Skip to main content

When we were young

Once upon a time there existed a peaceful neighbourhood in Pune called Aundh. Perhaps the almost magical somnolence was related to being far from the maddening crowd. Kids cycled to schools, adults sauntered along the kadappa-paved footpaths to shops and, true story, cows could spend afternoons patiently browsing at one corner of Parihar Chowk. The police workshop was a buzzing hive of activity during the day but the massive tree and creeper cover provided plenty of shade for sparrows, owls, squirrels, mongooses and cuckoos.

The city fathers, operating on the principle that all good things must come to an end, eventually turned their beady eyes towards this slumbering haven and dealt the coup de grace in a jolly roundabout maneuver popularly known as Hinjewadi Infotech Park. Cut to more recent times, where the same neighbourhood is now a chaotic hellhole choc-a-bloc with traffic, all of which seems to be headed to a plague spot called the Westend Mall. While assholes parade up and down the road sheepishly parking their bikes and cars in illegal ways, stuffing their pimple and cholesterol filled faces with a ghastly assortment of crap, longtime residents of Aundh suffer in silence.

Perhaps no blow has been more cruel than the joke called the Smart City Initiative, of which Aundh may be a dubious beneficiary. How else is one to explain:

  • The narrowing of roads on which cars and bikes have increased, wait for it, 50X FOLD
  • The digging up of perfectly leveled kadappa footpaths on the workshop road and their replacement with concrete interlocking bricks which neither interlock nor level out
  • The wonderfully timed running out of money to finish whatever the hell the motherfucking politicians were attempting on the Bremen Chowk road, leaving, I kid you not, half a footpath jutting out onto the road
  • The turning of grass and bush covered police land on the workshop road into a quagmire of broken pipes, an abandoned Indica, packs of hostile stray dogs and mounds of rubbish (a legacy of the improvements being undertaken on other roads)
  • The Westend & Reliance Malls AND DMart: Seriously... explain these turds and their location along ONE SINGLE-LANE road
  • The illegal pottery and nursery flourishing on designated park land opposite Aundh Gym
  • The illegal food stalls forming a triangle of evil along with McDonald's and Westend Mall
Then again, the steady, calculated degradation of Aundh isn't so surprising no? Just another lovely example of India, where vested political interests, myopia, dumbfuckery and assholery agree to cluster-fuck the ordinary tax-paying citizen till kingdom come because we're too busy trying not to get killed at what some droll bureaucrat would call the Parihar Chowk 'signal'.

There's no point in getting nostalgic but I am unashamed to declare that I miss the old Aundh. It was a better place and I am reminded of it every time I walk, or rather, resignedly hop, skip, jump and twist on the footpath along the workshop road.

Song for the moment: Chasing Pavements - Adele

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Longfellow Serenade

Dear reader, A conversation in a buzzing bar over a mug of beer got me thinking on today's theme; the writing of a letter. As with many of the shared contemplations I've had, we spoke about it for the sake of the flowing idea, the peculiarly gentle glee in being able to use what have commonly been referred to as 'big words' in actual conversation without having the threat of perplexity hanging in the air. Perhaps you have & enjoy these moments yourself. Mayhaps, you have debated the same theme ? Nonetheless, I often ponder upon the march of time & technology that has left me regarding life with some ambiguity. I appreciate technology & how it has made living easier on many levels. I do not hanker for the b/w television nor for a computer with 16 MB RAM & the large floppy disk. I thank the heavens for air-conditioning & the photocopier. I use the internet a lot. The Dark Ages or in India's case, the years up to the 1990's, had their moment in ...

Everlong

In the greater scheme of things, 3 years probably means very little. When you find yourself mentally rewinding through the last 3 years however, perhaps the burden of time hangs heavier. Why has this come up ? Not being around for the last 3 monsoon seasons, I'd almost forgotten why we're obsessed with the rains. Those who care enough have a check list of things to experience, gleefully cross off items one by one. Gastronomically, there's a bounty of items that's tied to our memories of rain. मक्का, चाय, भजिया, पकोडे, समोसे, दोसा-साम्बार ... the list of steaming hot tangy & spicy food that seduces the palate through the length & breath of India in the rain is quite likely endless. If you are from Pune however, there's something you may just have experienced in your teens and college years. And are quite likely hankering for now, as you stare at the glinting droplets of water, the gentle roar of rain and the emerald newness of the leaves. I refer to biking in...

Fortune of the night

So there you are, pleasantly buzzed.The crowd mills around you & there's a feeling of mild claustrophobia in the air. You can feel cold beads of sweat meandering ever so slowly down your spine & your heart is pounding. You are not quite sure why but your eyes rake the room, searching anxiously. Then, you see her. And just like that, time stops or slows down to do a waltz in time to your heartbeats. You can't explain it but there's a funny, compressed exaltation in the pit of your stomach. All you are doing is watching her. She slides a lock of her hair behind her ear & the simplicity of the gesture thrills you. She is unaware of your eyes, that you are watching, that every particle of your being depends on living just that movement. She smiles... And you realize you are in love. Song for the moment: 9 Crimes - Damien Rice