How Lonavala goes beyond chikki to serve as a talent powerhouse

(left): Ceramic ware by artist Bhavana Palrecha were among the many works by locals featured by Lonavala Local at an exhibition last year. Their aim is to make tourists aware of the sheer number of things the hill station has to offer apart from chikki and fudge; Lonavala’s musicians jammed at the first meet-up hosted by Bhatia in December 2021, which led to Lonavala Local being formed

Say ‘Lonavala' and the first thing that comes to mind is chikki (comes from the Marathi word chikkat or sticky), the crunchy squares made from jaggery and nuts that visitors to the hill station queue up outside shops along the highway to pick up for family back home.

There are a number of local lore stories surrounding its origin. The most thrilling is about trains stopping over at the hill station at night during colonial times since travelling through the Khandala ghats was not advisable after dark. The cargo on board usually included jaggery from Nagpur and peanuts from Surat. Locals would reportedly break in and steal the supplies, both of which didn't grow locally. By morning, the jaggery was melted and the peanuts were crushed and all of it mixed and shaped into mini rectangles. The locals would sell the same ‘chikki' to passengers. The more plausible story surrounds the building of the railways from Mumbai to Lonavala, when a sweetshop owner had a brainwave to make a nutritious snack for the labourers.

Happy tourists from Chandigarh hold a bag hand woven by visually challenged senior citizens of a local institute and retirement home at last year's exhibition

The ‘thrilling' version, says Manasvi Bhatia, is what she has heard ever since she moved here right before the Coronavirus-induced lockdown. Bhatia's parents opened up the doors of their bungalow for homestays in 2007. When the brand consultant moved here, she realised that the local residents were a talent powerhouse. And yet, all anyone ever associated Lonavala with was chikki and fudge.

"An autorickshaw driver I knew told me that his wife made delicious modaks. I tried them and was amazed by how tasty they were. I urged her to start taking orders, especially because her biggest challenge - delivery - was sorted since her husband drove an auto," Bhatia tells mid-day. With consistent poking, the couple agreed to take on small orders. During Ganeshotsav, they are flooded with bulk orders, and also supply modaks to a few restaurants around.

Before the year had ended, Bhatia had found women who made authentic Sindhi and Punjabi dishes, singers and musicians, idol makers, photographers and makeup artists. In December, Bhatia hosted a get together at her bungalow to bring all the homegrown talent under one roof. Of the 45 people who attended, five were friends and 40 were local residents.

The next year, Bhatia teamed up with Lonavala resident Viraj Kapadia and launched Lonavala Local, a platform that hopes to increase visibility and give native business a boost. The launch of their Instagram page @lonavalalocal helped promote the talent, while they organised events alongside to showcase the wares.
"Since then," Kapadia gushes, "it's been an amazing ride. We've had countless meetups, workshops, and mixers. Lonavala Local has become a directory for anything you need, want to know or do in the hills!"

Manasvi Bhatia and Viraj Kapadia

Bhatia adds, "Lonavala has everything going for it. It is well connected by road and rail to Pune and Mumbai, it has amazing weather around the year, and it is a popular holiday spot. Yet, there was so much the tourists were not aware of."

The results, they add, are slowly showing. Families have found an added source of income. Some have managed to find more work in their primary profession. "Because people now know that Lonavala is home to makeup artistes and photographers, when destination weddings are organised here, they hire locally instead of dragging professionals from their cities," Bhatia says.

Bhavana Palresha

For some, though, it is not just about the money. Bhavana Palresha is a ceramic artist with a three-year training in Germany. She shifted to Lonavala to live with her parents in 2006 after her husband's death and is now promoted regularly by Lonavala Local. "I have made so many contacts. Ceramic pottery is an expensive hobby; I am aware that pricing is an issue for many buyers. But as someone who is so passionate about it, the platform helps me explain to them why we charge what we do and the effort that goes into making a simple teapot," says Palresha.