Being a Pune-kar

It was in late August last year that I fell in love with Pune again. Being a quintessential Punekar, I have – nay, I am honour-bound to have an obsessive love for my city. Though Pune is a city of traditions, it constantly throws up new surprises, enchanting its denizens, and inevitably bolstering their immovable faith in this city.

 The sky was leaden, and clouds rolled, thundering ominously. I had a scarf wrapped around my face, like every other girl on a bike in Pune. An elderly man on a bicycle came from the wrong side and when I saw the notice pinned on his shirt, I burst into laughter. Indeed, I had to stop my bike to catch my breath. It read – ‘I can’t hear well, pay attention.’

 If I have to name one thing that we Punekars love, it is putting up bizarre sign posts. They are everywhere in the city, liberally distributed through the lanes of the old inner parts of the city, and in the suburbs. Some signposts are amusing and witty, some are thoughtful and others are downright hilarious.

 Warnings about parking vehicles are abundant (Parking prohibited. Tyres will be found considerably lighter if vehicles are parked here).There are posts about charges on asking directions (Charges on asking for directions: under 1 km – Rs 2, under 3 km – Rs 5 and under 5 km – Rs 10), and spitting in public places(The municipality is in charge of painting these walls. Please do not contribute to their efforts). In one memorable instance, complaining about the lack of a police station in the area, a signpost read, ‘Our police station has been stolen. If found, please contact the locals’. The thing common about all these quirky posts is the sarcastic, acerbic humour that is a trademark of this city. There is an innate pride in Punekars and we are extremely opinionated. We take great pleasure in witticisms and professing opinions. This idiosyncrasy is a secret joke amongst Punekars, and a constant source of amusement. One of the most incisive commentaries about Punekars is found in the essay, ‘Mumbaikar, Punekars and Nagpurkar’, written by the celebrated author Pu La Deshpande. The english translation can be found here.

 Located on the banks of the river Mula, Pune is one of the prime cities in India. It was the first capital of the maratha king Shivaji, and later, the seat of the Peshwas. Throughout history, Pune has held great prominence, and it is reflected in the attitude of the city. At the heart of Pune is the old city, referred to as ‘gav’ by the localites. It is a densely populated area, with meandering lanes and wadas. Even though many old buildings have given way to new ones, the spirit of the place is ageless. One almost expects the Peshwas to stride through these alleys on swaying elephants and marching troops. The Bharat Itithas Sanshodhak Mandal, a historical society has put plaques on the houses of men and women who have distinguished themselves by playing an important role in history. And believe me, there a large number of such plaques. On free evenings, my friends and I have often amused ourselves by playing treasure hunt with these plaques, asking the other teams to find the house of a particular individual.

The Ganesh Utsav celebrations have their origin in Pune. Lokmanya Tilak, the eminent freedom fighter started the tradition of public celebration of Ganesh Utsav to instill a sense of belonging in the community and unite diverse factions in the society. To this day, Pune continues this tradition. Hundreds of ‘mandals’ take part in the festival, putting up tableaux of mythological, historical scenes, or those related to social concerns. There are many dhol-tasha groups in the city which have both, male and female members. In July, the groups start practicing and the air reverberates with the sounds of hundreds of dhols playing in unison. There are five main mandals in Pune – Kasba Ganpati (1893), Tambdi Jogeshwari (1894), Guruji Talim (1887), Tulsibaug (1901), Kesari wada (1893). They have the honour of immersing their idols before others, in the river, on the last day of the festival. During Ganesh Utsav, Pune comes alive with sheer excitement of dance and song, and the people throng the streets till the early hours of dawn, taking in the different tableaux of the mandals. It is not uncommon to find girls wandering freely in these crowds. Pune is quite safe, compared to other metro cities. Women can be seen on the streets even late at night. It is one of the positive attributes of the city.

The ‘gav’ area is full of secrets. One can get lost in these lanes and their long memories. Shaniwarwada, the palace of the mighty Peshwas is located in this area. It was burnt to the ground in 1828, but the external structure has still been preserved. The childhood home of Shivaji Maharaj is close to this mighty fort, and has a small museum dedicated to the history of the city. Parvati, perhaps Pune’s most famous temple complex is located on a hill outside the gav area. It is the oldest surviving heritage of Pune, and provides a stunning panoramic view of the city. It is one of my favourite places. In Diwali, the entire hill is lit up by tiny earthen lamps as a part of the ‘deep utsav’. People generally climb the hill before dawn, and start lighting the lamps. Little by little, the hill is awash with the glow of tiny lamps, and there are songs and dances. At dawn break, the lamps are extinguished and I feel older than the city and people around me, and I am transported back in time, when myths were reality and legends were true.

 Juna bazaar is quite possibly the most enigmatic place in Pune. Located near Pune Station, it is a market that sells everything under the sun. It resembles a flea market to some extent. Old newspapers are sold alongside branded retail items and trashed is weighed next to antiquities. It is possible to pick up some really beautiful objects in Juna Bazaar provided one keeps a sharp eye on the offerings.

Often called the cultural capital of Maharashtra, Pune hosts many important cultural festivals. Savai Gandharva music festival, the annual music festival, is a treat for classical music lovers. Vasantotsav is also dedicated to all forms of music, and the Pune festival is a cultural festival, pertaining to folk and contemporary arts. Pune international film festival is hosted at different venues across the city and is an ode to the best in cinema. Pune also hosts programmes called ‘Diwali pahat’. These music programs start at the crack of the dawn at many venues across the city during the diwali festival. It is one of the best ways to celebrate this festival of lights.

 If Punekars like something more than being irascible demagogues, it is food. There are many places in Pune where food becomes more than nourishment for the body. It becomes a way of life. For me, the true essence of Pune lies in Chitale’s bakarwadis and Sujata’s mastani. Chitale Bandhu Mithaiwale is the iconic sweetmeat shop that has become synonymous with Pune. Their products like the bakarwadi and amba barfi are what dreams are made of. Sujata is an ice cream shop which sells the unique ‘mastani’ – thick milkshake topped with ice cream, only a million times creamier, richer and tastier. One of their mastani, ‘Bajirao mastani’, never fails to elicit smiles from the patrons due to the play of words. ‘Cad-B’ or Cad-M is another drink native to Pune. It is a thick chocolate shake, made from a mixture of ice cream, milk and ice, and topped with generous shavings of chocolate. It is heavenly for chocoholics like me, and on weekends, I can always be found hanging out at outlets that sell this drink. At Bedekar misal, we drool over the hot usal, made of pulses, topped with sev and farsan and the fiery tarri, which can reduce even a grown man to tears. I cannot give up this dish for anything in the world!

 The theatre scene of Pune is rich and varied. Experimental and commercial dramas jostle for space in the city’s theatres, and there is never a dearth of patrons. The famed Film and Television Institute, located here, has contributed greatly to the industry. College level drama competitions like the Purushottam karandak, or the Firodiya Karandak, etc, contribute to the interest in theatre and account for the broadening of the city’s cultural sensitivities.

 Pune derives its international character from many places, but most notably, the cantonment area. A relic of the colonial past of the city, Camp, as it is popularly known, has now transformed into a hip destination for shopping and night outs. The walking plaza in this area has proved to be a tremendous success and the people spend their evenings on M.G. road, perusing the shops for interesting items. Camp is at its best during Christmas time. Christmas evenings in Camp are wonderful – you meet a Santa Claus in every shop, and the air buzzes with excitement.

 In camp, one of the most notable places is Marz-o-rin, one of the oldest fast-food restaurant in Pune that continues to brings its patrons on their knees with their delightful array of desserts and meals. Cakes, in Pune, cannot get any better than those at Kayani, the delightful bakery, renowned for its Shrewsbury biscuits and cakes. Both these establishments have been in Pune for more than 40 years, and judging by their popularity, one can say with certainty that they will continue to be a part of Pune’s foodscape.

 One cannot say enough about this city. Being irrevocably in love with it, I can only adore its positives, and accept its shortcomings for what they are. For those of you who’re interested in exploring Pune, and learning other insider secrets, watch out for my next post on Pune, which will provide you a complete check-list on what to do in this city.

[Image credits: www.puneheritage.com, www.swapnil14021979.blogspot.in, Rohit Harip and Jyoti Vaidyanathan]