrows marked all along the way for guidance, and the guides themselves are excellent.

The thrilling two hours were followed by lunch of simple yet delicious Maharastrian food – roti, sabzi, gulab jamun, boiled corn and chicken and prawns (by order only). 

When amidst the wild, the first thing one thinks of is Snakes. And we got to see just those, albeit by professional snake masters Ashutosh and Shyam. It was a nice little lecture on snakes and their types and even a ‘wohoo’ evoking Cobra was brought for everyone to see. Note – 96% of snakes in India are non-venomous, however if you hear a hissing sound, it probably is one of the remaining 4% . Also, snakes react to motion. Stay still, and you might live.

 Mr. Chandan Bhadsavle, the amiable owner of Saguna Baug, then spoke about us at length about the concept of agro-tourism and the need and challenges for the same. “My father started with this after returning from the USA and we have been promoting it ever since. Apart from extra income through tourist activities, it gives the farmer much required dignity and open personal communication channels between city folk and village folk”. Emphasising on the challenges he says, “Farmers are a dying breed and the ones who stay behind do not want to move out of their comfort zone. Our efforts are directed towards retaining the youth back. City dwellers should come towards the village and interact with them; any farmer will be happy and proud to show you around. If the current trend of leaving farming for city jobs continues, there is a danger of an acute food crisis in the very near future”.

The employees at Saguna Baug are all young people helping around the farming and tourist activities. Each employee spends a one month trial test before being accepted. This includes participating in all the activities like cooking, serving, catching snakes, going in the river etc. It is a wonderful course in survival, by itself.

It would do nice to enjoy the crisp evening air and dark, yet pleasant silence after all this. However, for those who want, there is the option of mud-crab catching too. As for us, we chose to cramp in the humble, yet clean dormitories and enjoy indoor games.

The morning after was seeing the farm as it is – dairy, gobar gas plant and its functions and uses.  It was a highly educational tour and definitely a must if you have children. The place also has six ponds wear they breed six types of fishes, all edible. You can try your hands at both rod fishing and net fishing.  And if you’re lucky, you will catch a prawn too. Note – no fish were harmed. The hook goes through their cartilage and we took it out soon enough and let it swim back to life. So PETA and all you animal lovers reading this – breathe easy.

 Due to time constraints we couldn’t visit the actual agricultural activities. But we did get to see the emu-farm, where emu are bred for eggs and meat and skin.  The road from there to a local damn was a walk through Middle Earth and yet again, I found myself looking at the vast expanses of scenic beauty, gaping in awe.

 Among other options available are horse-riding lessons, archery and air rifle shooting, bullock cart rides and other bits and pieces that make your stay enjoyable. On your return, you can also buy various items like cane chairs, farm produce, emu-oil, ‘kokam’ sherbet etc.

The trip cost us, a group of twenty five people, Rs. 2500 each. If I was in Mumbai on a regular Saturday evening, I would hit a club or good dinner place and spend this and a little more to pass a night that included nothing new, nothing noteworthy - just some loud music, some beer and a whole lot of whining and complaining about life.  It is wondrous to know how the food we eat is grown, how the makers of our life live theirs. Have no illusions, they are not poor ‘dehatis’. They have degrees from Switzerland, drive the same cars, watch TV from the same Tata Sky or Videocon d2h. They just remained true to their roots and I think it’s time we all went back to ours.