The most recent episode of The Dewarists featured bands Parikrama and Agni with singer Shilpa Rao. (Shilpa Rao is the voice of Ek Lau from Aamir.)

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The Dewarists has cracked the Coke Studio formula that India has been trying for so long (and failing with Coke Studio at MTV and MTV Unplugged India). This one just works.

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I didn’t like the music in this episode. You may well disagree; it is a matter of taste. The reason this episode is special to me is it was shot in and around Pune. You will see the beauty of the Western Ghats (known in Maharashtra as the Sahyadris) in the monsoons. These are the mountains where I took baby steps in trekking and backpacking. This was a mere 4 years ago although it feels like–and it has been in several ways–a lifetime since then.

Even today, I count Sahyadris in the monsoons as one of the most unforgettable and peaceful places I have been to (and I’ve been around a bit).

I vividly recall one trek from those days: Torna to Raigad. Sitting somewhere in my drafts folder is a half-written post about the trek. I do not think it will ever be completed. You may see its photographs for now. While the mountains are as soothing as ever, the photographs and captions embarrass me now; I had to change a few its to it’s before sharing the link. For me, it is a snapshot in time.