Top ten things to do at Thane's Kachrali Lake
Kachrali Lake at Panchpakadi packs in a lot of activities for Thane-ites
The white Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) office at Panchpakadi faces a lake transformed many years ago into a great recreation spot for Thane-ites. TMC restored and vastly improved the Kachrali lake about ten years ago to attract people there for recreation. TMC has taken great care to present a lake across its main office, and you can see that through the rubberized and soft footpath tiles and wheelchair access at the lake entrance.
Though Panchpakadi historically meant five agricultural fields owned by landlords, right now, it is the heart of Thane, with most buildings all around.
Kachrali lake is a pleasant go-to-place at Thane, not just for recreation but more, as you will find out. Finding a parking spot near Kachrali Lake is a challenge on weekends, but once you have done that and enter the lake premises, you will find a children's play area, an outdoor gym, and an amphitheater. The lake also has a washroom facility and gazebos for resting.
Most people come to Kachrali lake for walking or running, a reason why you find scores of people on the five hundred meter lakeshore in the mornings and the evenings. The lake has a fountain that TMC plays for fixed hours and aerators which deodorize the water by continually sprinkling it in the air. The lake renovation also involved decorative lighting, which you can witness if you go there in the evening.
After you enter the lake, you can proceed with the following ten activities in and around the lake.
Selfie with the common Man: TMC has installed a life-size statue of R.K. Laxman's famous cartoon character of the Times of India newspaper, the common man, at a circle on Arun Vaidya Marg. Start your Kachrali lake trip by taking a selfie with the common man in his trademark white dhoti, checked coat, bald head, and umbrella on one shoulder.
Prayers at Ganesh Mandir: After you enter the lake premises through a gate and start walking to your left, you will come across a small Lord Ganesh mandir with a white mooshak (mouse) offering prayers to the deity. This shrine is popular and one reason many visitors come to the lake.
Spot the resident turtle: Regular walkers commonly see the large resident turtle in the water. The turtle frequently comes to the shore, and you can find it resting there. If you ask fellow visitors, they guide you to where the turtle is sleeping at the lake.
Lookup for screeching bats: On the opposite side of the temple are large trees that house hundreds of bats.
Unless you look up, you may not guess that the screeching sounds in the evening are from the bats hanging upside down on the trees and active at dusk. Thane has bats at many locations across the city, and the Kachrali Lake with trees is one of the bat favorites in the city.
Befriend the friendly geese: The lake has a few people-friendly geese, and they are photogenic and pose for pictures!
But, unfortunately, they assume you are there to feed them, which is why they come near you when you see them.
Cat petting, adoption, and volunteer care: A curious practice of some Thane residents is to leave their kittens or cats at the lake, where volunteers feed and give medical care.
You can see numerous (could easily be a hundred) cats and kittens here, and during the lockdown, they would come out and sit at the entrance for food.
If you are looking to adopt a kitten or cat, this is the place where you can do it as the orphan cat population at Kachrali keeps increasing. You could also volunteer to join others in taking care of the orphan cats to feed, treat and help in their adoption by cat lovers.
Listen to the music: Like some other lakes at Thane, Kachrali has a public address system to hear devotional music in the morning and movie songs in the evening. You don't need to carry your headphones but can enjoy the pleasant music they play, sometimes vocal and sometimes instrumental.
Boating: I have not seen the boat in operation for a long time, but the lake has a ticketed boating facility. You can go round the small lake in the boat and around the lone tree on a small island.
Buy cold-pressed oils: Diagonally opposite the lake is Joshi's Aaswad, a small store in the Usha Bhasker society that sells wooden churner cold-pressed oils. If you are looking for oil made traditionally, then this is the place where you can buy from a range of regular edible oils or even the rare, more expensive ones from almonds, walnuts, etc.
Eat out at the 'khau galli': You can end your Kachrali lake trip with a visit to this food street which you can walk to from the lake. Restaurants of the road start a few hundred meters from the lake.
The lockdown restrictions have taken the shine out of Thane's khau Galli, but it still hosts many restaurants. Some new restaurants have replaced the old ones, and others have started newly, and this stretch of eateries is still a popular Thane weekend draw.
The charm of the place is the choice of cuisine in a small stretch which you can cover by foot. You also have the luxury of eating at multiple places in one outing. To learn more about khau Galli, read the August 16, 2019 Times of Urbania issue - A Definitive Guide To Thane's Food Street.
The lake also has a two-story public library and reading room.
With the fast growth of Thane, you find that building hem in all the city lakes, which is no different at the Kachrali Lake. On two of its sides, you find that the lake boundary adjoins homes. The lake has many street food vendors in the evenings at the entrance and along the Palika Marg.
You find fruit and vegetable vendors at the entrance selling their wares in small vehicles and pushcarts in the mornings. Some of these vendors are from outside Thane, and you find that they bring fresher produce than what you could find at supermarkets.