One of the reasons roadtrips (in the little blue car) are our preferred method of  exploring the country is the freedom and flexibility it gives you to move along at your own place, stop where you want, take random, unplanned detours and really see and experience the countryside. So when we set out on our Maharashtra Monsoon roadtrip we were excited more than anything else by the prospect of driving through miles of green and yellow paddy fields, thickly forested hills newly refreshed by the rejuvenating effect of the rain and the numerous little villages that dot the countryside.

On one such journey driving through  a village road with fields of sugarcane growing on both sides we were encountered a road side stall advertising fresh sugarcane juice. Now we love some sugar cane juice so we screeched to a halt and made our way eagerly to the vendor, excited to taste some freshly harvested sugarcane. However as luck would have it, the sugarcane harvest in these parts happens only post the Diwali festival in October and the stall owner Sunil informed us that whilst there was no sugarcane to be had, he had other fresh juices and products we could check out.

Now bear in mind that this is a little village stall, on the side of the road up to Wai Ghat, and we really didn’t expect much but as we looked around our curiosity grew as we saw the neatly stacked piles of local village produce. In his little 6 x 6 feet stall Sunil and his wife, were selling an array of products all made by his family with produce from their farms. We saw bright yellow organic turmeric powder, chilli powder, masala mixes for cooking local Maharashtrian dishes, rows of different types of pickles, vermicelli packets and most fascinating of all packets of multi coloured papads made from tomatoes, turmeric, spinach and nachni (millets).

Sunil explained to us how all his produce was farm fresh, grown with no chemical additives. His little store, named after his son, helped the family supplement their income and get a better realization for their produce by selling directly to consumers then selling through regular channels. Farmers in these parts have woken up to the potential of marketing their produce as ‘Organic’, a fancy term in vogue now, though in reality their produce has always been organic. As we drove off with a packet of assorted papads and continued on our drive through Wai ghat, we saw similar colourful stalls line that small stretch of the road. Chatting with Sunil and his wife, with the tall sugarcane stalks swaying behind them, gave us a tiny glimpse into the lives of the community in this part of the state. It is these small chance encounters and conversations constantly reinforces why we travel and the small joys of discovery.

A row of these little village stalls can be found on the road up to Panchgani from Puna, just before you start up the Wai Ghat. If you plan your trip after Diwali you will also be treated to some fresh ly harvested sugarcane juice from the surrounding fields.