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chillibreeze writer — Sheetal Gaikwad

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Taking a break from our busy schedule, our office went on a one-day trip to a farm, Saguna Baug, located at Neral-Malegaon, 83km from Mumbai. Realizing his father's dream of setting up a farm, Chanrdashekhar Bhadsavle came back to India in 1976 after doing his masters in food science and technology from University of California, USA, and transformed his ancestral land into a hub of varied agricultural activities such as dairy, horticulture, agro forestry, agro tourism, aquaculture, and traditional and non-traditional farming. Besides, Mr. Bhadsavle has also transformed Saguna Baug into a picnic and holiday spot by allowing visitors to become a part of the rural lifestyle and savor nature's bounty.

Our group, consisting of around 40 people, including children, reached the farm late in the morning when the sun had already started shining brightly. But, much to our pleasant surprise, the heat did not discourage our excitement, thanks to the eye-pleasing greenery the place offered. Deprived of such natural set up in the city, we readily took out our cameras to capture the first view we had of Saguna Baug. The atmosphere enlivened our senses as we walked through the rustling leaves, blooming flowers, chirping birds and refreshing breezes towards the cottages nestled among lush green trees, overlooking a lake.

On reaching the cottages we freshened ourselves for breakfast as the tempting aroma of homely food made our stomachs grumble. The place was a home away from home. It ensured a trouble-free outing by providing all the necessary amenities — clean toilets, comfortable accommodation, fresh meals, beverages, and a small playground for outdoor activities and games so that one can pass the time without getting bored.

Post breakfast, our group excitedly geared up for a tour of the farm. Stretched across 55 acres, Saguna Baug reflects the best facets of nature — several lakes and ponds adorned by colourful lotuses and water lilies, a picturesque nursery displaying umpteen variety of plants, trees spread across facilitating fresh air. Animals like ducks, turkeys, cows, hens, etc, which are a rare sight in the city, spiced up our tour. But buffalo ride in the water is something which we regret missing. A first-of-its-kind tour for most of us, we derived pleasure by getting involved in several amusing activities of climbing trees, plucking fruits and flowers, and catching lobsters and carps in our hands. An aesthetically-designed pond house standing elegantly in one of the lakes was a a delight to see.

The tour also gave us an opportunity to know the various agricultural activities at Saguna Baug. Some part of the farm is dedicated to traditional and non-traditional farming for growing fruits and vegetables. Aquaculture is practiced on a large scale given the abundance of the variety of fishes available such as lobsters, carps, prawns and a special fish from river Nile — tilapia. Biogas is also prepared at the farm itself and used for cooking purposes, thus making productive use of the wastes.

Our visit to the farm would have been otherwise incomplete, but a quick boating and swimming session while basking in the setting sun was all that we wanted at the end of the day.

A surprise waited for us after we half-heartedly got ready to leave. Mr. Bhadsavle was all set to give us an exciting time of our life as he nonchalantly arrived with a cobra he supposedly had caught from the farm. We watched with awe as he demonstrated the defense techniques of the cobra which beautifully spreads its fangs when scared. An apt 'the end' to our trip, the session completely changed our perception of snakes as we gathered that snakes never attack unless troubled persistently by a human.

Our trip to Saguna Baug gave us an insight into the rural lifestyle which most of us were unaware of. Being amidst the nature, knowing the agricultural processes first hand and more importantly, the place's simplicity which made the trip all the more enjoyable was certainly a one-in-a-lifetime experience for each of us.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in December, 2009. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

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—About our writer:

Sheetal says, "Having done Bachelors in Mass Media with specialisation in Journalism, I have been working for more than two years. I started off as a content writer in 2007 for a fashion website and was later promoted to the post of editor. Currently I work as an executive (web solutions) for a business information and IT company, and am settled in Mumbai. My work profile includes writing and editing articles, press releases, business stories, managing a website (content and designing) as well as coordinating with the clients on a daily basis."

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