Pune, then and now by Vishal Kamat
Ihave some very vivid childhood memories—great and not-so-good of Pune, a city that I visited during school holidays. It was all about a lazy breakfast, cycling down the quiet roads and going to a new place every night for dinner. But what I hated was the Pune culture of the siesta. Rolling out a chatai and chaddar, I’d be forced to sleep by my mom, but all I would do was lie staring at the ceiling.
Pune was a city where you could rejoice the small pleasures of life such as going double seat on a cycle on city roads, making a trip to mandai to feast of jaam, karvanda, fresh tamarind and other goodies or queuing up at Chitale for fresh bakarwadi. Yes, all these things are still there but the innocent essence of simple Puneri fun has now grown into cookie cutter consumption driven large city entertainment. For ice cream, we’d go to Kavre in Tulshi Baug where they’d churn fresh figs and custard apple from Saswad into a large wooden bucket to make handmade ice cream.
Swimming in Tilak Tank is another fun memory. Unlike a disciplined swimming pool i’d visit in a club at CCI, Mumbai, here, people would jump into the water from all directions, in a cacophony of screaming and shouting with excitement. It was more of a mela in the water than an actual swim.
The Chowpatty at Camp was my favourite stop. Inspired, I’m guessing, by Mumbai’s famous Chowpatty, its name was ironic as there is no sea in Pune. Hawkers would line a busy road selling pav bhaji, falooda and chaat. They didnt care as long as you were happy and ate at their stall. I was driving past this road recently and was surprised to note that what was once a ‘sea’ of stalls has now been reduced to merely a ‘stream’. Eating at Chinese Room in Camp was another great treat, it was excellent in times when Pune barely had fine dining restaurants. I remember the early morning breakfast at the Boat Club with its charming colonial architecture and steaming tea in the chilly Pune mornings.
If I love classical music today, it’s thanks to this city, which is the cultural heart of Maharashtra. My parents acquainted us with classical music by taking us for various cultural programmes that are so rampant in Pune. The akhadas and vyayamshaalas where body Vishal Kamat, Owner Fort Jadhavgadh builders would exercise are no longer seen at street corners; quaint houses have given way to modern characterless structures and old restaurants, each with its own charm, are giving way to modern quick service outlets. Today, Pune has grown into a large city comparable with any other and a lot has changed. But joy of eating berries on the road and licking off melted ice cream from my fingers are the 'Puneri Memories' no one can take away from me.