Pune Diary

I went to Pune for a couple of days .....a very interesting experience.
Calm ,clean,open city .....reminiscent of Mumbai in its heydays.Am sure in a few years to come Pune will face the same space crunch as Mumbai.It has similar 1 room flats where the entire family lives.
Met some really nice down to earth people ....I loved the place.
On the first day I went to the famous Ganpati temple and saw lotuses,fishes in the pond .The pond was actuall teeming with fishes .Then in the afternoon after work we had lunch and we ordered a thali- 5 subjis +soup+pappad+rotis + fruit custard.Quite nice ....
I went t Kayani Bakery there and found it too crowded in the afternoon on a  working day! Couldn't buy the shrewberry biscuits from there :(
Then I tried venturing into the Osho Ashram at Koregaon but was told that it was shut down for visitors till the 2nd of jan.I met a gaurd there who had 'Marshall' written on his shirt .He seemed more like a night club bouncer to me . When I told him that he smiled wryly and said that yes his job was similar to that of a bouncer .He had to make sure that none of the 'Indians' troubled the teeming foreigners there.
Close to the Osho Ashram is German bakery , a hit with red robed Osho followers and youngsters.The bakery is now run by a few Napalese . They all have anglisized accents and no time as the bakery does booming business.
The food there is well like the food at other German bakeries....in Paharganj,Leh. The sumptuous desserts and sweet nothings here are however legendary ....had  a really hard time picking up the delectables.
Well i ordered a burger,chips and salad for Rs 100 .The quantity was sufficient for one .....but honestly did'nt enjoy the burger or chips so much....the salad was good . At the end I took home some 5 cookie packs for friends and family.
A revelation of sorts in Pune was the popularity of Raj Thakre and his cronies.While most people did not like his methods....but they agreed with him in principle.The idea of  bringing glory to the grand Marathas...their culture ,their language resonated with them .People found his style attractive and reminiscent of Bal Saheb Thakery in his halcyon days.
Funnily living in Delhi one doesnt feel the same pull of culture or belongingness. Now I think if someone tries to bring Haryanvi language and its roots to the forefront I think I would instantly distance myself from him.Well my ancestors belonged to Haryana but my parents and uncles and aunts were all born in Delhi.There isnt the same kind of cultural identification with any state if you are in Delhi.
Wonder if others feel the same way