Fancy playing farmer for a day?
Updated On: 22 July, 2010 07:23 AM IST | | Soma Das
Back from tractor and horseback rides and a crash course in Botany, Soma Das tells you why a visit to Dirghayu Agri Resort at Shahapur might reveal the secret to a long life
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Back from tractor and horseback rides and a crash course in Botany, Soma Das tells you why a visit to Dirghayu Agri Resort at Shahapur might reveal the secret to a long life
For a city dweller accustomed to the congested concrete jungle, the sight of miles of lush greenery,
en route to Dirghayu Farms, was pleasantly unsettling.
This pin-drop silence was punctured by the chirping of birds and the mooing of the odd passing cow.
It's impossible to miss the farm gates, thanks to colourful prayer flags, fluttering aggressively in the breeze.
We were told later that these were prized possessions of Pravin Kotkar, whose family owns Dirghayu Farms Agri Resort.
The red, blue, green and yellow flags etched with ancient mantras denoting prosperity, success and happiness caught his attention while on a trip to Bhutan.
Stay at a Farm to live longer
Dirghayu Farms, which translates to the farm that makes you live longer, is an agri resort that fetches revenue via tourism for the local population.
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The 27-acre farm won the 2009 Agri Tourism Appreciation Award and is host to hundreds of varieties of plants,u00a0 flowers, fruits, spices and herbs.
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It's also home to an animal farm inhabited by ducks, horses, cows and hens.
At the entrance, inside a small garden are a variety of flowering plants including lilies, roses and hibiscus. Here, you can also spot weather instruments like the wind velocity
metre and the rain gauge. Beside the garden is a geese farm where eight temperamental geese (pecking at bystanders is a pastime) live in chaotic harmony.
For the Adventurer
After a breakfast of poha and chai, a jungle trek beckoned. There was a waterfall waiting to be explored.
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Located barely two kms from the farm, a verdant mountain-top jungle abruptly ended as the land began to dip. We couldn't help imagine ourselves to be shooting on location for the hit TV series Lost.
As we navigated our way down its slippery slopes, the sound of the gushing seasonal waterfall tempted us to head towards it.
For the thunderous noise it echoed, it wasn't all that intimidating. It was safe, even for kids to take a dip here. Being a secluded spot, it's perfect to sit by and soak in the setting.
As the sun played hide-and-seek behind the monsoon clouds, we waited for the heavy downpour, which never showed up.
Another action-packed chapter was the thrilling but bumpy tractor ride around the farm, in the afternoon. Unlike anything we've experienced before, it reminded us of scenes from our desi potboilers set in rural India.
u00a0
The horseback ride, later in the day, was another highpoint. Plenty of childhood memories resurfaced, but this 20-minute ride against a lush green scenic backdrop felt special.
For a city dweller accustomed to the congested concrete jungle, the sight of miles of lush greenery,
en route to Dirghayu Farms, was pleasantly unsettling.
This pin-drop silence was punctured by the chirping of birds and the mooing of the odd passing cow.
It's impossible to miss the farm gates, thanks to colourful prayer flags, fluttering aggressively in the breeze.
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| Tractor ride on the farm. |
We were told later that these were prized possessions of Pravin Kotkar, whose family owns Dirghayu Farms Agri Resort.
The red, blue, green and yellow flags etched with ancient mantras denoting prosperity, success and happiness caught his attention while on a trip to Bhutan.
Stay at a Farm to live longer
Dirghayu Farms, which translates to the farm that makes you live longer, is an agri resort that fetches revenue via tourism for the local population.
u00a0
The 27-acre farm won the 2009 Agri Tourism Appreciation Award and is host to hundreds of varieties of plants,u00a0 flowers, fruits, spices and herbs.
u00a0
It's also home to an animal farm inhabited by ducks, horses, cows and hens.
At the entrance, inside a small garden are a variety of flowering plants including lilies, roses and hibiscus. Here, you can also spot weather instruments like the wind velocity
metre and the rain gauge. Beside the garden is a geese farm where eight temperamental geese (pecking at bystanders is a pastime) live in chaotic harmony.
For the Adventurer
After a breakfast of poha and chai, a jungle trek beckoned. There was a waterfall waiting to be explored.
u00a0
Located barely two kms from the farm, a verdant mountain-top jungle abruptly ended as the land began to dip. We couldn't help imagine ourselves to be shooting on location for the hit TV series Lost.
As we navigated our way down its slippery slopes, the sound of the gushing seasonal waterfall tempted us to head towards it.
For the thunderous noise it echoed, it wasn't all that intimidating. It was safe, even for kids to take a dip here. Being a secluded spot, it's perfect to sit by and soak in the setting.
As the sun played hide-and-seek behind the monsoon clouds, we waited for the heavy downpour, which never showed up.
Another action-packed chapter was the thrilling but bumpy tractor ride around the farm, in the afternoon. Unlike anything we've experienced before, it reminded us of scenes from our desi potboilers set in rural India.
u00a0
The horseback ride, later in the day, was another highpoint. Plenty of childhood memories resurfaced, but this 20-minute ride against a lush green scenic backdrop felt special.
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