Tag: Around the city in a MH-12…

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Of Trees and Tree Hunters..

Recently I participated in an interesting event- A Tree Hunt organised by the Pune Muinicipal organisation along with some organisations and noted tree expert Shrikant Ingalhalikar. Rest assured this is not another post describing trees. Its about how people reacted to the trees around them.

Instead of wasting time, lets get straight to the point.  Most Tree Hunters were ladies of the baby boomer category. Hardly any men participated and I did not spot any youth- If some did take part, I have missed them.

Our task was to travel along a given route and identify and write down the trees we see on both sides of the road or those in people’s homes/gardens but visible from the road. Simple right?
Wrong!

We were given a list of common trees that would not be counted in the final tally! Now this complicated the situation as Buccha, Khaya, Gulmohor, etc were the most obvious ones and more populous. One could write number of each species thereby getting more points but that gave the event a tinge of being a Tree Census rather than a Tree Hunt. Any way. That is not the point.

Being a sunny winter day, there were many people grouped around trees on the roads. At one particular site, I just could not identify a particular tree and kept going round and round it trying to look for any flowers or fruit. The leaves were too high to be able to touch them so I had to make do with what I could see. A couple of youth had parked their bikes and were busy chatting. They just couldnt figure out what I was doing. One of them finally came and stood beside me and peeked into my papers. Now both of us were peering up at the tree.
“Do you know the name of this tree” I asked.
“No, I am trying to find out!”
Not much help there, so I turned to a shopkeeper with premises right under that tree.
“Do you know the name of this tree? Does it flower and what do they look like”
“I dont know,” he said, “I have never seen flowers in so many years!”

How could anyone ignore such majestic greenery growing above them? If this is the situation with mute living trees, then it explains people’s apathy to reacting to any accident or misdeeds around us….

A little ahead, a tree grew right along side a hutment. It had an interesting flaky grey bark and plenty of legumes hanging amid its leaves. Again this was a stranger to me. Inquires with people there yielded nothing. They did not know the name, if at all the tree flowered or bore fruit (yes, there are some trees in Pune that do not flower or fruit). The tree had grown such that it was almost stuck between two homes. A staircase went up to a home, right along the huge trunk but obviously people gave it as much attention as a stone lying on the wayside. A friend of mine later told me that it was a Phansi (Dalbergia lanceolaria var paniculata). I plan to go back and properly see the tree in April when it is supposed be flowering!!

Across the road was a huge tree with a massive trunk. By now I had no hesitation in asking people around about its name. I still hoped someone would give me an answer; not to ‘help’ my answer sheet but just to reinforce my faith that people paid attention to trees around them. I was not disappointed. Yeah!! There was some hope after all… The gentleman sitting under the tree pointed out a paper pinned high on the bark that listed various trees and this one’s identity was ticked off… Waval… His next question totally floored me:
“Are you going to cut this tree?”
It took me quite some time to explain that I was not any ‘tree authority’ and did not have any such nefarious intentions. I was only trying to identify the tree.

The people living there must obviously be proud of their tree and concerned about its survival. I do hope it is not axed down as part of any development plans.

Trees give us shade, oxygen, flowers and fruit besides being home to some other fauna or at times plants. Like us they are a part of Nature. They are necessary for our healthy existence. Plenty of trees have been cut down in our city for various reasons- some avoidable some not.
Its not too late. Wake up. Look around. Take care of your trees and they will take care of you…
Cheers!
Archana

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Music Festivals: Dos and Dont

Winter is a beautiful season in Pune. Besides lovely weather, excellent veggies (I refer to their quality not price!), sales and exhibition galore, there are usually several cultural programs as well. Despite several artists performing throughout the year, the period following Divali is particularly busy. Music festivals both small and big mean a virtual auditory feast for music lovers! And these are not simple three hour affairs, but are spread over a period of 3-5 days.

Since 2003 I have attended several such ‘utsav‘ because that is what they are – music festivals!  The audience obviously largely comprises die hard music lovers. However there is a small percentage of people who are present there simply to accompany their loved one who loves that particular music genre/artist or to
merely ‘log’ their presence at the event or youngsters (a rising number of them seen these days) who tag along with their ‘group’. Prestigious events like the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen (the last name added from this year) attract Hindustani music aficionados from across the seven seas!


I like music. I enjoy music but for me it has to be in small doses in relative comfortable seating. A full music therapy dose comprising five hours daily for five days is not something that I can tolerate. After a while, the back and neck start complaining and the mind begins to drift as the eyelids droop …
I have now developed a strategy to make the experience more enjoyable.
Those in such a position will benefit from this post. 

  • First and foremost, scrutinise the program and identify the artist that you like. The trick is to arrive late or leave early so one can catch this performance.  
  • Watch the interactions between the supporting artists and other musicians on the stage. I firmly maintain that a live performance demands excellent team work and good leadership as they deftly share the limelight, let others lead and combine their efforts to have the audience eating out of their hands and asking for more—which is what the program is all about! 
  • Next up, carry a book or newspaper or better still, your iPad or Kindle. Dont we read and listen to music at home then why not here?? Do ensure your neighbours are not disturbed.
  • The by now ubiquitous smartphones are a good way to be physically present but mentally absent. There is lots you can do: for starters…update your twitter or facebook status, update your blog…
  • For the tech-averse- look around and watch expressions of people around you, admire sarees of other ladies in the audience (yes, some of them really do turn up in wonderful outfits, exotic bindis and earrings-whether its their normal way of dressing or customised for the event is something I wouldn’t know).
  • Explore the variety of food stalls outside- a must for foodie Punekars (one needs nourishment to appreciate music after all) or stalls selling music CDs etc. Usually one can find relatively uncommon recordings and artists at such stalls. Irrespective of your seating (the elite sofas or the down to earth ‘bharatiya baithak’ all stand in the queue and partake from similar plastic cups/paper plates. After their performance, some artists are often spotted checking out the fare on offer!
  • Scan the people thronging these stalls or the audience rows to identify any one whom you know. This is vital particularly for those who wish to be ‘seen’ at the right places.
  • Carry along a pillow/bolster (especially if your seating is in the ‘bharatiya baithak‘). they are very useful for a quick nap or to support that aching low back! 

As far as don’ts are concerned (ref title post): Those who cannot or will not tolerate music, should best stay away from such events.

We would welcome more innovative ideas. Till then, enjoy!
Archana
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Heritage Walk

A heritage walk in Pune! While we vaguely knew about the history of the Shanivar Wada or the gram daivat (Kasba Ganapati and Jogeshwari) we were very curious to know if there were any remnants from the time that this city arose and developed. We have read about and participated in heritage walks, walking tours of other cities in the world… Reading a book and walking along simply would not recreate history. It had to be a guided walk…

Our wait was finally over with a walk organised by Nature Walk and Creative Outdoors with Sharveya Dhongde as the expert. It was an amazing experience! He ably recreated the atmosphere of a bygone era as we visited some ancient temples that are not commonly know and recounted the related history as we went by.
The ‘walk’ began punctually which is quite a feat for Puneites who are notorious for their disregard for punctuality! This boded well for the next few hours…

A chance meeting with Shri Pandurang Balakawade a famous historian was an added unexpected bonus as he shared his knowledge with us – right there, outside the Kasba Ganapati. A great coincidence indeed! I made the mistake of not carrying a pen and my faithful dairy hence this post is based on my recollections. There are bound to be some gaps which I intend to correct as and when I do get correct info. Please bear with these shortcomings…


First mentions of Pune were in the 11th, 12th and 13th century literature as a tiny settlement on the banks of the Mutha River. There are references to temples, some of which still exist and are worshiped. Our walk that began at the Shaniwar Wada covered some of these sites namely the Kedareshwar temple, Kasba temple, Tambat Ali, Trishund Ganapati, Nageshwar temple, ruins of an old ‘Kot’ built by a Bahamani king and Dhakta Sheikh Salla. The Punyeshwar and Narayeshwar temples do not exist now.

In the above period, making bangles out of shells from Gujarat and a type of pottery was a predominant occupation of Punekars in that era. They traded spices and cotton cloth via ports on the western coast with European countries. The town was pretty tiny then and limited almost only to areas around the present Kasba Peth. Three major odhe (streams) flowed down from the Bhuleshwar range of the Sahyadris and through the town. Easy access to water may have been one reason for the habitation to prosper.

Some time in the former half of 1600s the city was destroyed by Adilshah of Bijapur and a donkey led plough was said to have been used to raze the city. It was only when Jijbai and her young son Shivba came to Pune with the dream to set up the Maratha empire that Pune got a second life. A golden plough was said to have been used to plough the ground to rejuvinate agriculture… Gradually the town grew as did the power of Shivaji… Prosperity came to Pune.
After Shivaji, the Peshwas contributed extensively to city development.

We got a first hand impression of narrow byelanes (called bol, ali in Pune) which were part of the ‘Peth’ development. Street planning in the later Peths is more organised and plot sizes based on use (narrow deep plots for business areas and bigger squarish plots for the then cantonment area in Sadashiv Peth). Dwellings in Kasba Peth were very close – uncomfortably so for us present day urbanites! Yet several hundred years ago it must have made sense to live close together to ward off enemies…

During their reign (from somewhere in the 1710s), the Peshwas created many lakes around Pune and redirected the three main odhe (streams) by building pipelines. This not only freed up land for construction but became a water source since the river water could not cater to the by now rising population. These masonary pipes were tall enough for a man to stand up in and exist till now.

History and growth of Pune during and after the Peshwa rule, during the British Raj and the Independence struggle is available more freely. Most vade (square residential buildings) that exist now are from this period.


It was a wonderful three hours, a journey back in time to learn how this city arose. We appreciate the organisers efforts and Sharveya Dhongde in taking us on back in time. We look forward to more such walks!

Cheers!
Archana
While authorities have made some efforts at restoration or protection of such historical sites more needs to be done. I have included links to some web articles with more information about places mentioned in this post. Do share any historical information or links to them so we all are better informed.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_700-year-old-temple-to-be-restored-by-pmc_1540045

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2002-12-10/pune/27294289_1_fort-mutha-river-kasba-peth

http://www.intach-pune.org/html/18thcenturypune.html


http://www.hindujagruti.org/news/990.html

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Here they come…

Come September and my eyes are uncontrollably drawn to the stately Buccha trees that soar up to five storeys high… Its the blooming season for Millingtonia hortensis, locally called Buccha. There are several Buccha trees on my daily walk/cycling route and these are just about breaking into their first blooms. The next couple of months promise to be a fragrant delight for all those walking/ living near this tree…

According to the book “Trees of Pune” this is an exotic tree originating in Burma. Yet they grow quite comfortably in Pune and in plenty, with most trees lining our main streets… The tube like flowers can be easily woven (pleated) into a veni (like a small garland) . Millingtonia hortensis belongs to the Bignoniaceae family and rarely fruits in Pune but I am told that fruiting does occur in Mumbai.

One shower or a strong breeze and the white flowers come drizzling down, a beautiful sight resembling a shower of stars!! Walking is a pleasure while Buccha is in bloom and every morning there is a veritable flower carpet under the tree.

Am I going overboard with this description? I dont think so. If you haven’t already noticed this lovely blossom then do so…. you will not be disappointed!
Cheers!

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Ganesha in our lives

2011 Ganesheshotsav in Pune was marked by heavy rains and a river in spate for over 3 days in a row. That is not something fresh in our memories. Inflation, security issues, poor roads not withstanding people celebrated with gusto either by bringing home the Ganesh idol or in a community celebration in their neighbourhood.

While the Mutha River is a trickle for the best part of the year, environmental activists cry themselves hoarse about pollution and disregard for whatever water does flow there. This reaches a cresendo in this festival as tradition requires the idol to be immersed. The debate begins right from the type of idol rather the material from which it is made- idols made from ‘shadu chi mati‘ (a type of river mud) are said to be the appropriate ones and they are supposed to dissolve easily when immersed. The other popular material is Plaster of Paris and idols made of this may not dissolve. This not only creates a religious issue of semi dissolved and water soaked idols that have to disposed off later but the water is said to get polluted. The ‘nirmalya‘ or floral offerings have to disposed off as well.
Most people have accepted the idea of recycling and do give the nirmalya at special collection boxes kept for the purpose. But idols is another story. We noticed an interesting phenomenon at one visarjan ghat today:
The approach to the river was lined on both sides with placard bearing activists: those on my right urged people to immerse idols in the specially built ‘howd‘ (water tanks) and those on the left urged immersion in the river. Personnel from the Fire Brigade were at hand to actually immerse the idols in water.
While official figures will be known later, for the half hour that we spent, most people chose to opt for the River. The two photos below speak for themselves.
Most immersions ther were of small idols (usually of individuals or families) or slightly bigger ones (probably a community celebration) and probably the situation may have been different later, we were there quite early at around 3PM.
I know of families who immerse the idol at home itself (the ones made of shadu chi mati). They claim it dissolves in a couple of hours and they use the water in their plants and for neighbourhood trees. The nirmalya is recycled at home itself.
Ganesha is the Sukhkarta, Dukhaharta,Vighnaharta .
After 11 days, we miss him at home.
Ganapati Bappa Moraya, Pudhachya varshi lavkar ya!
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Fishy encounter

This was on fishy encounter where the enjoyment has continued for a long time…
Let me explain.
For days we meant to visit a restaurant called Masemari on Tilak Road (it belongs to Lalan Sarang- an eminent actress in Marathi theatre) and specialises in coastal Maharashtrian fish cuisine. Somehow the thought of reaching the crowded congested Tilak Road had successfully sent us to other eating joints in the city.

However on this particular day we set off on our two wheeler determined to net this catch!!
Masemari situated a few steps off Tilak Road (near Hotel Girija) and we could park right outside the hotel itself but the by lanes had plenty of empty space. This seemed like a good start (oh yes it was, just read till the end…)

There is a fairly big model of a ship on the gate which was quite clear in the dark but may be interesting at daytime. Being Shravan, there wasn’t much of a rush.

The restaurant is not very big and is quite cozy. The wall decorations leave you in no doubt of its food specialty! While I knew of some Konkani food preparations I was not quite prepared for this huge range. The staff was both courteous and knowledgeable about their offerings. They helped clear our confusion and we finalised our order. Sol kadhi was a must, Pomphret and butter garlic Mussels followed accompanied by Vade and Amboli. We wanted to order more but there is only so much that two persons can consume however tasty it may be…

I heavily recommend all fish lovers to vist this restaurant. They deliver at home in a three kilometer radius.

Here is the best part.. I reviewed this restaurant on Zomato (we had referred to this website for the address) and I WON the weekly prize in their Write for a Bite review contest!
This has encouraged me to try out new restaurants and yes review them as well.
You can too. Visit Zomato.com
Enjoy!

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Street food surprises

We have been reading and drooling about street food delicacies available in Pune during the holy month of Ramzan. Never really made the effort of actually going out to sample the goodies. Last week however it was Determination with a capital D that drove us away from our computers and out on the streets.

The article in Sakaal served as a starting point and after consulting Google ‘Baba’ for local maps, we zeroed in on Babajaan chowk in Camp…

We reached there just as the last rays of the sun disappeared from the horizon. Camp with its low rise British era buildings was bathed in a warm golden glow. The determined would be dazzled by the glimpse of the changing colours of the Shravan evening sky, that is, if you could tear your eyes away from dodging kamikaze two and four wheeler traffic..

While we had a general idea of its location, asking shopkeepers and cart vendors was unavoidable. They probably thought we were gluttons of the worst kind, who kept asking for ‘biryani kuthe milel?’ (where can we get biryani?).

Hence the sight of the covered pandal and wafting aromas at Babajaan chowk reassured the surging gastric juices that a return to varan bhaat was not imminent!

My apprehensions about cleanliness were largely unfounded (for the time and day of our visit). Various stalls were arranged in the periphery with several seating arrangements in the centre along with the cashier and coupon seller. One could consult the menu with him or better still, take a walk around the stalls and check out what was on offer. In our case, we ended up getting more confused as to what we wanted to eat. Finally one could only consume so much and importantly our trip was self sponsored! So indulging on dishes we did not want to eat was out of question!

There were kababs of many kinds all sizzling and spattering on coal beds. Aromas from the biryanis and kebabs and rotis and parathas of different kinds rose up to engulf and smother us. They competed as it were to be on our order list! And the meal was completed with delicious phirni and doodhi halwa!

Some difficult decisions finally made, we got our food packed and headed home though eating there was not uninviting. Prices were reasonable and the experience was ‘priceless’!

Before Id, do make it a point to check out these khau galli’s, you will be pleasantly surprised!

Other areas you can explore are Rasta Peth and near Azam campus.

Yenjoy!
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Sinhagad (again)

Sinhagad holds a special place in the hearts of Punekars and I dont mean for its history. If one has not been there, its simply not done. And I do not mean driving up in a vehicle to this hill located at about 25kms from the city. Nah! That’s for non-Punekars! Any self respecting Pune resident will climb up the about 800m (please recheck for precise figure).

Note: its a good idea to double click and view these images…
We had not ‘logged’ a visit for a long time and could finally trek up only recently. The climb up and down was as exhilarating as always. However this time I did find several interesting developments…

For a start the base was swarming with cars with no space to park even at 630AM. This probably is a good sign of people preferring the outdoors… The path that leads up now boasts of solar powered lamps. These must be tremendously useful for several Sinhagad enthusiasts who go up as early at 530AM. You see the true Sinhagad ‘fans’ take the first early morning bus from Swargate, climb up and then come down to the fort- in time to board a bus on its return journey.

As soon as you reach the top the vendors tempt you with dahi, buttermilk, roasted bhutta, nimbu pani, groundnuts, mangoes and cucumbers – all of which I must add are excellent to revive an exhausted trekker! Further ahead one can savour pithla bhakri, bhajee.

Over the years their offerings have remained the same. I cannot say if this a success of desi over FMCG but the cost to transport packaged goods to the peak and then manually carry them to stalls cannot be an attractive proposition for marketers. You see, despite a tarred road going up to the top of Sinhagad, one has to walk all the way inside.

These vendors physically carry their ingredients on their shoulders or head to their stalls so visitors can enjoy a piping hot meal. This dissuaded us from arguing about the price of a cup of tea or dahi!

Looking around I was pleasantly surprised to find the area quite clean, no garbage and surprisingly was free of the usual unpleasant odours. I did not peer into the valleys or the undergrowth but that surely must have had a wonderful plastic collection! But I did find signs that Homo sapiens have not lost their ability to damage nature- note the engraving on the Agave.

The climb down is tougher than going up, or may be as tough. If you are lucky you can get ride downhill in a jeep. All in all, a trek up is highly recommended in this season or the next for that matter!
Dont delay!
Ciao!

This is the link to my earlier post about Sinhagad: https://yenforblue.com/2008/04/sinhagad-calling.html

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Empress Garden


The Empress Garden is one of the jewels of our city one that activists and nature lovers are striving to protect. This is the link to its website: http://empressgarden.org/

Situated in the Cantonment area, it has several huge and old trees that offer cool respite from the heat. While you may have read of the ‘cooling’ shade, one needs to experience it to truly understand. For this there is no better place than the Empress Garden.

On a recent visit, we were mesmerised by a huge creeper that seemed to rise up from the ground and soar to the tree tops. It formed a natural canopy of white flowers that no decorator can match. The vine had some kind of a tall stand erected for its support, but the plant had long left it behind and had used other trees to spread around the entire garden.

A bit of searching and we learnt that it was the Bauhinia vahlii. Some flowers were white, some yellowing with typical bilobed leaves of the Bauhinia. Here is a link to some botanical details: http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Maloo%20Creeper.html

Our camera proved incapable of capturing its glorious bloom but I have added our meagre efforts just to get an idea. Experts say the creeper blooms till June, so those lucky may still be able to enjoy this spetacle.
Enjoy!

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Exotic Trees: Good or bad?

We often read and hear ecology experts criticising trees growing around us. Wait a minute, the criticism is about their species and not trees per se. Their contention is that these trees are exotic (non-native) hence not suitable for our environment.
I was surprised to know that trees like the Gulmohor (Delonix regia) and Glyricidia that grow rampantly everywhere are exotic. Other commonly seen trees that are exotic are the rain tree (Sanabea saman), Shewga (Moringa oleifera), Buccha (Millingtonia hortensis) and Tabebuia varieties. Ecological experts opine that only native trees must be grown in any particular region and not exotic ones because:

  • Exotic species attract pathogens that may damage native species.
  • They compete with local trees for water and space.
  • Their leaf and soil chemistry may adversely affect our native trees. (there may be more reasons, these are just an example)

Their arguments seemed convincing to me till I heard another point of view from learned botanists.

  • The much maligned Glyricida actually is very useful in rural regions as fuel wood. Its branches can be broken easily into short straight bits that can easily be put in the wood stove. The tree grows back rapidly hence provides fuel again. In barren regions, trees like these grow rapidly and provide a green cover.
  • Trees are trees and they carry out their basic function namely photosynthesis. Hence they provide us with useful oxygen and remove CO2. In a highly polluted city this is highly desirable.
  • If our environment was unsuitable to these species, they would not have survived and flourished in our land all these years. We know from our evolutionary history that species may die if environmental conditions are unsuitable.
  • 60% of the food we eat in Maharashtra is said to be exotic. Potato, wheat, tomato, chillies, guava and chikoo are examples of non-native plants that we eat, experts told me. So then what do we eat if we shun these exotic species??

I guess we cannot just kill off trees growing around us. They give shade and greenery in a cement and concrete jungle. What can be done is to make sure that native trees do not suffer, there are new plantations of native species.
What do you think?

By the way, an excellent resource to know about trees around Pune is a book called ‘Trees of Pune’ by Shrikant Ingalhalikar and Sharvari Barve.
Cheers!

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