Jay, the explorer: 11-year-old boy from Pune is documenting forts of Maharashtra

While most children are cooped up at home in the pandemic an 11yearold boy from Pune is exploring and documenting forts of Maharashtra In the coming week Jay Divate will complete covering a total of 100 fortsJay has been travelling in a twowheeler along with his father Rahul Divate Last week the duo made a few stops in Mumbai to document nine forts in the city What is interesting is that this Class V student also has his own YouTube channel on which he uploads videos of his adventures He shoots videos on his own and also edits them before they go live on his channelDuring the Covid19 lockdown last year the fatherson duo started to explore trek points as a recreational activity This was when Jay developed a fascination towards forts and history and expressed his wish to visit them ldquoIn the pandemic Jay was hooked to YouTube channels and said that he wanted to create one of his own He also wanted to document forts of India He singlehandedly hosts and manages the channel nowrdquo says a proud RahulJay uses various apps online to edit these videos He has named his channel Jay Adventures ldquoI try to get better with each video Every fort gives me a new experiencerdquo shares Jay adding that he is currently shooting and editing from his cellphone after his laptop recently crashedThe first location the duo went to is Rohida Fort in Pune district ldquoRohida Fort is also known as Vichitragad Fort It was one of the closest forts to our home and is one of the most preferred locations for trekking during the monsoon We went there in early June before the onset of the rainsrdquo adds RahulJay learned that Rohida had an important role in shaping the Maratha Empire ldquoI love documenting history and making people aware of the prevalent culture in the region where the fort standsrdquo Jay says ldquoForts are an integral part of our culture our history There are many unknown forts Some are lying in ruins Itrsquos important we remember their significancerdquo adds the fatherHe says that Riwa Fort in Sion is one such example as it has weathered with time and negligence The duo selects only weekdays for their adventures ldquoPeople visit these places on weekends and we prefer to avoid crowds during the pandemicrdquo he saysAn accountant by profession Rahul has made a list of more than 487 forts in Maharashtra He plans the trips district and taluka wise In a day the duo travels close to 400 km ldquoWe have meticulously done the planning so that we cover a fort and return home the same dayrdquo he informs So far the duo has covered 43 forts in the Pune district 18 in Satara 16 in Raigad three in Nagar one in Sangli and nine in MumbaiAsk Jay which were the most memorable forts so far and he says Morgiri Jivdhan Dhakoba and Hadser forts ldquoAmong all the forts I have seen till date Jivdhan is special It is located in Junnar taluka I was stunned by the beauty of this hill fortress and the breathtaking view it offers of the Vanarlingi Pinnacle It has a huge storehouse or kothi few water cisterns and a temple of Goddess Jivai the patron deity of the fortrdquo shares Jay who wants to join the Army in futureJay who is an ardent follower of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj plans to cover 1000 forts for his channel before he turns 15 ldquoHe has my support and I will fulfil his dream We plan to complete 500 forts from Maharashtra after which we will explore forts in Tamil Nadu Karnataka Goa Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh Gujarat Even Jammu and Kashmir has forts that we would like to document for the channelrdquo Rahul smiles1000No of forts the duo plans to cover before Jay turns 15