Tag: Around the city in a MH-12…

Posted on

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

Posted by Picasa
0
Posted on

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!

0
Posted on

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!

0
Posted on

Botany at Forty

I love trees, plants, herbs, shrubs… in fact almost all green (and not green) things that grow in nature. When setting up our home at each posting the sight of similar vegetation growing in our garden or even our residential campus gave a comforting familiarity. I almost looked upon the trees as a friend. While the Neem was rampant in Bidar, this tree was not as easily found in Assam. I never did think I would miss Neem even amidst the widespread greenery of the East. Yet miss I did. Ditto for the bamboo when we moved out from Assam. Often I recognized the tree or the blooms but did not know their names… I did try to Google their identity but success was not assured… The feeling was akin to not knowing the name of a close friend…
A course in Field Botany seemed just what the doctor ordered. I would be able to learn not only know names but habitat, classification, growth patterns, characteristics of many many more green friends. Full of josh, I made copious notes, referred to my old photographs and supplied notes. The first discordant note appeared after a few lectures. It was March on the Tekdi and being a dry/moist deciduous forest (my newly acquired gyan!!) the trees that had become bare in winters were just springing forth with tender shoots. While previously I would have admired their different shades of green and so on, I now found myself trying to analyze shape of the leaves, their arrangement on the stem, the stipule (if any or if modified), petiole, venation etc etc.
I started carrying my Cell Phone just to take photos of leaves for my homework. I did not have time to admire the forest that was bursting back to life nor for the few flowers in full bloom that tried to attract my attention with the fragrance…. Walk became work and study. Suddenly it began to lose its charm particularly when confronted with an unidentifiable specimen… I seriously contemplated going back to an indoor work out…
On the botany front, we had progressed to inflorescence. This is not to be confused with flowers. Our module was so designed that we would be able to view (study) most angiosperms that grow in our part of the world. Naturally my bonsai too were blooming. My daughter and I were admiring my Kamini (Murraya panniculata) with when she suddenly dropped a bombshell. At least that was what it was to me…
“Aai what is this type of inflorescence called?”
“Hmmm… Looks like the inflorescence is of the determinate type…”
“Yes- that is cymose. Go on…”
She has a biotechnology background so I knew I would not be able to bluff my way through this one…
“Is it a dichasial cyme?”
“You tell me…”
I started at the bright red fruit looking for inspiration. How come that branch had escaped my pruning shears after the flowers had wilted? I felt about three feet tall and was immediately transported back to the early 1990s but with roles reversed. To be specific, I was the child answering a viva!! I wished the flower would talk back to me describing itself. I did talk to my plants did I not?? There was no help in sight…
The Cell phone rang and took my daughter’s attention away and I breathed a sigh of relief… That call saved my day.
I still have to work on a presentation and luckily I have the freedom to choose a topic. Mainly I have to describe in details whatever trees I choose. That means I would have to undergo more of what I have just described and plus some more. I have to describe the stem, leaves, inflorescence, fruits etc etc… Is it an herb or a shrub or tree?
The timetable shows that our ‘abbreviated course’ will have four lectures on the flower even though we will not be studying microscopic characteristics. Will I ever be able to enjoy the fragrance of a Tuberose or admire the colours and shape of an Orchid without analyzing its petals, sepals etc etc. Does it have to be beauty or science and can the two not go together?
Suddenly I hated myself for joining this field botany that did not allow me to enjoy my flowers or greenery around me. Did one really need to know the name and biodata of every tree around me? Would I like the Nerium lesser if I did not know that its leaf arrangement was decussate or that the ‘flower’ of my Anthurium was actually a spadix? Would I be less aware of my responsibility to maintain the fast disappearing green cover over my city? I don’t think so….
I have to rush now, my books are waiting…
Wish me luck!
0
Posted on

Tulips in Pune

A very popular song of my childhood (Dekha Ek Khwab…) in the movie Silsila was shot against the backdrop of tulip fields.. Since then I have been wanting to see these flowers up close and luckily for me I did not have to go all the way to Holland for it, nor to the local florist…
I was privileged to see Tulips grown with extreme love and dedication, not to mention hard work by the mother son duo of Madhumati and Ashutosh Sathe. Not only did they generously allow us to view the flowers but gave us a detailed explanation about how they managed this feat (getting the flowers to bloom) in Pune weather, which is not their natural habitat. Mrs Sathe and Ashutosh have been growing Tulips since 2000 and the secret of their success is in the ‘forcing technique’ that they use to get the bulbs to germinate and grow.
According to Mrs Sathe, yellow, red and purple varieties bloom quite well in our climate. Once a flower blooms it stays fresh on the plant for eight days and then fades away. The flowers have a mild fragrance and ‘close’ every night and ‘open’ the next morning.
This year, they were happy to have a flower blooming on Valentines day itself and expect their flowers to continue to bloom till March end. Presently the tulips are the star attraction of their garden.
These flowers are indeed a sight for sore eyes.
Cheers!
0
Posted on

Art to Treasure

In this era of soaring prices, inflation and what have you, one is always looking for new avenues to invest. Avenues that will not be subject to such pressures. Gold, precious stones do not appeal to all or cannot be worn/displayed at will.

However there one more option to consider is paintings. While masterpieces by well known painters may cause you to empty your bank balance, its a good idea to invest in works of other good artists. Hang up the painting in your drawing room/study and become the ‘neighbour’s envy!!

In Pune, a selection of artist Preetima Pande’s paintings is being exhibited at Malaka Spice at Koregaon Park. (This is the link to a report in Pune Mirror: http://punemirror.in/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=Entertainment%20-%20Variety&sectid=63&contentid=201101182011011802203116748291a23).

Hurry, the display is on up to 31 January 2011.
This is a not-to-miss opportunity to acquire some excellent art.
Cheers!

0
Posted on

Ninth Pune International Film Festival 2011 (PIFF)

Not an avid movie aficionado, I decided to become a ‘delegate’ for the ninth Pune International Film Festival (PIFF). At Rs 500 per person (other than for students and senior citizens) it seemed a steal as one could watch movies for the entire day (four a day at some venues) – obviously you had to have the stomach for it … And I refer to more than an overdose of movies. It takes quite something to move from theater to theater as the mind is bombarded with expressions of tormented feelings from across the world extending from love, hate, violence, forgiveness, religious extremism and so on. Spoilt for choice we learnt to ‘study’ the brochure and match it with the schedule and our work and tried to watch as many as possible (11 is the latest score and we have two days to go…)

Not all movies were what we expected but some notable ones were ‘Zeppelin’, ‘On the path’, ‘The Cherry Orchard’, ‘Puzzle’, ‘The Tree’ and ‘How I ended last Summer.’

One way to know about different places is to physically visit them. For couch potatoes reading Outlook Traveller is a good option. I have just discovered that watching movies from different countries is a good way to see that countryside up close. So do make it a point to visit an international film festival being held in your city… We enjoyed the accompanying Japanese arts exhibition and free sushi at the PIFF 2011!!

The disadvantage is that with the movie overload, we do not have time to savour, introspect and let the movie’s thoughts and emotions sink it. So make your choices and enjoy every screening.
I remember a very apt dialogue by the character Matthias Silcher about films in the movie ‘Zeppelin’, he says they”… make time stand still but also fly past…”

Overall the PIFF was well organised but there is huge scope for improvement if it wants to go places. Buying the passes was a stressful experience. I have not yet fathomed the need for Pan card or electricity bill for the same. Of course as films did not have the usual Censor board certificate and had very explicit content I can understand that organisers wanted to be sure that attendees were over 18 years… The screenings were at several venues across town but we were unable to make it to Fame and NFAI Kothrud. My comments on organisation/actual presentation of the movies are in the table below and are obviously based on shows that we actually watched and feedback of other delegates who regularly attended that particular venue.

Quality

Venue: E-square

Venue: Inox

Venue: City Pride Kothrud

Venue: R-Deccan

National Anthem

NOT Played

Played

NOT Played

NOT Played

Announcements

In Marathi and English

Only English

Only Marathi

Only English

Censor Board Certificate

Not Displayed

Not Displayed

Not Displayed

Not Displayed

Interval

No

No

No

Yes

Punctuality

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Presentation Skills of announcers

Needs vast improvment

Needs vast improvement

Needs vast improvement

Needs vast improvement

Age Group of Delegates

Predominantly youth

Mixed age group

Predominantly seniors and baby boomers

Mixed age group

0
Posted on

A divine experience

Overcoming considerable hesitation I went for the first day of the 58th Sawai Gandharwa Festival being held at New English School, Raman Bag Pune. Obviously reached late but enjoyed every second of what was in store for me and thousands others. I am sure you will find many articles that will analyse fine musical aspects of every artist’s performance, this post is anything but that…

The Kabir Nirguni bhajan by Bhuvanesh Komkali pierced the deepest layer of my soul – mind you normally I would never go to such superlatives but his performance demands it. This is the link to the original rendition by Kumar Gandharva: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Vlsdv_z0s

Many of us (self included) may be puzzled by the magic of Lord Krishna’s flute. Can breathing into a hollow wood pipe really create such power over people’s emotions? My doubts were fully eliminated with Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia’s performance yesterday. I have heard his music before but mostly on a CD or the television. Age has not curbed his creativity as the melodious and powerful strains subtly calmed the several thousand strong crowd. No one spoke as one and all surrendered to Panditji’s magic.

By now it was about 945PM and Pune Police are quite strict about the 10PM deadline for public concerts. It was difficult to decide who was more disappointed- Begum Parveen Sultana or all of us as she was given less than an hour to perform. But this very constraint seemed to bring out the best in the Begum as she captured and held the audience enthralled right from her opening notes. That is what mastery over a skill is all about.

I hope artists’ on subsequent days can live up to the high bar set on Day one.
I hope in future the organisers learn to manage time better and ensure that all artists particularly senior ones get sufficient time to present their art.

This year the event organisers have installed a new type of music system. To get feedback about it the ‘sutradhar‘ shared his cell number and then as expected was inundated with a barrage of text messages asking to switch off fans, requests for songs, sound issues etc…

As usual there was a veritable feast for foodies as the line up included modak, puran poli, thaleepeth, karanjee just to name a few…
Here is a photo of the event..

This is the link to the Mahotsav website: http://www.sawaigandharvasangeetmahotsav.com/
Don’t be satisfied reading this post. Go out and experience this one of a kind event.
Cheers!

0
Posted on

Balaji Temple

The Balaji temple near Ketkavale village (turn left at Kapurhol when travelling from Pune on the Pune-Satara expressway) is a beautiful destination that one must visit- either as a standalone trip or whenever one is travelling on Pune-Satara NH 4… Built by the Venky’s group the temple is a striking shape amid farms and Venky’s factories. The best way to get there is in your own vehicle as I did not spot dedicated public transport. I did see some ST buses so that may be an option to reach the main gate.

One cannot miss the turning as there are several hoardings depicting the approaching turnoff the highway. There is plentiful vehicle parking space but is at some distance and the ground is in a bad state- one can almost hear the vehicle tyres crying out loud as one lurches over pointy stones and ditches… You may want to leave your foot wear in the car itself but know that one has to walk quite some distance till the covered temple area that is designated for the official entrance queue. There are titled pathways till this spot, but walking on them anytime after 10am can serve as hot tile therapy for city-bred pedicured feet! We have always gone at the crack of dawn so hot stones were not much of an issue. There is a stall where one can deposit footwear but you cannot avoid the ‘hot’ walk…

Cell phones and cameras are not allowed inside temple premises and can be deposited at the security station. If you can bear to be disconnected from the world, its better to leave them in your vehicle itself for some quality time with God and yourself…

Men and women stand in separate queues and bags are checked. The stairs at the temple’s threshold have jets of cool water that are a wonderful balm to your feet. There are small statues of different gods placed in alcoves at the entrance and around the temple walls. These are adorned in wonderful jewellery and zari bordered colourful silk vastra.

One gets a darshan of the standing Lord in full splendour right at the entrance but one has to follow the queue for a closer view. If the crowd is not excessive, the pujaris offer teertha and place the ‘crown’ on your head as a blessing. There is not much scope to spend a few minutes to admire the jewellery or even restate your requests at God’s doorstep so make sure to do that from afar.

The pradakshana involves walking around the temple courtyard (in a covered veranda) that has smaller idols of other Gods. At the end, devotees get a handful of rose petals and tulsi and the local version of the famous Tirupati Balaji laddo and another food item subject to the time of the day and availability. We have always received lovely warm curd rice as prasad that is a joy to eat sitting in the courtyard outside.

At certain times of the day, temple authorities offer coupons for food- mahaprasad for which one has to walk some more to another huge hall. At a recent visit, we were pleasantly surprised to be the couple honoured to eat the first meal with the day’s prasad, other devotees had to wait till we started eating. The simple meal of rice, sambhar, chutney and sheera plus laddoo and a fruit were the most satisfying meal in a long long time. To top it all, the staff made sure to ask us for a refill and even gave us something to carry the prasad back home…

Presently the temple is under extensive renovations hence the serene atmosphere is rudely disturbed by violent sounds of stone cutting, crane engines and the like. They drowned out the aarti or bhajans or stotra that were played on the public announcement system. The usually pervading smell of burning camphor is hence overtaken by many others that I could not identify and wished to… I guess this is just a matter of time and an unavoidable part of temple improvements.

The temple interiors’ were being painted – the ceiling of the veranda had different coloured regular stencil motifs. The columns and walls are getting a paint makeover as well. I was struck by the paintings on the ceiling of the main temple not as much for their artistry (that was excellent of course) but for the physical difficulties the painters must have had to paint them. Yet not one was distorted.

Here are a couple of photos of the prasad laddoos that are about the size of a red leather cricket ball.

Don’t drool, drive out to the temple this weekend! Its only about45 minutes drive from Pune.
Cheers!

0
Posted on

For Netizens in Pune

The city is reeling from a battering by sudden stormy rain just as we start preparations for Divali. ‘Buccha’ (Milingtonia hortensis) trees are suddenly devoid of their blossoms, the flowers being prematurely driven to the ground by strong winds and rain.
Evening or night rain seems to be an almost daily feature. If you are stuck at home, are not interested in television soaps then what better escape than the Internet?
Here are some interesting Pune based organisations whose services you can avail without stepping out of your front door.

Let me clarify at the outset that I do not have any financial interest in any of these.

  • Feeling hungry? Order meals from a restaurant of your choice for home delivery at Tasty Khana (http://tastykhana.in/). The site facilitates restaurant bookings, has hotel reviews to help your choice. Visit the FAQ page for all your queries. TK does not prepare the meals themselves but arranges to delivery food to your home.
  • Want to assemble a salad? Order it at Green Tokri (http://greentokri.com/Home/tabid/37/Default.aspx). Register for SMS alerts to order your selection of fresh and tasty herbs and lettuce to be delivered at your home.
  • Want to read but too lazy to go to a library? No problem? Join the library at Tender Leaves (http://tenderleaves.com/) and get books delivered at home.
  • For those reluctant to drive their own vehicle and cant find a rickshaw, contact Wings Radio Cab. (http://www.wingsradiocabs.com/). They offer cab hire service for house holds and individuals in addition to several other options- listing them is beyond the scope of this post. Do visit the above link for more details.

On a recent visit, I found that almost all establishments in London had a web presence, their websites featured their menu (along with prices), working hours, took bookings as well. While Pune has a long way to reach that stage, I guess our entrepreneurs are taking their initial steps. Its for us netizens to make best use of the e-space to enrich our real lives.

If you come across any other such useful sites, do share them for our readers.
Cheers!

0