When chess goes from black & white to green

For sounds of silence, and quiet walks by the Ulhas river, we dropped in to Bendre's Farm in Neral

It wasn't even morning when I woke up on Saturday morning to take the 9.45 train from Dadar to Karjat. Or perhaps it was.


Malini Banerjee enjoys a round of chess at Bendre's Farm.

But 7 am on a Saturday morning felt like an unearthly hour to wake up. I was at Dadar far too early, and even the usual hunt for the fast train platform on the central line didn't take all that long.

A stop at Wheelers for newspapers came in handy. Trains for Kalyan and Thane whizzed past as I waited nervously.

Had the Karjat train been cancelled, wondered the out-of-towner in me? A kind, old lady at the platform reassured me that it would arrive, perhaps after a train or two to Ambarnath.
u00a0
"It will be marked S," she smiled patiently. Why was a train to Karjat marked 'S'? Some questions never get answered.

A 12-coach fast train to Karjat (marked S) arrived, and I rushed to the only available window seat, delighted with my find.
u00a0
It was available for a reason, I realised. The window wouldn't shut or stay open.

It was a sunny morning, and the familiar rhythm of the train rolling down the tracks lulled me to sleep. I woke up refreshed after a forty-minute nap, to the sight of rolling hills.


The River Ulhas runs by the farm. Dip your feet into the cool clear waters for some peace and quiet.

By now, the compartment was packed with chattering ladies, and young girls on a college trip. Ambarnath, Ulhasnagar, Shelu the nameboards at stations got exotic.

"Where are you from?" I'd ask. "Shelu", they'd say, evoking the image of a quaint sleepy village where everyone knows everyone.

My day dream was very rudely interrupted as the train had stopped at Neral. I had to frantically rush for the exit.

The station was pretty as a picture. At the foothills of the Sahyadris, the stop looked like one that would serenade a toy train.

Our photographer Sameer and I ended up taking the overbridge to the Matheran side only to realise we should have stayed on the platform we got off at. We crossed back wearily, and stopped for a quick Vada Pav.

Bendre's Farm was a ten-minute rickshaw ride away.

Just after the rickshaw had dropped us in front of an innocuous black gate, our caretaker Vishnu arrived. He led us into a small one-storey bungalow in the middle of the farm.


Caretaker Vishnu showed us around the farm and its three ponds

A khatiya and two chairs lay empty and inviting in the front porch. Inside lay a living room, three bedrooms and a small dining room.

Each window overlooked lush greenery. We freshened up and sat down with cups of comforting milky tea.

There is no television here, so it's an ideal retreat if you want to catch up on your reading. Not in the mood for reading, I sat down with the chess board.

But soon gave up on the game and went for a tour of the farm.

The farm boasts of three ponds, 200 coconut trees, 30 mango trees and a host of vegetation. Vishnu is a storehouse of stories and trivia.

As you cross a tiny brook to go around the ponds, he'll regale you with stories of the fish that are cultured in these ponds. "Prawns, rohu katla... we'd grow everything here and sell it in Mumbai," he said.

Unfortunately, pisciculture has been discontinued. But that doesn't mean you won't get a fresh fish meal. "Sometimes, we get our guests a hook line and bait and they wake up early to go fishing."

The farm now grows rice, fruits and coconut. "But the water isn't salty enough. So coconut yield isn't that much," Vishnu confides.


Lunch was a happy affair with a freshly cooked, hearty meal

Coconut trees act as the farm's fence on most sides. One part of the farm overlooks the gurgling, clear waters of the Ulhas River.

It was getting sweltering hot as we walked around. The power was back when we returned, making us flop on the porch straight under a fan. After resting a while, we headed for the river.

When we had called owner Amit Bendre, he had described the river as one with waters clear enough for you to see the riverbed. He wasn't exaggerating. Not just the bed, you will even catch a glimpse of tiny fish swimming around your feet.

It felt strangely therapeutic, to sit by the bed and watch them swirl about in a weird Brownian motion. You can't beat that with city aquariums. The river isn't all that deep so you can go swimming too.

A lazy hike back to the house yielded rich dividends lunch! It was simple, vegetarian ghar ka khana. And just as comforting and delicious. Vishnu can also stir up a non-vegetarian meal with prior notice.

After lunch, Sameer fished out a deck of card from the shelf. Something told me, he wasn't too impressed with my chess moves. Not that my rummy was any better.

I needed Vishnu to prompt me about which card to drop. Eventually, settling down with a Agatha Christie novel was better. I didn't realise when my afternoon nap caught me unawares.

Sameer had taken over the khatia in the porch, and we arose when Vishnu came calling with afternoon chai.

Sometimes the best things in life are free. And while the stay at Bendre's isn't, the walk along the Ulhas River and a cozy afternoon nap, are.

Getting there: Take a train from the central line to Neral. A rickshaw ride to Bendre's Farm in Dahivali village, is 3 km away and costs Rs 30.
Tariff: Rs 1,100 per person (inclusive of overnight stay and meals)
Call 09820430324