Time is almost as fickle as mind. Lately it seems more so. I intend to capture some of the experiences I had in the last two years and some beyond that. Firstly the FC Road. Better known as Fergusson College Road. Fergusson college established in 1884 is one of the finest colleges in the city. It has a Victorian feel to it with its majestic buildings, Gothic arches and well planned and spaced out campus. Each building has a subject like feel to it - I mean the chemistry building actually looks like a chemistry building and don't get me started over the statistics building.
But the actual fun begins outside the college. Savera Restaurant which stands right opposite is always full with the katha type people - (you know the ones who like to hang out, chill, bunk lectures). Then there are places like Chaitanya, Roopali, Vaishali, Horn Ok Please, Venkys, Wadeshwar, goodluck cafe, chocolate house and many more. Basically if you have money in your pocket, you will find the food that you like. Same goes for the shopping variety with many shops selling people with a variety of goods.
But its not just hogging (food) or shopping which makes this road so special. Its the vibrancy, the character which this road shows which brings out various likable features of this road.
JM road or Jungli Maharaj road is named after the Jungli maharaj temple who was a saint and a disciple of Swami Samartha. A large public garden called Sambhaji Park occupies a large section on one side of the road. The Bal Gandharva Rangamandir (Bal Gandharva Auditorium) stands at the corner of Sambhaji Park and J. M. Road. A statue of Rani laxmibai of Jhansi in front of Bal Gandharva Rangamandir is a landmark on this road. Bal Gandharva was a male stage actor who was famous for portraying female characters. And Rani Laxmibai was a female warrior who stood up with valour in a male dominated society. The contradiction is not merely a coincidence. The J. M. Road is one of the busiest places in Pune. It also has many places to eat shop and hang out. Some eating places are Sukanta, Mc Donalds, Pizza Hut etc.
JM road also has Deccan bus stop which is a central connecting point to reach out at various places in the city. The Chitale Bandhu Sweets famous for its Sweets and other mouth watering delicaces.
The Apte Road which hides between these two major roads is a small residential sort of road with no special character as such but still Pune enough to find a small mention in this blog.
So what exactly did I experience on the two mentioned roads. Well I met a lot of people on these roads, I shopped for myself and others. I eat myself and I saw others eating and I also carried back enough parcels from here back to the hilltop. I celebrated here at certain times and I wandered aimlessly in my thoughts sometimes. But some how these roads always seemed nice to me even in the most sad times.
Its the meaning I give - I know that. I am calling these roads nice, they are infact just roads. Plain and simple roads. And now on the cross road of life I remember these roads and I write about them for better or for worse.
By Ninad Tatke.
By Ninad Tatke.
No comments:
Post a Comment