the day hadn't dawned ..but the moment had.
the warriors were ready , but the world was not...

I fitted into my old black T shirt was on my way to Andheri Station. The sun wasn't out yet high in the sky, but then there were no rain clouds that could dampen our spirits

Today two great warriors were going to do the impossible .. .the invincible … the unbelievable .. !!! Travel all the way to Vasai and set foot on the unknown, undelivered Bassein Fort in the district of Vasai, Thane.

Built by Bahadur Shah, sultan of Gujarat, it was initially one of a chain of forts intended to guard the coast against the Portuguese and the pirates. Bassein, however, fell into many hands such as- the Portuguese, the Marathas and finally the British. In the course of time Bassein became a flourishing shipbuilding centre and the famous Bassein stone was very much in demand.

But today it’s a sad remnant of the past. The ruins of the Portuguese fort still stand almost hidden by brushwood and palm groves. Some of the walls and churches can still be seen. Almost on every wall of the fort, there are trees whose roots damage the structures. The Bassein fort needs immediate attention of the authorities, to retain the last remains of this historic place.

Fed on heavy diet of ½ litre of Mangola and Wadas from the honking peddlers of Idli and Vadai . I stepped into a fast train to Virar after getting the signall from Warrior # 2, Prabhudesai N aka “Bahadur Booboo Shah Parelikar”. The journey to Vasai was uneventful, except for the chugga chugging of the near empty Virar local.

Stepping down on Vasai station, thanks to expert GPS navigation by our offshore component Miss Sonal Waydande we reached the ST ( State Transport ) station in no time. The smell of hot piping wadas wafted into my nose, nearly taking me down with it, but “No!!!” , I had other urgent tasks to take care of.

“First it will be the marriage of Bassien Fort , then I will marry myself” said my jocular mind inside my mind.

We only had to wait for a brief moment of time, as our vehicle arrived .. It wore the color Red !! Red symbolises Victory .. and we knew that “Victory would be ours…!!!” We got in and started enjoying the cool breeze as our vehicle cut across the greenery and the various East Indian Villas and Bunglows built on both sides of the road.

The vehicle tender’s (fondly called as “Master” , “Kaka” or “Saheb” ) hoarse voice announced that our destination was just a step down from the vehicle’s stairs. We climbed only to be disappointed by the disgrace the Fort was in … covered all over with creepers, it was on the verge of breaking down. A bunch of colofully dressed women of all sizes and age, washed clothes by, what would have been the watering hole for the King’s horses then. It was a dismal state of affairs. But still spirits not weakened or hampered, we started off with our conquest – of exploring the Fort and rooting our flag high up on the Fort

….to be continued