Dr. Bharat Desai's Blog

My daughter Vaishali invited us to join her on the Nashik tour for three days. We happily accepted her invitation and three of us – Vaishali, my wife Dr. Bhavna and myself began for the Nashik Tour. Vaishali and I had prepared the timetable after studying Google – Wikipedia and whatnot. We had already visited Nashik four times. So our expectations were clear.  Nashik is known as one of the most religious cities in India related to Ramayana time around 5000 years back Treta yug. Nowadays, it can boast of being the big Industrial Estate and Indian Capital of wine manufacturers. Shirdi - home of the revered Saint Sai Baba, Trimbakeshwar temple at Trimbak, and Saptashringi are important tourist attractions nearby. From Bilimora one can go to Nashik via Saputara or Dharampur. We choose Dharampur – Kaparada route. During the rainy season, the forests were in a great mood with greenery all around with hills and valleys making a great scenery worth enjoying. The road was shown by google-ma...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fond of touring all around India and the world. Now, when a VVIP of his stature visits a place, security personnel don't allow others to be around. The place would become deserted and reserved for him only. So was the case when we - Dr Vijaybhai Desai, his wife Minaben, my wife Dr Bhavana, and I - visited Saputara last weekend on 19-21 March 2021. The whole place appeared reserved for us - because almost all the hotels, restaurants, and tourist sightseeing places were empty, without many people around, making us experience a VIP status - something rare to find.

I recently read the novel "Pyramid of Virgin Dreams" by Vipul Mitra. He affectionately described the pains and pleasures of multiple transfers because of his father’s job as DSP and later himself as an IAS officer. While reading it occurred to me, I have had a similar life of changing a place many times nearly every alternate year. So why not narrate my story and the article is here! A nomad means someone who lives by travelling from place to place - moving around all the while. I was a nomad for the initial 28 years of my life, staying and studying at more than 15 places. A year or two and change of the place again! 

We planned a week’s visit to an old-age home in Lonavala, in a group of ten from Bilimora between 7 and 14-Mar-2019. Dr. Pravin Gilitwala led the team and organised because he had been there numerous times. Dr. Bhavana Desai (my wife) and I were little uncertain about the venue and timetable there but agreed just to have a new experience altogether. To our surprise, everything turned out to be better than all we thought. We had a great time all in all! Kapol Sanatorium, Lonavala Just by the old Mumbai-Pune highway is situated this old-age home for fixed one week stay. Only old-age people above 60 years are invited to stay for a week starting every Thursday and ending the next Thursday, in a total number of hundred. There are AC and non-AC rooms available for fixed one week, at different rates. These are twin-sharing rooms charged at is Rs. 6,000 and Rs. 12,000 per week, based on individual preferences. The rooms are like single bedroom apartments with four beds, dining table ...

Should I at all visit 'the Taj ' the Taj Mahal? Yes, it is a must, because we have the world’s best wonder (The best of seven wonders of the world) and nothing should stop you from visiting it. Let me tell what others say about Taj. What do visitors say? French traveller Bernier said, “Of all the seven wonders of the world (1) Great Wall of China 7Th BC. China, (2) Petra 100 BC. Jordan, (3) Machu Picchu 1450AD. Peru, (4) Chinchan Itza 600 AD. Mexico, (5) Colossian 80AD. Italy, (6) Taj Mahal 1648AD. India, (7) Great Pyramid of Geisha 2560 BC. Egypt., Taj is the best. How can I praise unshaped pyramids of Gaza or irregular long wall of China and any of the other fort after seeing Taj Mahal- a poem in marble?”

25-Dec-2017 onwards, I had talked with my friend Anilbhai Desai on phone two-three times. Every time, he mentioned the worthiness of seeing Kankaria Carnival and invited us. But I was resistant to go. On 30-Dec-2017, while talking with Jayshreeben Desai, she also invited and insisted to visit Ahmedabad. So, my wife Bhavana and I accepted the invitation. In fact, when we need to face young generation people, we avoid out of fear of difference and generation gap. Even visiting close relatives and friends is not that pleasing nowadays, and so we avoid as far as possible. I had sufficiently interacted with Anilbhai's son – Darshan and his wife Shalu, so I could be little courageous to decide for the visit.

If you want to be alone to be with nature, it is an ideal spot. But if you enjoy crowds with your group this is an equally important place to visit. 42 km from Bilimora on Vansda Road, we reached Janki Van in less than an hour. Dr Nayana Patel, Dr Bhavana Desai (my wife) and I visited the place impromptu on a weekday. The name Janki  is related to Sita Mata of Ramayana and it is believed that at a certain point in the history, Sita Mata did stay here. The garden, a great picnic spot (16 hectors big), is situated 5 km away from Vansda, 6 km from Unai and 42 km from Bilimora. It is developed by the Gujarat Forestry Department under social forestry action and was inaugurated on 02-Aug-2015 while celebrating the Forest Day. Please, keep in mind it remains closed on Monday and visiting hours are 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Many of us pass years before final decision to visit this nature's feast adored by a human ( 2400 years ago) Kanheri Caves just near Borivali, Mumbai. It took me 50 years to reach this point, since my first visit to this city in 1965. Mumbai and caves! Mumbai was built on seven islands. As old sediments around coastal areas of Kandivali shows us, Mumbai was inhabitable since the stone age. It was mainly occupied by Koli fishing community.

An  Adivasi girl Sangita at Nahari Hotel , Pangarbari (near Wilson Hills, Gujarat) teaches us the Indian culture and way of welcoming guests! On 15-Jun-2016, my friend Sanjay Mahant and I visited a scenic hill-station in South Gujarat – Wilson Hills (near Dharampur). We wandered during the noon enjoying the view of the hill-station and chitchatting. We just did not think of the time while experiencing the pleasing wind and nature.

It was a Thursday, otherwise a working day at my hospital, but I chose to declare it a holiday because my friend Sanjay Mahant and I asked each other to go for an event at Kanya Chhatralaya, Vagavad (near Dharampur, Gujarat). In turn, surprise visit to this hill-station materialised on 15-June-2016. One of the less visited hill-stations and waiting to be developed for tourist needs, this is one of the best hilly places I have ever seen. If you want to share nature in a less crowded, say lonely place, Wilson Hills is for you. This 2500 feet high place is 25 km away from Dharampur and 130 km from Surat. We can easily reach here by very good roads in the scenic Western Ghats. What nobody knows about this hill-station is, this is the only place 2500 feet high showing glimpse of the sea!

Our recent tour of Kutch landed an interesting coincidence. I (Dr Bharat Desai), my wife Dr Bhavana, and our friends Dr Vijay Desai, his wife Meena Desai, Bepsi-ben and Villoo-ben made three nights and four days plan for Kutch - Bhuj.

After voluntary retirement as Government Medical Officer, my wife Dr Bhavana (Devyani) wanted to have a vacation and I joined her. The long break of 14 days (2 weeks) was starting on date 9th March 2011 and ending on 23rd March 2011. We planned to stay at Rahul’s (our son) residence at Bangalore and return to Bilimora. Vacation - is stopping the continuous job/work and retire at some place at leisure. We know vacation is a change of activity and we did that. It is a recess, say a break or temporary cessation of routine work. Is vacation necessary ?

My Car  to Desai Eye Hospital My wife’s car ( Dr Bhavana Desai )  to Bilimora Railway Station Sayaji Nagari Express  to Surat Auto Rickshaw  to Dayalji Ashram (a Marriage Function) Walk  to God Dod Road Auto Rickshaw  to Dr Bhaskar D Acharya’s Bungalow Car  to Surat S.T. Bus Terminus State Transport Super-fast Bus  to Navsari Local Bus  to Eru Cross Roads Three-wheeler Tempo  to Khara Abrama Three-wheeler Tempo  to Amalsad Three-wheeler Tempo  to Bilimora Brisk walk  for early home

National Conference on Mind-Body-Medicine Mount Abu August 6-10, 2010 Part-I The Journey Part-II Stay, Food, and Beverages Part-III Mount Abu in Rainy Season Mount Abu in Rainy Season With clouds wandering around you and raining at a different speed, greenery at Aravalli hills is maddening the artist/poet in anybody.

National Conference on Mind-Body-Medicine Mount Abu August 6-10, 2010 Part-I The Journey Part-II Stay, Food and Beverages Part-III Mount Abu in Rainy Season Part-IV New Friends

National Conference on Mind-Body-Medicine Mount Abu August 6-10, 2010 Part-II Stay, Food and Beverages Continued from Part-I The Journey Stay at Gyaan Sarovar, Mount Abu Staying with 9 other persons in the same room - a dormitory - is a rare experience worth trying. You get this experience only at youth hostels trekking programs.

National Conference on Mind-Body-Medicine Mount Abu August 6-10, 2010 Part-I The Journey I was one of the 750 consultant doctor delegates of India, attending this conference between 6 to 10 August 2010. My love for nature and temptation to wander at Abu in the rainy season brought me here. I shall share my experiences of the event with you. I shall describe the academic part and other experiences step by step, with short articles. I invite you to be with me. The Journey I was boasting that it was worth being alone, but the pride vanished when the journey began in loneliness and eating alone became difficult. Bilimora to Valsad was by car accompanied by my wife Dr Bhavana and friend Anilbhai, then Ranakpur Express drove me to Abu Road Railway station. Despite all the comforts and air-conditioning, I could hardly sleep, because, I had to leave the train early morning at 4. Three persons - Dr Bhavana, BK Jagruti, and the coach attendant woke me up, but I was ready long before they tried....