I closed my eyes and let the forest seep in.

The faraway sounds of the birds made its way to my ears, the gentle breeze danced around me, along with it came the earthy fragrance of some unknown tree. Thoughts settled and made some space for the calmness to fill in. It was a perfect moment, where I was one with nature and that translated into being one with myself.

‘Now you all can open your eyes,’ the words of our host Shreya, the founder of The Localway, reminded me where I was—in the midst of the forest in Aarey, in the heart of Mumbai. It takes so little effort to connect with nature, were my first thoughts as I grudgingly opened my eyes. But surrounded by the noisy city life, we almost forget that we are part of this healing nature, and it takes just a single sincere moment to reconnect with it.

Aarey forest, or famously known as Aarey colony, is a part of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, and is known as Mumbai’s green lungs, no wait, it is the only lungs that Mumbai has.

The Nature Trail

As we walked further on our nature trail, the co-host Manisha, who belongs to the Warli tribal community who lives inside the forest, shared that Aarey has not yet been officially declared a forest, even though they have been fighting for it for years. A part of it was declared a reserved forest in 2020 though.

As our nature trail continued, we saw trees which were uprooted and replanted when the metro shed was built, some have survived and some have not. There was also a long wall built in the forest to create a zoo and some commercial buildings, but because of protests by the tribal community and conservationists, the work has not proceeded further.

Though she is worried about the forest where generations of the Warli community have been living, she promptly puts it all behind and enthusiastically shows us the indigenous plants, trees and fruits which are part of this biodiverse forest.

Know the flora

She gets us to taste the Adulsa plant which is bitter but cures cough instantly, a fruit when crushed produces a bright yellow colour just like a highlighter, leaves which leave a minty flavour in the mouth, tender branches which produces bubbles for kids to play, and we also see some old trees like the ghost tree and the teak.

As we walked on learning and growing in awe of the flora in this green patch, Manisha warned us not to touch or eat anything without seeking her permission, as some of them were poisonous too. She pointed out a bunch of beautiful red and black coloured seeds which looked like ladybugs and told us this was the poisonous kind that she was mentioning. Case in point, looks can be deceptive, so beware.

The fact that surprised me was when Manisha mentioned that there were 222 tribal bastis in Mumbai. But only 59 are now left. Rest of them have merged into the city with development. And out of these 59, 27 live in Aarey colony. Even after living in Mumbai for a long time, I was unaware of this. I have always looked at Mumbai only as a city, with its scores of high rises. Sometimes we have such a myopic view of things around us.

A beautiful Warli house

After a long walk, conversations about forest life and communities that have been living in sync with nature, we reach Manisha’s house. The first thing that strikes you is the Warli painting on the wall. Warli communities worship nature as their God. So, their paintings contain elements of nature and everyday life. And do not miss the leopard in the painting, the leopards that inhabit this wide forest area. Did you know that Sanjay Gandhi National Park has the highest density of leopards in the world?

As we settle in, we are served hot batata vada and herbal tea to recharge ourselves. Shreya keeps the fun going and pulls us all into a few games. Between laughter, songs, and quiz, we all bond and get to know each other.

Manisha then brings out plates filled with rice powder, coconut and jaggery. It’s time to make modak. As we experiment with different forms and shapes of modak, we laugh at each other’s silly creativities and relish in it.

Holi celebration in Mumbai’s forest

And then comes the main event that we had all signed up for—Holi. There is a spread of different flowers, leaves and berries. We collect a bit of each in tiny cups and then Manisha instructs us on how to make natural colours with it. The kids in the group are excited as this was the much-awaited activity for them.

We all squish the flowers, add water, squeeze out the pulp and are happy to see bright colours coming out of it. Then no one can resist but apply the colours on each other and squeal out in joy. We run around and play to our heart’s content. The colours feel light on the skin; we are thrilled to try the different combinations. The ones wearing white are attacked with hand stains on their back.

The festival of colours

Light-heartedness and fun are what symbolize this festival of colours. Holi marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring, an open celebration of the change in season and new beginnings. And this experience inside the forest has opened up something new in me too.

After a hearty play with colours, we are served a traditional simple meal of bhakri, pithla, bamboo shoot sabzi, chatni, papad and the dessert was the modaks that we all had attempted to make. Our conversations continue over the meal and post that too.

With a happy heart and a happy stomach, we say joyful goodbyes to each other.

For a short time, I forgot I was in the middle of a city like Mumbai. For a short time, I got to be with nature. And for a short time, I got to know more about Manisha and the other tribal communities that call the forest their home.

As cities develop, the line between conservation and development begins to blur. But such experiences are an important reminder of why we need nature, forest and the people who protect it. Such experiences remind us we need to protect nature as much as the people living inside them.

P.S. For this one-of-a-kind Holi celebration in Mumbai or for more local experiences, connect with Shreya at The LocalWay or connect with Manisha to know more about Aarey forest or to learn Warli art, she’s a great artist.