BE IT Trip to Malgund (Ganpatipule)
A typical engineering student's life is a web of exams, submissions, placements et al. With such a busy schedule, we were all desperately looking for respite from this hectic life. An escape to the beachside sounded like a perfect solution. The initiative by our staff members coupled with our enthusiasm made it possible for us to arrange a trip to Malgund in a very short time. After a lot of excitement over the packing and preparation, the D day finally arrived.
As per the plan, we left for Malgund on the 21st of January 2010 around 7am. En route we halted at Koynanagar to visit the Koyna dam. The boat ride in the backwaters of Koyna was a truly mesmerizing experience for us. The scenic beauty of Koyna enthralled us. Lunch at the 'Valley View Resort' was delicious with all of us relishing authentic 'Malvani food'.
After travelling for another couple of hours, a visit to Dervan took us back to the days of Shivaji Maharaj.The life-size statues and sculptures at the museum depicted stories from the life of Shivaji Maharaj.After a hectic day, we reached Malgund at 8pm.
Malgund is a small town located at a distance of about 2 km. from Ganpatipule.This scenic town set amidst the backdrop of mountains and beaches is known for the birthplace of the famous Marathi poet Keshavsoot.Accomodation at Malgund was arranged at Atharva Residency which had five spacious bungalows. We spent the night celebrating a friend's birthday.
Day 2 at Malgund was indeed memorable. We spent the entire morning on the beach playing football, cricket and throwball.We visited the famous Ganesh temple at Ganpatipule that afternoon. After taking a break for lunch, we then went to the mango pulp factory where we were given information about processing of mangoes. We had planned to visit people affected by Phyan and had collected grains, clothes, toys and other articles for them. A visit to these victims was next on our agenda for the day. We paid a visit to their homes and offered our help and support. Later in the evening we went to the Arevare beach to watch the sunset. The view on our way to the beach was breathtaking. The day ended with a delectable dinner followed by a campfire.
Day 3-The day we had all dreaded had finally arrived. With a heavy heart, we left Malgund. On the way back home, we visited Ratnagiri and Kolhapur. A stopover at Kolhapur included a visit to the Kent Club where the Snow World was one of the major attractions. We indeed had a great time there.
It was time to head back to Pune. After an enjoyable time with our batch mates in Konkan, we finally reached Pune around 11pm with happy memories of our trip.
