Pune Darshan

IMay 27th, 2006: Today I finally embarked on a journey across Pune city - to know the place where I live, better. I booked Pune Darshan. The trip started at 9 AM and ended at 6 PM . The trip was both demanding and yet exhilarating. I was always aware that Pune had a rich heritage. I was unaware as to where to start looking. Pune Darshan trip organized by PMT is very good endeavor in helping non-puneris understand Pune better ...

First point was Tilak museum in Narayan peth. This was the residence of LokManya Balgangadhar Tilak. It was also the publishing house of his newspaper Kesari. We can find life size models of Tilak in the museum. Looking from a distance you feel that indeed Tilak is reading in his study.

Second point was Shanivarwada fort. Already been there once. Built by the Peshwas, all that is left of the fort is its wall.

Then the third stop was Mahatma Phule wada - The once upon a time residence of Mahatma Jyoti Rao Phule, a social reformer of the early twentieth century. A passing reference is made to this great man in Nehru's Discovery of India. Located in the twisted and congested lanes of old Pune the house brought back the memories of my ancestral home in my village. It was remarkably well maintained but the department taking care of it should have put enough lighting inside the house to shine on the portraits and other artifacts that were housed inside.

Shinde Chaata - The temple of the Shindes
A magnificent temple tucked away inside a remote corner of the city in Wanowrie off NIBM road. This temple was built by the Shindes. I was in for a surprise when the guide told me that this was built by the family better know today as the Scindias (They moved to Madhya Pradesh and Shinde became Scindia). The most famous of them being MadhavaRao Scindia and Vasundhara Raje Scindia and the current scion Jyothiraditya Scindia.

Katraj snake park (Rajeev Gandhi Udyan)
Until I visited this snake park I never knew that there were 3 types in the turtle family - I always thought there were only two: Turtles and Tortoises. Here I met the third kind, Terrapins - These have webbed feet with claws protruding out of their fingers. Several species of snakes were on display inside. It was very touching to know that the scientist who was instrumental in setting up the park lost his hand due to a snake bite! It seems he still preaches that snakes are harmless and don't harm you unless provoked. I bought a WWF calendar inside the park that now adorns my desk in the office.

Sarasbag Ganesh temple
A very picturesque garden, a small lake in the middle. In the middle of the lake sits Lord Ganesh in his island abode. The temple is serene and cool. The specialty of the temple is that in all other Ganesh temples the snout is bent to the left hand side while here it is bent to the right hand side. Apart from that the temple houses a museum that has various types of Ganesh idols made from all sorts of materials on display. The temple and the garden are great but you have to stand the stench of the lake.

For lunch we halted at a nice little restaurant tucked way inside a quite corner of sarasbag.

Dr.Kalkar museum
This was one of the most elaborate and biggest one-man collections that I have seen. The exhibits were neatly arranged and information was posted alongside of each one. There was very cute Ganesha made out of utensils. Also they were planning to open a new wing in the museum - Mastani Palace - They literally cut out a piece from a palace in Kothrud and pasted it inside the museum as a tribute to the eternal love story of BajiRao-Mastani. When I heard that Sanjay Leela Bhansaali was making a film called BajiRaoMastani with Salman Khan in the lead, I had no clue what it was. Now thanks to the museum I understood that it was a love story between BajiRao, the Peshwa and his court dancer Mastani.

Konark bird sanctuary
About 20 mins away from the museum and outside the city on the Pune Mumbai highway lies a small resort tucked way in the hills. "Konark" is its name. Not until you get into the first aviary, do you realize that this small resort houses a huge collection of rare birds including macaques (giant parrots from south America whose cries are deafening), Ostriches (about 8-9 feet in height), Emus, Cassowary (a bird like the Ostrich except that it is found in Australia) and loads of other avian species. The money you spend on the entry fees (about 10 bucks) is worth every penny. This is private collection and owned by an ornithologist and photography is strictly prohibited (Though I did manage to get a few snaps of the Ostrich and Emu)

Ambedkar museum
The last stop on the tour after the arduous climb at Chatu shringi temple. This museum is very well maintained, neat, clean and has sufficient air conditioning and light. It houses the relics of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar along with the Bharat Ratna medallion that he was awarded along with his personal artifacts. It is adjacent to Symbiosis college in Senapati Bapat road. The entire halle is under a huge dome built in the shape of a Buddhist stupa but only here it was covered with blue cermaic tiles giving it a very modern look. The surrounding garden near the dome make it look like a piece straight out of StarTrek! What struck me was the fact nobody bothered to take his shoes off while entering into this dome that housed the remains of Dr. Ambedkar and even the staff at the museum were very laid back and didn't ask for that to be done.

By about 6.15 PM we were dropped back at Deccan busstop. During the course of the tour I had exposed a complete reel of photographs, bought Rs.200 worth of souvenirs and was exhausted. But I felt good because I now know the city and its heritage better.

http://www.punediary.com/html/punedarshan.html