Survival Island

A weekend wilderness festival at Khopoli promises to plant you in the lap of nature, transporting you back in time

You wake up in the morning, clean yourself up, gobble up some breakfast, take the morning commute, go through the motions at work, head back home or meet some friends, finish off dinner and call it a night — only to repeat the entire process when you wake up the following day. That's how exhausting city life can be, without us even recognising the dreary monotony sometimes. And in the process, we turn into urban animals inhabiting a concrete jungle, who'd be lost at sea if left to fend for themselves in the wild. Our sheltered existence negates the need for basic survival skills, since we have no rivers to cross, and no mountains to climb.

But what if you leave the polluted ramparts of Mumbai two hours behind to be cradled in the lap of nature for a while? What if, along the way, you pick up some elementary tricks that would help you find your feet if you ever end up in Robinson Crusoe's shoes? That's the sort of opportunity that "India's first wilderness festival" promises to offer attendees, with an added mix of music, films, adventure and yoga ensuring that it isn't a case of all work and no play for those who sign up.

A waterfall close to the area

Here's how it pans out: You head off to the campsite in Khopoli that's in the midst of an island. On reaching the area, you cross the still waters of Kalote Lake to reach the actual destination. This place is nestled in the midst of green hills where your survival lessons take place. These include making a raft with bamboo, creating a source of shelter with foraged bits of nature, building a fire from scratch, and tying up a piece of rope into different types of knots.

Kayaking on Kalote Lake

Then, there are activities like kayaking, water zorbing, slacklining and nature photography trails. Plus, there are film screenings themed around wilderness, workshops on rural art forms, and musical performances with a sonic ethos that is in keeping with the overall vibe.

The campsite

"The idea is to merge adventure and survival in the wild together, along with music and entertainment," says Kiran Makhija, project head of The Teepee Culture, a two-month-old property that's organising the debut edition. She adds, "We are calling it India's first wilderness festival because nothing of this sort has happened with different activities taking place together. It's usually either just a camping, survival, music, or an adventure festival. But this is meant to be a holistic experience."

A map of the campsite

What she means, then, is that the experience will offer an escape from the mundane rigours of our daily lives. And the hope, Makhija says, is that once the attendees enter their tents at night, they will feel transported back in time to a prehistoric era when mankind wasn't bound by the parameters of an office cubicle, so that once they wake up, the morning commute will be the last thing on their mind.

ON October 19 to 22
AT Sabharwal Farms, Kalote Mokashi.
LOG ON TO bookmyshow.com
Cost Rs 1,313 onwards

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