Tag: Around the city in a MH-12…

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A Dream Come True

They say a person’s age should be judged by how long he lives on in people’s memory rather than how many years he/she spend on earth. In that case, Dr Nitu Mandke continues to live today via thousands of people he had operated upon. An excellent cardiac surgeon, it was indeed a cruel turn of fate due to which he succumbed to a heart attack in 2003. It was his dream to build a cardiac hospital in Mumbai. His untimely death only delayed this effort. The hospital was inaugurated on 26 January 2009 in Mumbai, much bigger than originally planned and inclusive of other specialities as well.

Dr Nitu Mandke completed his school and medical education at Pune. His family and friends organise a program on 31 January each year to commemorate his birthday. The simple program yesterday devoid of undue emotionalism was highly motivating. A fitting tribute to a great human being.
Key take aways:
Like its important to get a good teacher, a teacher too looks out for a good student
Dream big and then stay focussed on your goal
Work towards your target one step at a time
14 Feb is round the corner. It is the Congenital Heart Defects Day. Spend a few minutes learning about this condition. Some congenital heart defects are completely curable and children go on to live meaningful happy lives.
Best!
Archana
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Steamy Affairs


Jangli Maharaj Road is easily the street food leader in Pune. They say that if one eats dinner out each day on this road then one can easily spend a year and not repeat a food outlet. While this may be an exaggeration, family restaurants stand cheek by jowl with roadside thelas, fast food outlets and more.

For foodies in Pune every new entrant is a subject of study!
‘Steamy Affair’ thus came under our scanner. There are no prizes for guessing what is on offer….
A simple standup outlet, idlees are the USP. Ranging from the normal fluffy white to more exotic sounding Kancheepuram, shevai and corn idlees, Steamy Affairs even offers special ‘varai’ idlis for those on a fast. Of course these are restricted to Thursday and Saturday.
Each serving is accompanied by sambhar and chutney and it doesn’t take long to demolish it. While the sambhar could do with more vegetables, it does have a typical ‘Puneri’ taste. Chutney passes muster. 
Besides idlees there is not much else on the menu except few beverages.
Priced between Rs 12 and 20, the pinch to the pocket is bearable.
Certainly worth a visit when in the area.
Yenjoy!!
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Divine music

Pt Rajshekhar Mansoor of the Jaipur gharana presented a wonderful recital in Pune recently. Despite not understanding fine nuances of classic Hindustani fare,   I was totally mesmerised by Panditji’s rendition of uncommon ragas. Compositions in Bhimpalas, Barari, Gouri and Basanti Kedar had us enthralled. A report cited Panditji as saying, ” the only thing a musician can do is to humbly and with dedication request the ragas to come to him. The ragas then decide whether they will come to the musician or not… No one can master them, we are learners and will remain so forever.”

Though Spic Macay works to introduce traditional Indian culture to our youth, majority of the audience was over 50! 

Panditji’s devotion to the art shone through as he did not let poor organisation by Spic Macay and FTII bother him. I hope the organisers take note of their blunders. 
Take care all!
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Sawai Gandharva Music Festival 2008

The annual musical feast for Hindustani classical music lovers begins today as is usual at the New English School, Raman Baug, Shanivar Peth. To be held over four days the 2008 festival is particularly significant as Pt Bhimsen Joshi the founder of this festival has been selected for the Bharat Ratna.

Those of you who could not manage to buy ‘season’ tickets you can try your luck at the venue itself. However do remember that security has been tightened this year. Bags, water bottles and cell phones will not be allowed inside. There are usually many food stalls so hunger pangs should be taken care of.

Here is a brief overview of the program. Please note that the list does not indicate sequence of performance by the artists.
11 December 2008,1600 hours onwards:
Tukaram Daithankar( Shehnai)
Krishnendara Wadikar
Suhas Vyas
Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma (Santoor)
Pt Ajay Chakravarty (Vocal)

12 December 2008, 1600 hours onwards:
Farhan Khan (Sitar)
Anuj and Smriti Mehta
Prasad Kharpade
Devaki Pandit (Vocal)
Malini Rajurkar (Vocal)

13 December, 1600 hours onwards:
Ganesh and Kumaresh
Arshad Ali
Madhup Mudgal (Vocal)
Pt Rajan Sajan Mishra (Vocal)

14 December 0800 to 1200 hours:
Pt Ronu Majumdar (Flute)
Pt Jasraj (Vocal)
Vinayak Tovi
14 December 2008, 1600 hours onwards:
Tejendra Majumdar
Srinivas Joshi
Aruna Sairam
Madhura Dandge
Prabha Atre
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Divali Pahat- Celebrating Diwali the Puneri way

Here is wishing one and all a Very Happy Healthy Safe and Prosperous Divali!

With stock markets not offering much cheer I’m sure each one of us looks forward to more ‘Prosperous’ times.

In the meanwhile, Punekars are set for a musical feast in the upcoming Divali week.
Traditionally Punekars are discerning audiences and being accepted by Punekars is something all artists look forward to.

Here is a brief roundup of something to choose from on your दिवाळी पहाट:
25 Oct 2008: 7 PM :Ghulam Ali: Ganesh Kala Krida


26 Oct 2008: 530 AM: Sudhir Phadke’s songs by Shridhar Phadke and Kavita Jambhekar at Bharat Natya Mandir

26 Oct 2008: 6AM: Performance by Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa ‘young ones’ at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha. This program is free so rush for the passes!!
26 Oct: PM: Shankar Mahadevan and others at Ganesh Kala Krida

27 Oct: 6 AM: Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra at Garware Sabha gruha

29 Oct 2008: 530 AM: Kaushiki Chakravarty at Yashwantrao Chavan Natyagruha

I may have missed some so closely scan the entertainment pages in the Marathi papers. Its worth going through the grimy black newsprint so brave it out folks!

Sadly English dailies do not carry all such ads.

Happiness Always!
Archana

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Ganesha Hamesha


Every year, we look forward to the Ganapati festival. Ganesh mandals continue to proliferate at a rapid pace, I counted five in a space of 100 m in under the Paud phata flyover.

Each year, civic authorites urge people to immerse the idols in specially prepared ‘houd’ (tanks) so as not to pollute the river. This year I found volunteers of ‘Yugpath’ (a youth organisation) on hand to collect ‘Nirmalya’ and even kept satistics of the number of idols immersed in the tanks. (The photo above shows the tanks set up beside the river)
We did not really think what would happen to the idols thereafter. The ones made from ‘Shadu’ ( a type of river mud) were meant to dissolve yet a large number are also made of Plaster of Paris. They obviously would not dissolve. We left it to the God to fend for himself mainly from the Pune Muincipal Corporation it would seem.
According to reports in the Pune Mirror, the PMC is supposed to transfer the PoP idols to a quarry nearby (Pune Mirror did not find any evidence of that). They actually ended up throwing the idols back into the river which by the next day did not have much water. I shudder to think of the condition of the idols, which just a few hours prior we protected with our lives from any damage……
Other than environment issues, it raises some questions in my mind about our commitment to our ‘guest’ at home for ten days in the form of the idol. If we can behave in this manner towards Ganapati then other irresponsible human behaviour currently the norm is a forgone conclusion.
Ganesha is a ‘Vighnaharta’ ‘Sukhakarta’ ‘Dukkhaharta’. God does not expect anything in return yet we ply him with flowers, modak, silver and gold ornaments. Celebrations become grander and more opulent each passing year. Yet we do not think of the idol once the ‘uttar puja’ is done.
Surely there has to be some solution for the 21st century. Religious experts must offer some solution.
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Marathi Bana- मराठी बाणा

After a long long wait we managed to attend the 655 th show of the hit Marathi musical ‘Marathi Bana’. We had been warned to take seats at the back of the theater and go armed with cotton ear plugs. That sort of had me a bit wary plus the huge dent the tickets made in my wallet.
I guess Marathi theatre is coming of age as Ashok Hande- the all in all of this extravaganza- has successfully wooed middle class marathi manoos to shell out big bucks for something that they already know but have forgotten.

But what show! Superb! The 120 artists sing dance jump their way into our hearts. The costumes, props, attention to detail is excellent. While 20 vehicles cannot manage to make their way straight on Pune roads without getting into a jam, the stage has over 30 men and women dancing in perfect sync with not a step out of place. Looking from a physio point of view, these young gals and guys are extremely fit and flexible. Energy levels remain high through each performance and the artists seem to enjoy every moment of it (except probably some of the lead female singers!- cant blame them it was past 10PM when the show began!) The ‘bharud’ and dance depicting the ‘Ambabai’ is par excellence. The tribal dance and the ‘lavani’ got a vociferous call for an ‘encore’. Lighting is used imaginatively and the musicians (about 15 of them) stayed on stage all throughout.

Does it seem like 10/10 for all departments…..?
Well the one that goes down is audio for the simple reason that it becomes deafening and can actually cause your heart to go thud thud at times… All parts of Maharashtra too did not seem to be represented.

Ashok Hande himself is the able ‘sutradhar’ and leads from the front.
Full marks to him for the concept and execution.

All in all, don’t miss it for the world.
Smiles!

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Citizen Journalist’s Meet

Meri News.com in association with SIMC and Lokmat had organised a meeting of Citizen Journalists at Pune on 26 July aimed to take inputs from CJs to prepare a Citizen’s Manifesto 2067. The panelists included experts from diverse fields and some came forth with concrete points. Matthew Mattam a social activist and President CYDA put forth six interesting points for India in 2067 the important ones being, that candidates not be allowed to contest elections more than four times, there should be 50% reservation for women in the Parliament- and most of the representatives should be below 45 years. Prof Dhulia a senior official of IGNOU came up with an interesting suggestion that there should be a stress on informed citizenry and low cost media literacy courses should be available for people. This will help people ‘see through’ what ever is dished out to them via various media and understand what is really happening.
Prof Ujwal Chowdhary Director SIMC ably gave a direction to the proceedings, summing up and adding to various points. A major point he brought out was that politicians need to debate face to face in the public (like their US counterparts). Let there be a healthy exchange of ideas and not mere verbal bashing.
The General Manager of IBN could have spoken more giving an insight on what the industry has to say but he chose to transfer the job to his editor- I missed his talk due to time constraints.
The CEO of Meri News, Vipul Kant Upadhayay explained his idea behind the venture. An important point he made was the lack in quality and numbers of people choosing teaching and defence as a career.
Attendees then came up with their own points. A senior retired Naval officer rightly pointed out that it is important to visualise what India will be like in 2067, what will the population be and plan to deal with it. His emphasis was on infrastructure. A gentleman from the UK, raised the relevant point about protection for rights of Citizen Journalists especially if the points they raise are unpalatable.

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Laxmi Road

Laxmi Road situated in the heart of Pune is the fabric centre of the city. Sarees, menswear, kids clothes, fabrics of all varieties and cost are available here. Though the city is rapidly growing in all directions Laxmi Road remains the ulitmate solution for many clothing needs. Saree shopping in particular is unmatched in this area. Despite many upscale retail outlets sprouting up in many areas, Laxmi Road is the place to go for uniforms, books, rainwear, plastics, raw materials for arts and crafts etc.

Appa Balwant Chowk (lovingly called ABC) located a stone’s throw from ‘LR’ is populated only with book stores and those too of the academic kind! So for all engineering, medical, law, entrance tests, school or anything else under the sun, head to ABC. Avoid Sundays as many stores remain closed going against the usual city custom of Monday closed. Mondays too are avoidable as one then cannot club the trip with other shopping.

What is the need to club, you may well ask? Pune traffic being what it is reaching Laxmi Road can be a harrowing experience irrespective of weather you are on 4/3/2 wheels. To say parking is a nightmare is an understatment.

On my visit last evening, Laxmi Road was in its full glory. It seemed as if all of Pune had descended on this one square kilometer. Traffic was choc-a-bloc, there was no space to walk as the footpaths were full of hawkers, two wheelers and what not. The seething mass of humanity seemed to be all hurrying from one shop to another. Be it the jeweller or the new-style garment stores, toy shops or the road side thelawala, all did bustling business. Laxmi Road certainly showed no signs of the much talked of inflation and consequent affect of people spending powers.
I gave up trying to enter the famed ‘Tulsibag’ a small shopping cluster located in the maze of bylanes. Yet the place is full of exclusive stuff so dear to Marathi households that items from there find their way on the shopping lists for NRIs to take to far away lands.

Laxmi Road does not have many places in terms of food joints to recharge tired limbs though there are many tiny outlets selling fast foods. The best idea is the go the Deccan Gymkhana and recoup at the many excellent cafe’s there.

Its these crowds that are the very soul of Laxmi Road, go there on a weekday morning and you will not recognise the place to be the same.

Laxmi Road has a special charm, something exclusive to offer each time I visit. Any number of malls may come up in Pune, yet Punekars cannot do without Laxmi Road! Me a confirmed shop-o-holic can vouch for it!

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Sinhagad calling

Finally we did it! Setting all mundane chores aside we went up to Sinhagad this morning. I admit I was a bit apprehensive about the heat (its above 40 deg C) hence started the climb at 6AM. I fully expected to be one of the few going this way but was in for a huge surprise. At that hour, with birds waking up with their morning songs, we met some people coming down – torches in hand.

As we made our way up, it was a veritable ‘jatra‘ there (mela-fair). People came in cars, on two wheelers and in buses all to climb up the about 700 m high fort- Pune’s pride. The climb is about an hour of continuous uphill work. More if one is not used to regular exercise and less for the fit and with less crowds.

The view is breathtaking. There is no need to worry if one is on the right track, just follow the hordes!

Just as one felt the urge to stop, there was a gentle cool breeze that gave a soothing touch to the burning muscles and lungs. There are few stalls selling sugarcane juice or lime juice enroute but one can make it up without this nourishment. Leave it for the top!

The most amazing thing was that majority of those on foot were in the age group of about 40 years. Ladies and men alike enthusiatically went up with radio for company. Luckily the solid rock face held off cell signals so one could truly be with nature. Children were the next largest group and surprisingly youth ranked the least. We even met some really old gentlemen who must have been above 60 yrs atleast who climbed up easily, putting others to shame.

As one looked up I spotted the setting moon along side the Doordarshan tower in the tender morning light. A beautiful sight (photo above). The backwaters of the Khadakvasala dam could be seen snaking behind the hills.

The final climb is the steepest and narrowest but locals are there to assuage our stress with cooling lemon juice, curds (in earthen pots), buttermilk and plain cucumber. All exhaustion just melts away as one sips the simple fare. Those really hungry could walk ahead for ‘junka bakri’ (Maharashtrian roti made of Jowar served with chilly and onion) or ‘bhaji’ (pakora). We decided to give these a miss fearing the Sun and began our descent. Surprisingly I found that part to be tougher than going up as the stones had loose soil which made the track slippery. We made it up in 55 minutes (good time I am told) and the return journey took the same time.

As one looks up one can see the serpentine queue snaking up the bare brown hillside. Buses ply between Swargate and Shaniwarwada to base of the Sinhagad fort beginning as early as 5 AM on Sundays. From then on its by bus 11! Carry your water, essentials in a backpack, wear a pair of sturdy shoes with a good sole. Cap and suntan lotion are a must for this season. That’s it. You are in business. You can catch a bus back to town once you are done!

The trees are totally bare now but come the first showers, will be a riot of green. Those visiting Pune must make it a point to visit this fort. And do go on foot if possible. The visit is worth discovering every muscle in your body!
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