Rashmi's reply to 10 good things about Pune

Rashmi's original blog which I had removed as it did not agree with my views. I thought that I could do anything in my blog, but I was given to know that apparently it is not so.

The sleeping partner in this cribbing venture has finally woken up from the long, self-induced hibernation. And just look what it has taken to wake her up! How on earth can anyone not find 10 things to like about Pune? Even the idea is ludicrous! Three have come from Soumi*, so I'm going to furnish the remaining seven


4. Food! Soumi, how can a food lover like you fail to appreciate the vast number of options the city offers to one looking to feed his stomach? All sorts of cuisines, catering to all palates and wallets are available to satisfy your gastronomic yearnings. You want classy french cuisine? You got it. Fancy some Italian dishes? But of course! Chinese? Naturally! Lebanese? Yup. Iranian? Oh yes! And you can throw in some Continental, Mexican, Japanese, Thai and Malaysian too. Closer home - The ubiquitous South Indian, Manglorean/Udupi, Keralite, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Punjabi, Moghlai, Bengali, Goan blah blah blah... and oh yes, the assal Puneri cuisine too. You could choose to eat on a shoe-string budget at a small road-side stall, or dine in style in a swanky restaurant that charges you to even breathe in their cool fragrant air, or choose something in between too. It's all there for you. And it's not all just 'there', the food's yummy too.


5. Books! The city is dotted with book stores. And it has never happened that in the four years that I have called this place home, that I have failed to find a book that I've wanted. The best part is, these book stores are not deserted, but are always full of book lovers. There are libraries too, for those who can not afford the luxury of buying every book they want to read, and do not like to read books online. But I wish there were more of those (the libraries, I mean...)

6. Music! The number of concerts - big and small, that happen here is simply mind-boggling. The Puneri audience has a reputation of being a 'rasik' audience - very discerning, patient, responsive and knowledgeable. And it is this quality of the audience (And this is not something that 'they say', but rather something from first-hand experience gained from the myriad concerts I make it a point to attend) that draws to the city, the stalwarts of the musical world. And before someone utters a protest, let me also state that I'm not talking of only classical music. You have rock concerts happening here too. The biggies are yet to turn up here, but the local bands that perform at mini-concerts held from time to time, that are extremely enjoyable and very well-received by the city's rock-lovers. There are also recitals in western classical music, but I haven't attended any yet. Maybe sometime soon...


7. Youth! The crowd here is young and vibrant. There are lots of students and young professionals, and for any civilization or establishment to constantly reinvent itself, a dynamic, educated and restless youth is the key ingredient.

8. Weekend Get-aways! Choices are available in any direction you choose to take out of the busy buzzing city. And whether you are looking for a leisure trip, an adventure holiday, a pilgrimage, a beach, a hill-station... you have it all. There are internationally famous holiday destinations as well as little know virgin locales hidden in the laps of the Sahyadris or along the Konkan coast within a few hours of travelling time. And again, you can choose your budget and yet have a fun holiday to unwind over the weekend.


9. Something for everyone! Are you a nature lover? A photography enthusiast? Movie buff? Dabbler in the arts? Gourmet? Fashion-crazy? Adventure lover? Devotee? Student? Interested in theatre? Linguist? Shopaholic? Party animal? Spiritualist? Just idle and looking to pass some time? You name it and you got it. There are places of worship for so many religions! Courses are available for learning so many things. There are museums (if only you'd bother to visit!) and art galleries, tattoo parlors and coffee shops, lounges and ashrams, markets and hobby classes. You'll even find Tamil, Kannada and Telugu movies playing in the multiplexes. I watched Sivaji (without subtitles) on the biggest screen in Inox! Can you dream of watching Shwaas on the biggest screen in a Multiplex in Chennai?

10. Marathi! I love the fact that my mother tongue is spoken here with such pride and love. Of course, the Punekars believe no one speaks the language like they do and simply refuse to consider the existence or even the possibility of the existence of many dialects of Marathi outside Pune, but one tends to forgive them for this folly** simply because they love the language so much. I adore the fact that hep looking college kids, with spiked hair and low waist jeans think its cool to converse in Marathi. And seriously, in what other city would you find a 'Swargawasi Mohammad Abdul Khan'***??


And who said I must stop at the count of ten?

11. Small Metro! Pune has all the advantages of a large city, and yet, if the traffic is smooth, one can go places in a jiffy.


12. Weather! Do I even need to say anything? Even in the hottest summer months, a cool breeze flows in the night.

So, here's a city, that satisfies your every need - it gives you the choice of an education, a livelihood, freedom to practice your religion, entertainment, shopping, ways to nurture your hobbies and have quick holidays at nearby places. The fact that some or all of the above mentioned things may be found in some other city too, in no way diminishes the fact that they're present in Pune, or that one can derive much pleasure from them here. There can be 2, 3, 4 or even more good cities on this earth, can't there? And yet, I can love one of them, because whether or not the others are good, this one IS.

Yes, there's much to be desired - but nothing that's unobtainable. Yes, the traffic's outrageous, the roads pathetic and the pollution and dust overwhelming. But none of these are things that can not be corrected with some (ok lots of) planning and discipline. What is the soul of this city? What is it's essence? I'd say it's the way it's alive and pulsating in so many ways and the way it takes joy and pleasure in everything it does. It has a hunger for knowledge and growth and the finer things in life. Pune has long been lamented to be a city of xenophobic people, but in the past few years, it has embraced the people of so many cultures (and with such elan and warmth), that I can't help but applaud the spirit of Pune.

* And I haven't failed to notice how grudgingly even those measly four have been acknowledged. Hrrrmmmppphhhh! Whatever happened to 'I'm not going to only crib on this blog'???

** Even though one mustn't give up teasing them mercilessly about it, or they'll get all hoity-toity!

*** Name changed to protect the identity of the deceased and to veil the fact that I actually don't remember the name, but I swear there's a street in Khadki named 'Swargawasi xyz Marg', where xyz is a Muslim name.