07 March,2009 10:48 AM IST | | Aastha Atray Banan, Shikha Shah
Finding the rustic charm of a village in this megalopolis is easy. Haveli Inn at Ghodbander and The Village at Kandivili, make you forget that a world of skyscrapers, fancy cars and 7-staru00a0 hotels, even exists Rajasthani performers at The Village. A terracotta doorman guards the entrance to Haveli Inn, Ghodbander
The dictionary defines a village as "a small group of dwellings in a rural area, usually ranking in size between a hamlet and a town". But for city dwellers, it also stands for green fields, mud houses, ghaghra-clad women, an ageing jyotish sitting under a peepal tree and mothers roasting hot rotis on chulhas. It reminds us of the simple life (without Paris and Nicole, obviously). We dropped in at two make-believe villages in Mumbai, that will make for an ideal weekend visit.
How to get there
Pics/Aastha Atray Banan
Nestled in the foothills on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, the Haveli Inn demands you take a bumpy ride. After getting off the train at Bhayander (E), we hopped onto an auto, no better than a bullock cart in keeping with the village theme. It didn't surprise us when our driver turned out to be a modern version of the village gossipmonger, who picked up and dropped relatives and friends during our 40-minute journey to the Inn.
What did surprise us was that as we got closer to the Inn, the roads got wider, and instead of being greeted by concrete structures, we encountered green hills and a soft, fresh breeze. The Gorai creek adds to the scenery, so, we suggest you drive here.
Those of you who have time constraints needn't venture that far; The Village at Poisar, Kandivili, is easier to get to. Just a 10-minute drive from the station, the theme restaurant is housed in Raghuleela Mall.
Ambience
The Haveli Inn is housed in, what else, a haveli. A life-like panchayat of seven PoP figures, greets you along with the band-baja that follows. Expect to be showered with flowers, following which you are free to experience the village life (or what's the best of it anyway). We recognised familiar village scenesu00a0a masterji scolding errant students, and a mother summoning her family for dinner. Try dropping in after 6 pm; it's hot and dusty during the day.
At the Village, the interiors are posh, with charpais and trucks converted into comfortable dining tables. Murals of village scenes brighten up the mud walls.
What's there to do
At Haveli Inn, small mud cottages are home to an astrologer, mehendi artist, chudiwala and a mela-style game shop, where you can try your hand at shooting balloons and winning a Lux soap for your partner (oh, the pleasures of a simple life)! You can also try your hand at being a potter. If that's too tame for you, watch a fire juggler woo the crowds.
Instead of sitting outside mud cottages, the jyotish, Tarot reader and mehendi artist at The Village, sit under the chatra-chaya of a huge peepal tree. Priced at Rs 31, the astrology session is one we recommend. It's nice when someone tells you he hasn't seen a future as bright as yours, before.
Food
The Village has a cover charge of Rs 329 that entitles you to sample their vegetarian buffet. Choose from Gujarati, South Indian and Punjabi cuisine. It's yum. We started off with two glassed of spicy chaas, moving on to Dosa, Pani Puri, and rich Paneer and Mushrooms from the Punjabi counter. Ask the waiter on a cycle for chai in a kulhar, or pluck a ripe imli off a bullock cart.
The Haveli offers an Indian and Chinese buffet against the cover charge of Rs 325 on weekends. For non-veg fare, head to Theka, the dhaba, whileu00a0 you watch Rajasthani dancers swirl around you.
| How to get there |
| Haveli inn: The Electric City, 153-160, Sasunavghar, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, Ghodbander Junction, District Thane. Entry: Rs 325 for adults, Rs 275 for kids on weekends. The village: 1st Floor, Raghuleela Mall, behind Poisar Depot, Kandivali (W). Call: 28081199 Entry: Rs 329 for adults on week days, Rs 399 on holidays and weekends; Rs 219 for kids on all days |
