I have always marveled at nature's ingenuity in the ways she manifests herself, and the one that completely amuses me is the way she can foster relationships and affinities between creatures and milieus. The way relationships between things begin and blossom look so beautiful that it brings a smile to our face when we think about it in retrospect. The endless romance that ensues adds a new meaning to life and opens up a train of events that wouldn't have taken place otherwise. I have always had this belief that life is the sum total of all the experiences we have in our lives and these experiences are the product of the environment we live and grow in. An environment that at first seems a strange and weird place, soon becomes a part of life, a progenitor of newer emotions and a lease of newer life. It feels like life would have been weirdly different and would have meant weirdly insane without it. We belong to this milieu. We have fond impressions on our life from it. We miss it and want to relive it and find a part of our life quietly ensconced in it. Even if the memories are not fond , they look beautiful in retrospect and help us love the ways in which life has become better now. All this is where life's meaning rests i.e. In the pursuit of living, loving, missing and knowing.
I feel nostalgic today, because in a few days time I'll have to leave this wonderful city called PUNE where I spent the 6 best years of my life. The richness of experience, the fondness of memories, the spat of independence and the density of friends that I received here is matchless. From being a school kid to stepping on the pedestal of manhood, life grew to a new level here. When I think about the time I spent here , I can visualize the million ways I have grown and enriched myself. Though the enrichment has been panoramic but I won't spare words here on that front and would like to restrict myself to the way I have felt about this city and its people.
To begin with, PUNE unlike a lot of other growing cities in India is sane. It's core tightly wrapped up in it's tradition with everything else growing outside. One can see and visit the parts of city with exclusively pre-liberalization kind of shops, houses and restaurants and can find them bustling with activity that can rival the ultra big malls. In comparison, Mumbai which is Pune's close associate in location has been following the 'single lane' path to modernity with its old cultural heritage and setup dying slowly. The liberalization change that has swept across some of the biggest cities in the country can be felt here in Pune too. The growing number of residential areas with big shopping complexes , multiplexes, restaurants and theme parks is a testimony to the rapidity with which the liberalization change is taking roots in this city, but this change is not replacing what already existed or maybe the rate of such a replacement isn't obvious. There are still parts of cities where one can foster an acquaintance with the 'bazaar' culture that existed long back and that now happens to survive only in the inner cities of the country. It is enchanting to know that the girls in my college who like all teenagers happen to be children of the liberalization age shop all their stuff from up market malls but throng to the likes of 'lakshmi road' whenever they have to shop for saris and similar stuff .This suburban marketplace called 'Lakshmi Road' reminds me of what markets in India were actually like when i was growing up.
Another unmatched USP that Pune has is its geographical location. Being in the valley and being surrounded by hills gives it a pleasant climate, where the hot summers are cooled away by an eternal breeze flowing down the valley and winters aren't cold because of the close proximity to coastal region.( I remember how during college days, all we friends used to sit in the college lawns on all cool summer evenings sipping the canteen tea, watching the setting sun and gossiping about the girls passing us). What is absolutely enchanting are the rains here. This season lasts for around four months and I can never seem to get enough of it. The beauty of the first rain can't be described . The earthly smell conjures up so many things in the mind and the heart that one just feels like sitting by the window for eternity and hear the thundering clouds, feel the rain drops, pushed in by the gushing wind hit against one's face and miss the days when life was absolutely blissful. A warm cup of tea or coffee will just do the unthinkable. Add to this the absolutely lovable places around Pune (read lonavala, khandala and mahabaleshwar) which are at their beauty best during the rains.
The fast and furious approach to cater to the huge demands of this expanding city has definitely robbed it of it's pristine beauty. No more can I see the clouds meander over the distant hills(the concrete jungle stands in between), the roads aren't liberal enough to allow a joy bike ride after Saturday night parties, parks are no longer the quiet and serene habitats to sit and relax and all traffic 'signal stops' give you the grim view of the poverty and destitution that has become a part of the big city life. Pune is by no means a big city by normal standards, but it's a fast growing city and it's growing real fast. The mass migration of people from surrounding parts and migration of skilled labor from all over the country has started to take a toll on this city. The roads are quintessentially blocked , the restaurants crowded , the parks noisy and the late night strolls risky. I fear that this lovely city might lose its reputation for being clean, safe and serene city recognized all over the country as the city for retired people. When I came here for the first time, I found out instantaneously why it was called so. Where else would one find the glamour of a big city and the romance of a rustic town. When I was in college , we friends spent innumerable hours wetting ourselves in the rain, munching the quintessential 'Bhutta' and watching the gushing 'Mula-Mutha' waters from over the top of a bridge. There were countless nights spent partying at some great but cheap restaurants and strolling around the vacant roads. This city was small in expense then. Traversing from one end to the other took just 1 hour, so every place seemed like home, but slowly as the time crawls on, I have started feeling to be lost at times.Summing up my feelings here is helplessly painful, but to keep things short, some of attractions of this place that will be close to my heart for long are as follows:
1) The pleasure of staying in a hostel, quite far from the city centre. Borrowing a bike from a friend and travelling miles to attend a birthday treat was absolutely awesome.
2) The pleasure of wetting myself completely in the incessant rains before reaching the classes to attend lectures and reaching a restaurant , completely drenched in water and mud and the waiter seeming to have got used to such things.
3) The infinite restaurants and eating joints spread everywhere across the city and catering to all kinds of pockets. I have loved places like 'Riverview', 'Basho's', 'Coffee House', 'The Place' and innumerable others
4) Sher-e-Punjab at Kasarwadi. This restaurant always deserves a special mention. All our college parties were organized here. We had a discount offer here and the food,ooooohhhh!!! It was truly Punjabi.
5) The inner Pune. This is where true and original pune resides. The 'Wadas' and the 'Peths' are some of the oldest city places in the country. Some of them date back to 1st century AD to the reign of the 'Rashtrakutas'. Local language around this part is completely 'Marathi' though 'Hindi' is invariably used at the other parts of the city. It's amazing to see how this part has managed to survive the onslaught of modernization. We have some of the oldest temples and some of the busiest markets here. It's empathic to feel how certain things withstand changes for so long.
6) The 'Ganeshotsav' festival. This legendary festival was founded here around a century ago. To know why it's legendary, one has to see it. The carnival that is an integral part of this festival is mammoth in scale . The roads get clogged, offices get closed and it's 'Pandals' everywhere. Though I have never been a part of this Carnival owing to my fear of crowd, but it's worth everything to be a part of this iconic gathering.
7) The 'MG' and the 'JM' road. They are the heart and soul of the up market Pune. Crowded to the inch and teeming with trendy and hip-hop college people. It also hosts some of the finest shops and eateries in Pune. The 'Sambhaji Park' around JM is a great place to spend evenings at, though it gets crowded on weekends. Just along the park is an old and acclaimed theater 'Bal Gandharv' and for people with a knack for 'Marathi' literature and theatrics, this is the place to be.
8) Next is the famed 'University Campus' and the spacious grounds around the 'Fergusson College'. Fergusson has arguably the biggest campus and it's absolutely serene. Large trees and lush greenery, it's a paradise place for evening strolls. I have fond memories of spending many evenings, walking around this place. University campus is a little more busy place. It's vast and quite green but I preferred not to be around this place during my college days, owing to the notoriety (it's tough grading scheme)this place had nurtured in college circles.
9) The last but equally lovely places are the hill stations surrounding Pune.They might not be like the mighty Himalayas or the magnificent Alps but are breathtaking, particularly during the rainy season. 'Lonavala' and 'Khandala' are just stone’s throw from Pune and almost every Puneite has been to these places. 'July' and 'August' are the best seasons to visit. A bike or car ride should be preferred. Every time I have been to 'Lonavala', I have loved the place. Some great memories are associated with it.
These are all the lovely places ingrained deep in my heart and mind. Pune for me has been more than just Pune. It has been a companion in all kind of times that I have seen in the last 6 years. It has become a part of my lifestyle and my thought processes.I might be leaving it for some time but I know my life will bring me here quite a few times. Pune is changing and I am not happy with it. Like a small kid who snivels when her stuffs change, I too feel sad when this city moves away from it's rut. I know its cynical but I like being cynical. There's bliss in this madness, but then I realize that the Pune I miss will always remain the Pune I loved. Pune might change but the Pune I miss won't, and that's precisely the madness in missing.
