Ganesh Chaturthi Festival in Pune : Part 3

 I wake up with sounds of drums and devotional music précising Lord Ganapati but my day start at 10 when Prayag called me to Aga Khan Palace. Road is same but bustling with traffic and pollution. Aga Khan Palace is small but architecture is interesting and inside this there is good collection about Ganadhi ji. Graveyard of Kasturba Ganadhi’s is also here. Garden is maintained and few tourists are strolling or some are sitting in a corner…

I don’t like this sort of tourist spots much so we move from here soon and went to Rajiv Gandhi Zoo which is again not my interest of place coz I don’t like watching animals confine into fences. I enjoy peanuts and other tourist watching zoo. They are so much amused to see the animals. Some are busy in taking pictures and selfie, which become an infectious daisies these days, to update Facebook status or other social media. Some time I think they do everything for Facebook or other. Anyway its good entertainment for me…

Soon we move from here too and off to FTTI where we are going to watch movie as they show it every evening. Crossing heavy traffic and pollution we reach FTTI but guard send us to National Archive for show. Man, bald head, thin and speaking Marathi, says that show is only for annual members not for outsiders. When I told him I am here all the way from Nainital for the show and when I inquire about show nobody told me about it.  He is a nice person but the way he was talking was very strict. In his strict voice he says - You can see the show but don’t tell to anybody that you are not member though there is no harm in watching movie…

Members start coming one by one and taking seat inside AC hall. Only few members are there but all looks intellectuals. This film is Russian film Amor based on psycho women. First part of the movie was expression wise good but second part was mysterious…

 After movie we went to see Ganapati Pandal in night. Scenario is completely changed this time. Pandals are illuminating with different type of lights. Many pandals are showing different type of religious show to attract the crowed. Watching these shows is also an fascinating experience coz they are depicting religious and historical stories using all the new age technology. It’s an interesting fusion. Every pandal has its own specialty. I came to know that lighting expenditures is very costly but all want to look best. Between these big pandals there are some pandals which are simple and they don’t have costly lights. Seems that some Ganpati are very rich and few are not so rich. Once open there was no DJ culture in Ganapati but now every pandals play DJ though this year there is no DJ because of village tragedy, in which whole village demolished in heavy rain but still few are playing DJ with new movie songs like Jony Jony haa ji…Tune pi hai na ji and Nimbura- Numbura and more. Crowed is dancing madly in these songs. It’s hard to understand relation between Ganapati and these songs…

 We went to see Dagru Seth ka Ganapti for night decoration and no doubt, that temple is looking awesome. This year theme of decoration is Ajenta-Alora caves. Whole area is bustling with crowd but one can see Ganapti far from temple. After Ganapti festival temple would be destroyed and original Ganapti will back to his original place and replica will go in to see for Visarajan…

It’s raining again so we come to Maharashtrian hotel for dinner. Specialty of this restaurant is unlimited Marathi Thali. Hotel is packed so we wait for an hour to get seat. I enjoy Marathi food and specially Sri Khand, which is a Marathi sweet. We back through FC road which is a happening place because collage area. Youngsters stroll here every time make the place happening…

Drizzle has been stopped and weather becomes awesome. Sky is blinking with stars and roads are almost empty and long array of street lights making it charming. Good to drive in empty roads. We cross Mulla Mutha river which is again a happening place of city coz all youngsters come here for date and enjoy beautiful moments and family people enjoy with families. Soon I reach to my room…

Next morning I wake up early as we decide to go for trekking. Pune has lots of fort for trekking. We are going to Purender fort which is 48 km so we will drive long and then our trek will start. It’s drizzling but not heavy rain.  After crossing city we reached to village area. Which is beautiful and due to rain all green everywhere. Road is going between huge green fienld. I can see the hill range which is known as Shahyadri hill range but like everywhere here also unmanaged construction is going on which is destroying nature badly…

 

Anyways road is going to upward and becoming narrower. Temperature is also dropping and fog is all over. It’s hard to see anything due to dense layer of fog. When we move little more upward road become thin and rough. We park car here and start walking but before that we took permission from Army as this area is in charge of Army now. They check my camera and tell- don’t take lots of pictures…

I am excited to see the fort and so as trek but by now heavy rain start. I start trek in rain and fog and soon reach to fort. This is small trek for me. Fort has been almost abandoned but Army is taking care of it now. I get nothing much to explore here so off to other side where I found a small pond full of tadpoles and other water insects. I move forward though its rainy, windy and chilled but enjoyable. This weather making it adventures too. After finishing trek till last point I back to road where I talk with army guard who is from Rajsthan and few days ago posted here. He tells me – now people don’t come here much. Only those come who want to enjoy chilly weather. After this small talk I move to see Shivaji temple and then back…

Weather is getting clear and I can see the valley all green and surrounded by small shahyadri hills. No doubt so peaceful and away from city chaos and pollution. We drive back to city and as we enter into city everything become hot, noisy and pollute. I come to my room after finishing lunch in a restaurant. In the evening, we went to see movie Mardani in multiplex which is again a different world. Everything is glaring with high voltage light. People come here in search of happiness. Though I can see happiness in there smiling faces but don’t know it’s true happiness or fake… 

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