Hidden Stories: On Pune’s Aundh-Balewadi Link Road, a forest that few notice

The forest has become one of the sites of citizens’ protests over the riverfront development project in the city. Hundreds of people converged here during a march in February – but most, including new residents who make up the area’s changing demography, are not aware of the forest’s significance or even its existence.

A pristine space

Shailaja Deshpande of Jeevitnadi, a citizens’ movement to preserve rivers, says that while the Mutha “has been majorly intervened” as settlements grew along its banks, the Mula river was “much more pristine”.

“Areas such as Baner, Pashan, Pimple Saudagar, Balewadi and Hinjewadi were originally agricultural fields, and there used to be seasonal farming along the river banks. Farmers never touched the rich riparian zone. They had no reason to cut down trees because they knew that the tree and edge lines were protecting their fields by retaining water and maintaining soil moisture,” she adds.

For many years, even as the areas around Baner began to develop, the Ramnadi-Mula confluence remained intact as many urban people did not even know about this patch of natural green canopy.

Deshpande says that since the rivers were seasonal rather than perennial, the water was probably used for agriculture and for animals. (Photo: Jeevitnadi)

“In our culture, a confluence is considered as a holy place, as the recent Kumbh Mela proved. When Pune began to settle, the confluences gained the same importance from the Yadava dynasty onwards. The Mula-Mutha confluence and the Mula’s confluences with Devnadi, Ramnadi and Pavana nadi (river) are important. The Pavana-Mula, Ramnadi-Mula and Mula-Mutha confluences became cultural places of worship,” says Deshpande. At the Ram-Mula confluence, local villagers created fruit orchards that can still be seen after the riparian zone, comprising custard apple, wood apple, ber and tamarind trees, among others.

Cultural spot for communities

“Until 2019, there used to be an island at the confluence that was totally excavated due to illegal sand mining, about which we had filed a petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT). There are NGT directions to restore these areas. Local people called the island ‘sond mala’. Sond because the shape was similar to the trunk of an elephant. Mala means a farm land,” explains Deshpande.

The farmland also had a moat and live springs, with the wetland was called ‘sonar tal’ or golden lake. “Sonartal was in use until a few years ago by the local people during the summers. Children from the nearby villages probably still come to jump off the tree branches into the water. Even during extreme heat, the water is very cold,” says Deshpande.

“Villagers used to take a bath, walk on the grassland, dig the ground with sticks and watch water oozing out. That used to be the sweetest water. They used to fill their matkas (earthen pots) to carry home. Efforts are underway to restore the springs, but the most unfortunate thing is that, because of the pollution of Mula, even the groundwater has been contaminated,” says Deshpande. “We will have to work on it,” she adds.

One of the structures that intrigues visitors to the grove is a well in the forest. Deshpande says that since the rivers were seasonal rather than perennial, the water was probably used for agriculture and for animals.

A sacred grove, protected by locals

Citizens refer to the forest as a sacred grove or devrai. A sacred grove, according to the Supreme Court, is a green patch that has cultural or religious significance for communities.

“The Supreme Court order on December 18 recognising sacred groves as ‘deemed forests’ goes beyond the traditional understanding of forests and conservation. It allows sparse ecosystems of trees that are not documented or classified as forests under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, (formerly known as the Forest [Conservation] Act, 1980) to be protected. The order on ‘sacred groves’ shows an attempt to move beyond the narrow definition of forests. The court has embraced a more inclusive, ecosystem-centric approach that values ecological functionality and cultural significance,” says Deshpande.

In spite of being in urban areas, this forest was being protected by the locals. “Some small children of fishing communities have told me that this is the ‘most beautiful forest in the world’. These are 10-year-olds who have not even gone beyond their own area. Why would they call the Ram-Mula confluence one of the world’s most beautiful places? The only reason is that it has been described this way by their parents and grandparents. That is why we need to learn more about such sacred groves and protect them. There are probably many such places protected by local communities along Pawana and Indrayani also,” says Deshpande. “The Ram-Mula forest is a community-protected site and must be preserved,” she adds.

A biodiversity hotspot

Prajakta Mahajan, a member of citizens’ group Pune River Revival, cherishes some fond memories involving bird watching in the forest. “Whenever I used to visit, especially on weekends, I used to see students from Agharkar Research Institute and other colleges coming here to study botany. Schools used to bring groups to observe the riparian zone and to see a rich biodiversity spot in the heart of the city,” she says, adding that it was an eye-opener to meet researchers who came to the forest to study small river life forms, such as slugs, crabs and dragonflies. “Today, a lot of the birds I used to enjoy watching are gone. The noise of the construction on the opposite bank due to the riverfront development has disturbed their ecosystem,” she says.