Memories of my city - Pune
Pune has been known by a plethora of sobriquets. Popular among them: Queen of the Deccan, cultural capital of Maharashtra, pensioner's paradise and Oxford of the East. Pune is one of the historical cities of India with a glorious past; innovative present and promising future.I had the most wonderful memories of my life in pune and believe me, which helps me to spend some hours in sleep. My city has given me all the fun and leisure I could ask for.
Starting with some memories, like the sun was high up in the sky. It was almost noon, and all the classes were already dismissed. The parking lot was slowly filling up with mingling college students. Simultaneously, the two wheelers were causing minor traffic jams at the small entrance to the college. Our small group of students were trying to decide what they wanted to do with the rest of the day. There were several suggestions, then it was unanimously decided that the appropriate first destination would be Madhuban, the haven for idli-sambhar, masala dosa, onion uttapas and to top it off, a cup of filter coffee. A little general conversation, a few PJs and the atmosphere was perfect. It was just after the breakfast rush, but before the professionals took over at the lunch hour. And somewhere in between were all those lovelorn teenagers, trying against all odds to find a private nook in the busy restaurant. Main Street was the place where anyone and everyone could be found. That you had met them in college just a few score minutes ago didn’t matter. Each time you passed some acquaintance on the streets; you couldn’t help but yell out in excitement! Lunch was either outside or then taken at any of friends home. It didn’t matter that your mom was expecting you to join her!!
Koregaon Park was never far from us in the hot, steaming summer days. Prem’s was where we went for the most cosmopolitan breakfast. Baked beans on toast, omelettes, pancakes, anything goes as far as food in the posh and calm surroundings were concerned. Oshoites were seen at every nook and cranny and just listening to their different stories gave you food for thought and topics for conversation for days to come. If you were broke, you just sat on the steps in college, chatted with people, and shared pranks you could play on unsuspecting friends and lenient professors. (All of those with a nice sense of humor, though!) Bunking lectures and just sitting around with a group of friends, getting opinions and ideas on different topics. Management accountancy and QT classes were just another place to meet people. Accounts were just another excuse to better your social life. And then, who wanted to really study when there were so many more important things to do.
The Jaws, was another hang out place, I think it’s closed now. But Café Delight (CD) was one our favorites after Parsi Gymkhana & YMCA, Just like another home, swimming, table tennis, pool. Haaaaa from pool I remember one of my friend he was treating the cue stick as a hockey stick and hammering the balls. F**k man the stick broke into two, and then they started playing marbles (Gotiya) with the balls. This resulted in the early shutdown of the pool room, before 8 in evening. My friend thought me how too lean on the table tennis table for cheating, and yaa we two use to throw empty soft drink bottles in the swimming pool from the gym on the first floor. The life guard at the pool use to wonder, from where the hell these bottles land up.I have taken some pictures during my last vacation, and up loaded in my earlier posts,
Starting with some memories, like the sun was high up in the sky. It was almost noon, and all the classes were already dismissed. The parking lot was slowly filling up with mingling college students. Simultaneously, the two wheelers were causing minor traffic jams at the small entrance to the college. Our small group of students were trying to decide what they wanted to do with the rest of the day. There were several suggestions, then it was unanimously decided that the appropriate first destination would be Madhuban, the haven for idli-sambhar, masala dosa, onion uttapas and to top it off, a cup of filter coffee. A little general conversation, a few PJs and the atmosphere was perfect. It was just after the breakfast rush, but before the professionals took over at the lunch hour. And somewhere in between were all those lovelorn teenagers, trying against all odds to find a private nook in the busy restaurant. Main Street was the place where anyone and everyone could be found. That you had met them in college just a few score minutes ago didn’t matter. Each time you passed some acquaintance on the streets; you couldn’t help but yell out in excitement! Lunch was either outside or then taken at any of friends home. It didn’t matter that your mom was expecting you to join her!!
Koregaon Park was never far from us in the hot, steaming summer days. Prem’s was where we went for the most cosmopolitan breakfast. Baked beans on toast, omelettes, pancakes, anything goes as far as food in the posh and calm surroundings were concerned. Oshoites were seen at every nook and cranny and just listening to their different stories gave you food for thought and topics for conversation for days to come. If you were broke, you just sat on the steps in college, chatted with people, and shared pranks you could play on unsuspecting friends and lenient professors. (All of those with a nice sense of humor, though!) Bunking lectures and just sitting around with a group of friends, getting opinions and ideas on different topics. Management accountancy and QT classes were just another place to meet people. Accounts were just another excuse to better your social life. And then, who wanted to really study when there were so many more important things to do.
The Jaws, was another hang out place, I think it’s closed now. But Café Delight (CD) was one our favorites after Parsi Gymkhana & YMCA, Just like another home, swimming, table tennis, pool. Haaaaa from pool I remember one of my friend he was treating the cue stick as a hockey stick and hammering the balls. F**k man the stick broke into two, and then they started playing marbles (Gotiya) with the balls. This resulted in the early shutdown of the pool room, before 8 in evening. My friend thought me how too lean on the table tennis table for cheating, and yaa we two use to throw empty soft drink bottles in the swimming pool from the gym on the first floor. The life guard at the pool use to wonder, from where the hell these bottles land up.I have taken some pictures during my last vacation, and up loaded in my earlier posts,
These small things you remember when you are lying down on your bed, in a strange country, with strange people as neighbors. You don’t regret your decision of leaving your motherland for another country. But a little nostalgia helps keep those happy memories evergreen and fresh in your mind. It gives you an urge to push just that inch more, to prove to the world that you have made the right decision. To make it in another country, one that is not your own has a heady feeling of its own. Life goes on with your daily routine taking the place of the uncertain college gallivanting. Responsibility towards your family not only with you, but also back in India motivates you to work all the more harder to prove your mettle to the world. And the last but not the least is the happiness that you feel when you see your hard work pay off. But I really miss my city.
posted by Tanveer Khan at 10:37 AM
5 Comments:
yes man,good memories of ymca nicely written
great memories there, i dint know ymca is also in pune
good memories yu have there
pune rocks
good,i wana come there once
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