Photo Travelogue :
I've heard of the Aarey Colony ever since forever. From getting fleeting glimpses of it during my school vacation days ( when my father was posted in Goregaon in the late eighties, before shifting south to Prabhadevi ), to hearing amazing stories of the famous Film City located within its premises where film and television serial shooting takes places regularly ); from the occasional news clippings of its trees being eyed to be chopped by greedy buiders for the upcoming Metro project fought tooth and nail by activists; to the creepy horror tales of its main road where all the action takes place after dark - this was one place waiting to be explored extensively by me. It took quite a while, although, I've lived more than half my life in Bombay- but, finally ¬ I made it. Better late than never. It was the lockdown time, in Jan'21, when I visited the place. I ended up making two back to back trips, because, I lost my phone on my first - all my pictures were in it @sob! On my first trip, I planned to walk deep into the supposedly haunted road, so I took an auto and went straight to its gate. Although, he actually dropped me in a place called 'filterpada'...a noisy market place about a kilometer from the actual gate. By the time I reached the gate it was 12 noon.
spotting the sign to Aarey Colony from Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link road via Powai...
the entry gate to Aarey Colony...its closed after 11pm ... its free to enter and a guard sits in a small hut type structure on the left ~ both times I found him fast asleep...
the 6.57km stretch begins...
leaving behind the hustle bustle of the city behind, you enter mesmerising greenery 360degrees. The natural green leafy canopy gets only better during monsoons....you pass by milk booths on the way...quite obvious, considering this place is famous for milk production and cattle rearing.
whats that shed? an old sofa, a canvas canopy, some signs and symbols...is it some tantric site? hmmm...
with only few vehicles passing by...I was completely alone...did I get scared...eh, not yet! People who passed by looked as though I was crazy to be walking all by myself alone...because, not just ghosts...this place had leopards and other wild beasts waiting to eat you up as well. I passed by the infamous site which was to be converted into a metro shed - a massive area which was barricaded by tin sheets,. but you could see the mutilated trees through its holes. After which, I reached a fork - left was towards Marol, right towards Vihar lake ( entry forbidden ) and straight would be deeper into the spookventure I had set out on. There's a check post, but, the police were too busy to notice. There's also a park here, just behind the check post, incase, one gets tired with all the walking. I took the road straight ahead and kept walking...
deep and more deep... was I being watched? this place had lots of murders, suicides, body dumping and occult practices...so, these thoughts do enter your mind if you're alone.
there are many walking trails off from the main road...and they get quite spooky..
these trees are enough to give you the goosebumps...BTW, there's a lake - Chota Kashmir, on the way, unmissable!
moi on my second trip...this time I rode my scooty...
So, did I meet any ghosts? Not really...but, I did feel as though being watched and accompanied all the way. Maybe, my mind was playing games. I had walked atleast 4 kms into and back - almost 8 kms total, so the entire trip was bit exhaustive, but, I certainly enjoyed it thoroughly. And as luck would have it, I was back in this spooky location within a couple of days ¬ by scooty the 2nd time :-) I had clicked tonnes of pics and go-pro type videos on the first day, but, I lost my phone in the auto I was traveling back. Was it some Omen? Were some mysterious powers behind it who didn't want me to upload them? On 2nd trip, I could get only few pics. Anyways, would I come again esp after dark --- now thats something I'd love to try...
Aarey Forest (also known as Aarey Milk Colony and Aarey Colony) is a 16sq km area rich urban forest which is within the eco sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The forest is a neighborhood situated in Goregaon (East), a suburb of the city of Mumbai, India. It was established in 1949 to revolutionize the processing and marketing of dairy products in the city. Nice place for a nature trail, morning jog, cool drive or a simple walk. Aarey with wide diversity of birds, mammals, reptiles including Leopards along with flora & Fauna never fails to mesmerise anyone who just passes through it. The Aarey main road provides a shortcut to motorists between Western Express Highway and Powai ( wiki )
Haunted Tales - People say they’ve often heard the cries of children or the wailing of a woman. Many even claim to have spotted a lady asking for a lift and then disappearing. Many auto drivers refuse to take this road late at night for this very reason. According to a leading daily’s report, cases of people performing black magic in the woods isn’t uncommon here despite a ban on it by the government.
Address : Aarey Road, Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra
Read next part - Here! Stay tuned for all my road, rail, flight, cruise & walk trips.
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