A five hour drive from Mumbai in Sudhir Karnik's 4WD Gypsy takes us to a simple stone structure that serves as Jimmy and Anne's getaway cabin (and, until Sudhir finishes his own just up the road, the Karniks' as well). The view is lake Mulshi, and we are surrounded by wildlife and peace, very different from life in Mumbai.
The weekend is spent much like our own getaway cabin weekends are spent in California - food, drink, storytelling, building fires, swimming in the lake, hiking around, more food, more drink, talking shit, visiting local villages, more food, more drink, increasingly loud storytelling, and finally, an orchestra of syncopated snoring to lull you to sleep on the thin mats we pull out at night.
The video for this segment will center around Sudhir's Mutton Curry, talk of food, and a trip to the village. I would have loved to somehow capture all the storytelling and insight into Indian culture I received via late night rum-fueled storytelling, particularly when Danhu, the "village idiot" came to impress us all with his keen insight and cleverness. The crew was really taken aback by his social acuity, simple sense of life, and on-point sense of humor. They would translate from Marathi (the main dialect of Maharashtra - the region around Mumbai):
"Your dog would not eat for two days because you are gone to go to Mulshi? I could not eat if I was away from my bulls for two days."
There was certainly a naiveté in the response of our crew, so suprised that someone with the different (and limited) education of a small village should have such wisdom and social sharpness. I found it fascinating that they were teasing him so much - it seemed almost mean, but it made for a very real dialogue, and in the end, everybody was saying everything that came to their mind, with no political correctness and no false empathy - with talk of satellites that could see his bulls and house. Then I showed him Mulshi with Google Maps on my phone, and he understood. They gave him loads of shit, and he took it all and gave back. It was great.
There was talk of the local MLA (Minister of Legislative Assembly), apparently he won their vote very easily. "He is a good guy! A friend of my father. He built us a temple." It's like getting a Starbucks in your small town in the states. I witnessed what occurred to me as the start of a revolution as they asked Dhanu "What has changed in your home. What has improved since he started repping you?" Dhanu would hem and haw and tell all the good things he could think of, but the idea of the Minister abusing his position and providing nothing for the village other than a token temple mos' definitely sunk in.
Swimming in the lake was lovely, and I felt it was very warm, while the Mumbai crew felt it was quite chilly. It's hot here. At one point, one of Samir's friends swam across an arm of the lake with his cell phone and I managed to show off my (usually unimpressive) swimming skills by swimming back with it held above my head. Victorious... except we still never got it to work again.
The Karniks and crew have been super hospitable, keeping me feed and sheltered, taking me to Mulshi, and letting me in on their lives. It's been spectacular. Yesterday, Sushi taught me some yoga, today I rode the Enfienld with Sudhir crazy early to a crazy fish market, and tomorrow I head south to Goa to meet with good buddy Chris Michael, in from Brooklyn via a conference in Bangalore. My favorite travel partner. Dope.