This is a story from the nineties. The Pune-Satara highway was only two lanes at the time. There were no windmills in the area surrounding Thoseghar and Chalkewadi. There were only one or two buses that went daily from Satara to Bamnoli (via Kas), with the exception of a few bikes on the Kas Road. The colorful flowers were usually visible to onlookers through the bus window. However, because it was so normal, no one would stop to take a closer look at them.
Windmills were created on the Chalkewadi Plateau as development progressed, and a few access roads to the Thoseghar area were constructed. With the addition of a road, the location gained popularity, as did the windmills and waterfall. Around that time, the Pune-Satara Road was widened to four lanes, and four-wheelers became a part of the middle-class lifestyle. Monsoon trips to places like Thoseghar, Sajjangad, Kas, and Bamnoli became a ritual for residents in western India. And then the horrible cycle of natural devastation began. Kas Lake became “Kach” (glass) Lake. How did Kas-Thoseghar-Bamnoli’s nature change during this transformation? This is a short & not-so-sweet story on the adverse effects, primarily on the Kas Plateau.
Initially, some people started to come there on their bikes. They could see the flowers closely. There was no mobile phone with a camera connected to it, nor any sort of fence or guide. Therefore, People used to leave shortly after appreciating the flowers. Some individuals would pluck the flowers, while others would uproot the plant to put it in their garden. Some would run over or roll on the flowers . There were people who would carry the thin crust of soil along with them. Telling them about the conservation of environment and this wonderful piece of nature was pointless. Since, there were relatively few visitors, the damage was minimal.
During those days, we would spot researcher in the distant corner of the Kas Plateau. They used to remind everyone from the bottom of their heart that we needed to preserve this ultimate heritage as much as possible. To protect it , we must treat it as a family member and take the best possible care of it. Also, publish as little as possible. It was as if they knew exactly what the future held.
I remember somebody from them telling us that our Sahyadri is embellished with all these flowers and biodiversity. It doesn’t mean that we should watch it quickly in few days. In fact, we can experience it throughout the year. Few decades ago, the same flowers were visible on Panchagani Plateau, but they have now disappeared due to excessive tourism. Interestingly, I have seen the same kind of flowers on the Panchagani Plateau after the Corona lockdown period. If you give nature a space and some time, it will surely return.
Time moved on for 20 years. These days, everyone owns a car, a camera, and a lot of time. It is used not to experience the beauty of nature but to engage in certain activities that they can post it on social media. In old days, the route from Pune to Satara used to take three hours, and the trip from Satara to Kas only twenty minutes. Even on holidays, it now takes two and a half to three hours to get to Satara and one and a half to two hours to reach Kas. The Satara-Kas Road, which was quite relaxed earlier, is now continuously busy. Now we can see the resorts on both sides of the road inviting not only people to stay in this beautiful nature but also to construct their second home in nature (sadly by destroying the same nature).
Why are we so stubborn ? Why Kas only. Given that Maharashtra has over 500 km of Sahyadri range then why are we only crowding in a 5–10 km stretch? These kind of plateaus are everywhere in Sahyadri. These plateaus are formed after cooling of lava and the layer of soil is formed by the erosion of the upper layer of the plateau and these wildflowers blooms on that in all the season. This kind of scene can be found everywhere. Then, why are we travelling to such a long distance, wasting time and fuel and destroying nature when it is already in a fragile condition. Maybe there isn’t as much diversity or as much flowering on the other plateaus. However, by overcrowding Kas, should we allow the Kas Plateau to experience the same fate as Panchangani?.
Satara to Kas was a beautiful hill road with greenery and flowers on both sides. There wasn’t any hotel till Bamnoli. There were only one or two tea stalls. One at Petri and another near Yavateshwar and the rest was just nature. There used to be free movement for birds and animals and very limited movement of people and vehicles.
Not only Kas, but also places like Mulshi (in the beginning of monsoon) , Konkan beaches (during winter) are getting crowded. This is leaving a mark on our nature which cannot be erased. There are so many hills near Pune and luckily the biodiversity still persists there. Many organization are trying to restore the biodiversity. Instead of taking a booster dose of travelling to Kas, Mulshi, and Bhigwan once a year, we can still enjoy it slowly. By working with such organizations, we can bring the Kas plateau closer to us and that too for a complete year !!
We can just take a quick walk up the hill closest to us to observer which tree have new leaves, which ones have new blooms. Some trees are shading leaves according to season. In branches of some tree, birds are nesting hurriedly. There are a lot of such scenes, we can store in our eyes and brain in such peaceful morning. How can we feel the fresh morning breeze, the mild scent of flowers and leaves, sound of chirping birds into the already crowded Kas.
You’ll never notice how much time has passed when you’re sitting next to your favorite tree, carefully stroking its leaves and blooms and admiring its unique characteristics. Nobody will interrupt you at that time, and no one will be standing in line behind you or asking you to take their photo. If possible, we can keep a little notepad to document any changes in our environment. It could be related to the soil near the tree, the leaves, flowers, or birds around the tree, or the blue sky you see while relaxing near the tree. All of these memories will be unique to you.
Most importantly, all of these values should be consciously passed down to the next generation. Enjoying Monsoon does not mean shooting selfie under a crowded waterfall, eating Kanda Bhaji(pakoda) or performing a rain dance in a resort. Monsoon means waking up early morning to listen the chirping of Pawasha (a bird similar to Chatak), closely observing the small streams, nearby canals, identifying the small flora and fauna around it. It is important to take our new generation to the nearby locations and show them the subtle changes in nature. The festivals in Shravan, have many rituals associated with leaves and flowers. These rituals were meant to connect us with the changing nature of the seasons.
Going in nature doesn’t imply rushing to a location and snatching some of its charm but rather it should be an experience earned through the numerous and tranquil visits. If we can persuade our younger generation that it is not a one-time event, but rather a part of our daily lives (Dincharya), we will be able to preserve Kas’s important heritage and our environment friendly traditions. Our forefathers have conserved this nature and legacy for thousands of years. We should now cherish and enhance it by our mature, active and environmentally conscious behavior. Then only we can prevent the destruction of heritage sites like Kas and that will be our true development.