Pune city was once a heaven for people residing here and was an aspiration for many to come and settle here. Now this city is a city of BAD roads or no roads at all, electricity problems, traffic problems, safety problems for women and decreasing of greenery.
Main roads have such huge potholes that we have to search for the roads in between potholes. Driving becomes an everyday circus. Traffic police trying to regulate the traffic are beaten up by citizens. Auto drivers dont entertain you if you have to go nearby. If you have to go to a place which is far away then you have to pay half of the return fare. What policy is this? Senior citizens who cant walk much dont find an auto because they have to go nearby.
Commonwealth games are round the corner. Countdown has begun. But roads are not in place, flyovers are not complete. Hotels are still not in living shape. No posters or hoardings which suggest that the games will be held in the city are to be seen. Instead what posters do you see? Some politician is celebrating his 43rd birthday, or some other corporator is visiting some place for some inauguration etc.
Money was put in to make cement roads is now used to make tar roads because the games are approaching and there is no time to make cement roads.
If this is the condition of the city, why the hell are we paying taxes? Where is our city and our country heading to??? Can we ever be a developed nation with such rampant problems and politicians who like to best ignore all this?????
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Ganpati festival was for me the best time of the year apart from Diwali. This time I found myself thinking when will this mess get over and when will things get back on track again.
Today Ganesh festival in Pune is nothing but blaring music which has nothing to do with Lord Ganesha, Dadagiri right from installing pendals right in the centre of the road to collecting "vargani", unwanted traffic congestion on the roads, hours of traffic jams, wastage of electricity and the list just goes on.
These ganesh mandals do not care even if the loud music disturbs senior citizens. Many senior citizens cant handle this loud music and many need to be admitted to hospitals. People are stuck in traffic jams due to the ganesh processions on roads, the ganesh pendals in between. Already tired with days work people take a good 2 and half hours to travel the road which otherwise is travelled in less than 30mins.
Will all this ever stop? This is just increasing day by day. Police authorities try to stop this, but the political pressure doesnt allow them to do so.
Will lord Ganesha ever bless us for torturing Him like this?
Today Ganesh festival in Pune is nothing but blaring music which has nothing to do with Lord Ganesha, Dadagiri right from installing pendals right in the centre of the road to collecting "vargani", unwanted traffic congestion on the roads, hours of traffic jams, wastage of electricity and the list just goes on.
These ganesh mandals do not care even if the loud music disturbs senior citizens. Many senior citizens cant handle this loud music and many need to be admitted to hospitals. People are stuck in traffic jams due to the ganesh processions on roads, the ganesh pendals in between. Already tired with days work people take a good 2 and half hours to travel the road which otherwise is travelled in less than 30mins.
Will all this ever stop? This is just increasing day by day. Police authorities try to stop this, but the political pressure doesnt allow them to do so.
Will lord Ganesha ever bless us for torturing Him like this?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Panhala
Almost all the weekends and holidays after we shifted to Pune from Bglore we've been travelling. But this travel was never a leisure travel but mostly socializing and meeting up with relatives whom we were "supposed" to meet. Finally we found one weekend free and snatched the opportunity to just relax and take some time out for ourselves and each other. We finalized on Panhala and to our pleasant surprise it was a welcome relief from work, socializing and other unwanted stress that was killing us both.
Panhala is one of the oldest forts of Maharashtra or rather should I say India. It was an active headquarter for kings since the times of Mahabharata to the recent Britishers. It is a well maintained fort with clean surroundings, well preserved structures which give you a feel of the Maratha Empire, the humble guides and decent hotels to stay.
Weather was supportive throughout and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. Our guide was so well-versed with his knowledge that he gave us all the minute details about the fort and we felt as if lived through that time! It was awesome feeling roaming about in those huge structures and imagining and visualizing how it must have been then......
A few pictures!!!
The Sajja Kothi - This place was used for numerous purposes. The ground floor was used for secret discussions and to plan missions. The upper floor was the place where Sambhaji, son of Chatrapati Shivaji, was kept under house arrest.
The view from our room.
The view from our room.
The view from our room.
This building consisted of 3 floors. The lower most was a well which provided water to the fort and the near by villages all round the year. The next was a place for the soldiers to rest and also an opening to a secret door. The topmost floor was used to keep a watch on the enemy. From outside of the fort, only the top floor is visible and hence was used to fool the enemy.
The Teen Darwaja - A beautiful construction. This was one of the main entrances to the fort. This road also lead to the Konkan area of Maharashtra.
Panhala is one of the oldest forts of Maharashtra or rather should I say India. It was an active headquarter for kings since the times of Mahabharata to the recent Britishers. It is a well maintained fort with clean surroundings, well preserved structures which give you a feel of the Maratha Empire, the humble guides and decent hotels to stay.
Weather was supportive throughout and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there. Our guide was so well-versed with his knowledge that he gave us all the minute details about the fort and we felt as if lived through that time! It was awesome feeling roaming about in those huge structures and imagining and visualizing how it must have been then......
A few pictures!!!
The Sajja Kothi - This place was used for numerous purposes. The ground floor was used for secret discussions and to plan missions. The upper floor was the place where Sambhaji, son of Chatrapati Shivaji, was kept under house arrest.
The view from our room.
The view from our room.
The view from our room.
This building consisted of 3 floors. The lower most was a well which provided water to the fort and the near by villages all round the year. The next was a place for the soldiers to rest and also an opening to a secret door. The topmost floor was used to keep a watch on the enemy. From outside of the fort, only the top floor is visible and hence was used to fool the enemy.
The Teen Darwaja - A beautiful construction. This was one of the main entrances to the fort. This road also lead to the Konkan area of Maharashtra.
