Taljai Tekdi- A place to unwind and get some exercise!

The population in Pune is on the rise with students coming from different parts of India to study and new families settling in the city for job opportunities. There aren’t enough public spaces left in the main city to relax and just be. Even the parks are crowded these days and so where does one go for some peace and quiet? The answer is the hills that surround Pune. Fortunately, we have hills like the Taljai Tekdi, Parvati and ARAI also known as Vetal Hill.

If you live in the vicinity of Katraj or Swargate then definitely go see the Taljai Hills. There are 3 main ways to reach Taljai- You can either go from the back side of Dhankawdi, from Shri Shivaji Maratha College near Aranyeshwar (recommended), and from the back side of Shri Shahu Mandir Mahavidyalaya. There is ample parking for 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers once you reach the top.

You are greeted with a road straight ahead to enter the hills. The road is lined with bhel and chai stalls to the left, and to the right is the Taljai Mata Mandir complex with aangan and kattas to sit and relax.

Taljai Hill Timings: 5:00 am – 10:00 am and 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

What to wear: Please dress comfortably- t-shirts and track pants, sports shoes are recommended. Carry a small light backpack with you which has a bottle of water (no drinking water taps as you go deep in the forest), some dry fruits or biscuits (especially for those who have diabetes- always carry some sort of sugary treats). Also after eating do not throw away your garbage on the tracks, please!

Once you enter the main gate there are 3 trails available, one to the left, one to the right, and one straight ahead. All trails connect to each other so don’t worry. If you’re a beginner I would suggest that you start early and take the shorter loop back to the entrance. The advantage of coming early is that there are greater chances of spotting peacocks roaming around in the forest and so if you’re an avid photographer or an ornithologist, then this is gold.

This place is ideal for getting some exercise and so it is filled with senior citizens, people undergoing police training, college students and families. The weekends are generally more crowded. There are a lot of places to sit down and take a breather so don’t worry. The longest track covers about 7km in total. I would also suggest using the fitness+charity app called Impact, where all you have to do is walk/run and the sponsor donates money to charity based on the kilometers you walked. Check out this link- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sharesmile.share&hl=en_IN Use my code SHREY7CZ after installing the app so that together we share 2 meals to hungry kids 🙂 I use it all the time and I’ve raised about 640 rupees by basically walking.

The trails start from a higher point and slope down to the base, and then back up again. The landscape is kind of dry and scanty with a lot of deciduous trees. Even so, I can still see people planting and tending to new mango tree saplings trying to make the place a bit greener and to avoid soil erosion in the rainy season.

These days we are surrounded by so many distractions that we find walking in nature uncomfortable. We should learn to be comfortable with ourselves, in silence, in nature. I love going for walks here whenever I can. As a kid, my grandfather used to take me and my cousins for evening walks at Taljai and we would have a blast. On our way back he used to treat us with some cold, sweet, sugarcane juice which would be a bonus! I have made a lot of memories here and so this hill will always have a special place in my heart.