Growing up in Maximum City meant that there was no space to play gully cricket, but at least the weekends were reserved for family picnics to Lonavala. It was at the hilly getaway a couple of hours outside Mumbai, where I scraped my knees, climbed slippery rocks to reach the top of waterfalls, and got a proper taste of the outdoors. When I lived and worked in Pune, Lonavala was an hour-long local train ride away and served as a great mid-way spot to meet friends from Mumbai over weekends.?
For residents of oversaturated metros like Mumbai or Pune, Lonavala is a haven. However, so busy is the getaway in the rains that the narrow market streets are overrun by folks in rolled-up trousers and temporary plastic raincoats. But what lies past the chikki and fudge shops? If you seek a cultural outing, your choices are the speedily proliferating wax museums. And over the years, the crowded waterfalls have also lost their charm, leaving you to explore a place that now seems as bland as any over-popular hill town anywhere in the country.?
This overfamiliarity with the hill station is what Lonavala Local is breaking by offering curated experiences. ¡°Even locals don¡¯t know what¡¯s available in their town,¡± said Manasvi Bhatia.?
A Mumbai resident, Manasvi owns a holiday home, Mansi Bungalow, in the hills. She chose to stay in Lonavala during the lockdown and collaborated with local architect and resident Viraj Kapadia to launch Lonavala Local as a community for residents on WhatsApp.
It might have started as a group that connected locals during the pandemic to help each other and avail different services. But as a brand consultant, Manasvi saw the potential to grow it into something bigger. Naturally, Kapadia¡¯s knowledge of his hometown helped. The duo put their heads together to scout talent in the hills and support the local community to boost their businesses.?
Three years later, Lonavala Local is now an Instagram community. It is a discovery platform helping residents, second-home owners, and tourists socialise, collaborate, and uniquely experience Lonavala.?
For decades, the Lonavala itinerary has stayed the same: Tiger Point for pakoras and chai, family picnics at Bhushi Dam or Kune Falls, a trek to Lohagad Fort, and when you are ready to head home, an armful of boxes of crushed peanut chikki from the nearest Maganlal Chikki store. But a holiday in the hills has now gotten a facelift.
For art enthusiasts, Lonavala Local hosts art walkthroughs priced at Rs 2,500, covering three artists residing in their creative spaces. You can tour artist Meenakshi Kapoor Singhvi¡¯s restored 110-year-old heritage structure made of brick and stone. In her studio, you can marvel at the Warli art she produces on many surfaces like cloth, bottles, and stones.
But if you are a young artist keen to learn and talk about your work, you must visit Vijaya and Nitin Kalyan, who have been hosting art residencies and workshops for decades. At a walkthrough, their art collection and creations ¨C sculptures, installations, and DIYs made with upcycled and recycled materials ¨C will offer enough fodder for your own creative endeavours.?
Vijaya Kalyan says that Bhatia¡¯s high energy has been a fresh breeze. ¡°The art walkthroughs were her idea. But, I have always enjoyed talking to people about art, explaining the process, and educating people on what art is. Meeting youngsters through these walkthroughs is sharpening my own intelligence,¡± she adds.
And as Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner, you can witness WIP Ganpati idols by artist Rajkumar Goel and his wife. The duo also uses recycled materials to create idols, and nameplates; their clocks made with tree bark are a huge hit.
Manasvi and Kapadia also have a roster of shopping musts that extends beyond chikki. From masalas, baked goods, and locally grown rice varieties like Indrayani and Ambe Mohar to furniture and home linen, Lonavala Local curates a list of the numerous small businesses with great offerings, mushrooming in the hills, for Rs 2,000.?
One such business is Studio Duality by Ankit Malhotra, a former Mumbai resident. The two-year-old brand crafts indoor and outdoor furniture using reclaimed teak wood, white ash, pine wood, and other materials, including imported and Indian wicker and weather-proof Indian fabrics. ¡°Lonavala Local has made connecting so much easier now; I have even managed to find vendors for my business,¡± said Malhotra.?
But if you are someone who would rather shop light, then the NAB Lions Home For Aging Blind will be a good fit. Visually impaired seniors are given a home and taught skills with which they create home linen, scented candles, organic soaps, and woven baskets, among other items.
Manasvi tells us there¡¯s a loom, a ceramic studio, and local bakers create and sell via the platform. Using skills from her day job, she is also helping the community generate additional income. One such example is Farm In A Box by Nutrifresh, a hydroponic facility. The farm sold their pesticide-free vegetables to businesses earlier, but now they deliver farm-to-door across Lonavala, Mumbai, and Pune.
It is tough not to make a stop at Buvachi Misal or Golden Vada Pav, but for an asal Maharashtra experience, the Ranwara Patilwada offers Gavran or village-style meals of chicken curry and bhakhri. Even the restaurant, with wooden architecture, is built to look like a Wada or a traditional Marathi mansion.
You can also sample a traditional Gujarati thali at Kunverbai¡¯s Kitchen, run by father-daughter duo Ashok and Chandni Shah at their heritage home. The bonus is the Shahs¡¯ vintage car collection, which you can tour. Lonavala Local has also incubated home chefs who cook vegetarian Punjabi meals, Bohri-style kebabs, and other Mughlai dishes. If you¡¯d rather dig into Lonavala¡¯s culinary history, you can sign up for a walkthrough of local eateries and street stalls to learn more about the origins of chikki and fudge.
You never know what you can experience through a custom itinerary, starting at Rs 1,000, designed for your stay period and group size. ¡°We have a list of experiences for every category and suited to your interests. And, we take routes to avoid traffic,¡± said Manasvi. That alone ought to encourage Mumbaikars and Punekars to sign up.?
To book an experience, contact @LonavalaLocal on Instagram or WhatsApp: Manasvi Bhatia 9820068611, Viraj Kapadia 8668397248.?
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