Man and Mountain Meet – Greenaiders

“Great things are done when men and mountains meet”

-William Blake

While hordes of tourists visit Matheran for a serene weekend getaway, it also attracts several birders, herpetologists, botanists and photographers who are left delighted on every single visit. The place is home to the Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, White Rumped Shama, Brown Wood Owl, South Indian Tree Shrew and the Giant Squirrel-an endangered endemic mammal species apart from other species. However the picture is turning gloomy. Today this quintessential hill station faces burgeoning pressure from several quarters threatening to curse Matheran forever so be it rampant deforestation, large scale and unplanned tourism and development, red tapeism or simply lack of awareness amongst locals. Before all is lost, its time to stir up some Action with a Plan.

ONE OF THE SMALLEST AND MOST VISITED HILL STATIONS NESTLED IN THE NORTHERN WESTERN GHATS OF MAHARASHTRA.

Matheran, meaning ‘forest’ (ran) on the ‘forehead’ (mathe)

Matheran is a bio diversity hot-spot with some of the most beautiful and rare flora and fauna. Supreme Court declared it as an Eco sensitive zone in 2003.

The writing on the wall is clear…Matheran’s Future is tense.

Ecofolks | Man and Mountains Meet

Indeed while Mountains from time immemorial have been a symbol of the ultimate challenge for the mankind, today the challenge in front of humans is to save the mountain itself. Man and Mountain Meet is a two day event to be held at Matheran with a purpose to highlight its importance, create awareness amongst not only tourists but also amongst the locals and also take up several key issues in front of the State Government concerning Matheran. The event is being held with support of Matheran Eco Sensitive Zone Monitoring Committee, Matheran Municipal Council.

Green Initiative

We welcome runners to join us for a chance to run or walk ‘ The Most Scenic Route in India. Because our organization understands the importance and urgency of developing ecologically and environmentally sound practices surrounding our events, we are taking steps to increase our environmental sustainability. Our events impact the surrounding Eco Sensitive Biodiversity of Matheran and our efforts to “reduce, re-use, and recycle” go a long way towards keeping our destination cities both “green and pristine.” BYOB stands for “Bring Your Own Bottle” and represents an effort on the part of race organizers to reduce the usage of plastic bottles/paper cups at aid stations. If you wish to participate, you can carry one or more bottles that can be refilled at the BYOB refill station on the race route. Water will be dispensed in steel glasses at hydration stations, thus avoiding plastic/paper glass wastage. While not mandatory for runners, BYOB is a great alternative for those out there to enjoy the beauty of Matheran & leave it as a better place than before.

Matheran Tree Plantation Drive :

Mathe-Ran,… ‘Raan’ is a marathi word for Forest and ‘Mathe’, literally means Head. To ensure that the forest does not only remain on the top, the valleys and foothill are stripped of trees, we started supporting the Tree Plantation initiatives at Jummapatti, the first railway station on the Neral- Matheran route. We did a tree plantation drive during the First MatheRUN in 2012 along with Anudanit Madhyamik Aashramshala, Mangaonwadi and planted 130 indigenous species of trees. Unfortunately due to paucity of funds we could not provide Tree Guards, which could have drastically redused the mortality rate of trees. But the 23 trees that have survived still makes us proud.

Matheran Tourist Guide Training Course :

As a part of Skill Development for the local educated youths, a 5 day Matheran Guide Training Course was conducted along with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) from 15-19 Jan 2016.

10 educated unemployed youth were trained in various aspects of soft skills and information in local Biodiversity.

Matheran

Matheran is a Hill Station and a municipal council in the Raigad district in the Indianstate of Maharashtra. It is a hill station in Karjat Tahsil and is also the smallest hill station in India. It is located on the Western Ghats range at an elevation of around 800 m (2,625 feet) above sea level. It is located around 90 km from Mumbai, and 120 km from Pune. Matheran’s proximity to many metropolitan cities makes it a popular weekend getaway for urban residents. Matheran, which means “forest on the forehead” (of the mountains) is an eco-sensitive region, declared by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India. It is Asia’s only automobile-free hill station. There are around 38 designated look-out points in Matheran, including the Panorama Point that provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area and also the Neral town. From this point, the view of sunset and sunrise is breathtaking. The Louisa Point offers crystal clear view of the Prabal Fort. The other points are the One Tree Hill Point, Hart Point, Monkey Point, Porcupine Point, Rambagh Point, and more.

- Matheran

Matheran was discovered by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then district collector of Thanedistrict in May 1850. Lord Elphinstone, the then Governor of Bombay laid the foundations of the development as a future hill station. The British developed Matheran as a popular resort to beat the summer heat in the region. The Matheran Hill Railwaywas built in 1907 by Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy and covers a distance of 20 km (12 mi), over large swathes of forest territory. The old Matheran Hill Railway offers several daily trains to Neral – this takes some hours for just a 8 km distance but is a railway adventure. The toy train connected to the mainline rail route at Neral Junction. Neral Junction is well connected by local trains from CST along the CST-Karjat route. The train covers a maximum of 12 miles in an hour thereby allowing the passengers ample time to soak in the beauty of the surroundings.

- History

Mascot

Meet Mr. Ratufa, the official mascot of MatheRUN. Giant Malabar Squirrel ( Ratufa Indica) is the state animal of Maharashtra. Commonly called as ‘Shekhru’, it is found in the western & the eastern ghats.

It is the largest squirrel endemic to India, once abundantly found in Matheran and being rare now. It can still be spotted in the interiors early in the morning or late evenings.

FAQs

Which is the starting point of Mathe RUN?

Mathe RUN will be flagged off from Pandey Ground & will culminate at the same point.

Will the Timing Chip be provided to the Runners ?

Mathe RUN is a Timed event and the Timing Chip & Bib will be provided to all the runners of 21k & 10km catagories during the expo.

Terms & Conditions

I declare, confirm and agree as follows:

(i) The information given by me in this entry form is true and I am solely responsible for the accuracy of this information;

(ii) Have fully understood the risk and responsibility of participating in the event and will be participating entirely at my own risk and responsibility;

(iii) Understand the risk of participating on a course with vehicular traffic, even if the course may be regulated / policed;

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