PURANI DILLI in APRIL

Interesting name

We are a group of friends from all over India who have come together through a common link. We knew each other for the last forty years as we belonged to our common link, but about five years back we all renewed our friendship as we  got in touch with each other as free birds without any encumbrances. We meet  on a  specified Sunday of the month, when all of us walk together, talk a lot, laugh even more and then sit down for breakfast in a place where we ensure that our friendship does not get tarnished by anything.

We go by the important dictum," Dosti packki, kharcha apna apna"

Our haunt is usually the Nehru Park near the Ashoka Hotel. It is only rarely that we have changed the venue and have gone to the Hauz Khas park or the Lodi Garden.

One fine Sunday  morning in April after our walk, while having breakfast we realised, that we were in almost full strength that day with the exception of our permanent defaulters. Someone came up with the bright idea that we should go on a foodie walk to the world's best food haven. Yes indeed we decided  to go to Chandni Chowk for a special walk. Deep Singh organised the entire trip.

MOSQUE NEAR SITARAM BAZAAR

Chandni Chowk is one of the most beautiful, cultured, historical place in Delhi which has become so crowded, that it is almost impossible to even think about going there on a working day.

It was decided that we would go with a guide on the following Sunday. All of us from all over the National Capital Region converged at the New Delhi Metro Station at seven am. We stood facing the Clock Tower of Kamla Market which is a famous market for air coolers, as that was the specified meeting place. In deference to the ethos of the place all the ladies wore Indian dress. From here we walked towards Ajmeri Gate. When Shah Jehan built the Red Fort in 1648, it was named Qila-e-mubarak. There was a huge boundary wall built  surrounding the new city of Shahjehanabad. There were 14 Gates on these walls, which faced the cities to which the gates led. The gates were, Lahori, Ajmeri, Dilli, Mori, Kashmiri,  Kabuli , Raj Ghat, Khizri , Nigambodh , Kela ke Ghat ka Darwaza, Lal Darwaza, , Badar Darwaza, Patthar Khati Darwaza, and Turkuman Darwaza.
Ajmeri Gate, was to the south–west of Shahjahanabad with a square plan, and was built with high arched openings. The sepoy mutiny or the first war of Indian independence in 1857, was fought at this venue also. The road, through this gate, leads to the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan, which was a popular place of pilgrimage because of the Dargah of the famous sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.  The old walls of the fort have since been demolished, yet some stretches of the wall can be seen as one goes behind the Shradhanand Road also called the  GB Road, which has always been a very big hardware market. GB Road is also famous for  its nefarious nocturnal activities  which business still continues. 

Just opposite the Ajmeri gate is the Anglo-Arabic School which has been an educational institute since the time it was built. It was founded in 1690 as a madrasa by Ghaziuddin Khan, a General in the army  of Aurangzeb, and father of  Qamar-ud-din Khan, Asaf Jah I, the first Nizam of Hyderabad. The madrasa closed down after some time and was later revived by the British. It was renamed as Delhi College by the British. This was the College where in 1842,  Mirza Ghalib  was offered the post of Professor of Persian language. He was asked to meet Mr. Thompson, the Secretary to the Government, who was to interview Mirza Ghalib. At the stipulated time when Mirza Ghalib arrived in his palki for the interview, he expected the Principal of the college to welcome him at the gate, as he was a great poet and a member of the nobility.  Not finding the Principal at the gate, Mirza Ghalib who was actually in need of the job, turned around and went back home. 

This  College was renamed Dr. Zakir Hussain College in 1975, and has since shifted to a new building. Presently the Anglo Arabic Senior Secondary School runs in the same old historical building. 

After admiring the beauty of Ajmeri Gate and learning the interesting history of the Anglo-Arabic College, we entered an interesting street behind the Ajmeri gate, named Maharajon ki gali. This is a non descript gali where  once upon a time all the famous cooks lived. These cooks were called maharaj and they would be invited to  cook on special occasions by the local population as well as the nobility. From there we walked on and entered Gali Kunday Wala en route to  Sitaram bazaar, which is very famous for all the road side street foods which old Delhi is well known for. On the way our guide took us to a small eatery which is very famous for its bedmi aloo. Bedmi is a type of kachori or dal filled puri which is eaten with curried potatoes. It is cooked there and then and the aroma of the food is very inviting. Even those who are calorie conscious cannot turn away, and justify the eating by thinking of the long walk that he/she  has to undertake to get out of this area.

After eating the bedmi-aloos we were served with delicious rich sooji halwa. Bedmi aloo and halwa is the most popular breakfast item of Old Delhi and should not be missed. As it is, one has grown up on the old saying, "Nani ke ghar jayenge, Halwa puri khayenge", so this was the day when we could have our fill of halwa puri.

After eating this delicious and rich breakfast we were all ready for some steaming hot tea. We were led to a wayside tea shop by our guide. This was a small room in a bylane where the tea is made and served to the people who wait patiently, and where the shop keeper sits outside, collecting his cash. The shop keeper was a very friendly gentleman who opens his shop on Sundays only till 11 am. On week days it is open throughout the day and tea is served  to a lot of shops around the place. The most interesting thing in the shop beside the tea was the way the shop keeper maintained his accounts. There was a note book where he just noted the number of cups that went out with a delivery boy on every round. There was no noting of who took it out or where the tea went. As soon as cash came back of that many cups of tea, the item was struck off in a squiggly line which made the cutting look like a caterpillar. It was amazing to see the accounting. All of us bankers went bonkers looking at that accounting system. He seemed to be  a happy person, who was happy to serve his tea and get back his payment, so that at the end of the day there were no out standings and  he could go home content and at peace with the whole world. 

After the hot and delicious tea we went further down the road and saw very interesting sights. There was a wall in a corner, where there was a tree jutting out and in that corner there were many gods residing quietly and peacefully. Many obliged devotees had hung a number of bells in that area.Do gods really need bells to wake them up from their slumber?

As we moved on further into Chandni Chowk, we crossed a shop called Kuremal Kulfiwale. This shop is located on the Kunday wali gali. 

This is the shop which makes  kulfi in as many flavours as one can think of. Every fruit has its own kulfi. Real fruits are used to make these kulfis which is a rare treat as there are no artificial flavours used.  He also makes a kulfi where the seed of a mango is removed and in its place the mango kulfi is filled and frozen. When it is ready, the mango is cut into slices and its peel is removed. This is the most amazing kulfi and a visit to this shop is quite desirable. He does not have any retail outlet but is happy to do catering for special occasions all over Delhi.  One lesson that I learnt in Chandni Chowk is, that the people make the most amazing products and are happy to serve their customers who come to their premises. They do not think of expansion, or of giving a franchise or getting into a whirlwind of loan, expansion and tension. They seem to have got hold of the elixir of happiness, which is to do their job to perfection, be happy with what they do, lead a life of contentment and never get into a rat race. The kulfi place was closed at that time of the day, so we could not eat the famous kulfi. Triloki and I had attended a foodie walk a few months back and we had eaten the kulfi that was served there. It was simply amazing, in fact it was out of this world.

After crossing the kulfi place we reached the main road to Lal Kuan Bazaar and were led to a small eatery called Bade Miyan's kheer shop. The kheer is cooked overnight and served cold in the morning. The kheer was rich and very delicious. The kheer usually gets over by mid day and here too there did not seem to be any plans to expand or keep frozen kheer. The freshness of the food was the guarantee of its amazing taste.

MASJID  MUBARAK BEGUM

This kheer place was opposite a mosque which has a colloquial name. It is rudely called, "Randi ki masjid"  and is located near the Hauz Qazi police station on Lal Kuan road.This mosque was built  in 1823, by one of the 13 wives of Sir David Ochterlony, Delhi’s first British resident, who was known for his passion for nautch girls, the hukkah and Indian dresses. Mubarak Begum was a Brahmin dancing girl from Pune, who had  converted to Islam and had got this mosque made. Besides being the favourite wife, although some say that she was just a mistress of Sir Ochterlony, she was a principal player in Delhi’s cultural life. 

As we walked on this road, we saw numerous   shops. This we were told is the place to buy all kinds of kites from. In August this place throngs with people, as traditionally on 15th August, kites fly all over Delhi. Close to this gali is the  charkhiwalan gali. Charkhi or catherine wheel is the spool over which the string of the kite is rolled.This is how business thrived in olden days. The galis next to each other had trade which was complimentary. The names of galis in Delhi are very specific and specialise in different  trades. We have Gali choodiwalan, suiwalan, Kinary bazar, gali parathe wali, Ballimaran, maliwada, teliwada, Charkhewalan, sirkiwalan and many more. All these names are fascinating and tell about the people who inhabited the place, according to the trade that was carried out in that gali. 

A HAWELI

As we walked on imbibing the history and grandeur of Shahjehanbad, we were surprised as we did not feel the strong rays of the sun. The entire area has shady trees  and  where there were no trees, there was the shade of huge buildings which were lined on both sides of the narrow streets. It spoke of the enchanting finesse of this fine city with a great culture. The houses were actually mansions with beautiful doors which opened into a huge aangan around which were the rooms of its inhabitants. On the doors of these mansions  were the name plates of famous barristers who once lived here. The place exudes charm and a quiet dignity. As there were no cars, autos and buses in this area, there was a lot of peace and quiet, besides it being a Sunday morning too added to the less decibels of noise.

LAL KUAN, CHAINED GHADA, PLATFORM TO SIT

In Lal Kuan there actually is a well in this very busy road, which is now covered and not used. There is a small shop adjacent to the well, near which is a big shady neem tree. Around the base of the tree there is a chabutara or platform  where one can sit  for some time before moving on.

As we walked on, we reached the famous Khari Baoli, the spice market of Delhi. This place is a paradise of spices and dry fruits. It is a very old whole sale market and merchants from almost all of North India come here to buy their stuff.   We moved on and entered a small eatery on the first floor where we ate aloo ka paratha and kali daal. The parathas were delicious and huge and the dal was delicious and dripping with butter. Huge glasses of lassi and nimbu pani was a very refreshing supplement.

Our foodie walk with historical inputs and excellent sight seeing had taken us more than five hours of walking with small pit stops for refuelling with the most amazing simple and delicious foods which have continued unadulterated and fresh for hundreds of years.The recipes have remained constant, the service is very personal and the prices are unbelievable. Perhaps maintaining quality, purity of preparation and the desire to do a good job is what makes this place and its food exemplary.

The simplicity of the people, the culture, the way of talking and the decency of the people was something to be admired. Perhaps the dil of the dilliwalas still remains and beats within the bylanes of Old Delhi.
As we finished our walk, we went past the grand Old Delhi Railway Station and entered the modern Chandni Chowk Metro station.

Our foodie walk was a great success and all of us parted with the thought of organising another walk after the weather cools down.

Preview of book LUMBINI to KUSHINARA - by VARSHA UKE NAGPAL

PRAYAGRAJ, ALLAHABAD

GANGA AND YAMUNA

Recently, I went to see a City  which does not seem to be very much in the news now. Earlier Allahabad was always in the news because it was associated with higher education, great culture and high society. I had heard of its famous University, which was called Oxford of the East and also of the famous  Alumni of the University. Its amazing people who contributed to the Freedom Struggle. I had heard about the famous High Court and  its  Barristers. The city's poets, gardens, Swaraj Bhawan, Anand Bhawan and also the famous Civil Lines.

KAUSHAMBI

Allahabad as we know it today, has had a distinguished History. About 60 kms away from Allahabad are the ruins of Kaushambi, which  was founded by the descendants of the Kurus of the Mahabharata times. Kurus were the  rulers of Hastinapur, who moved to Kaushambi after their capital was deluged by flood. At the time of the Buddha in the 6th Century BC,  there were sixteen Ganarajyas and Kaushambi was one of the most prominent Ganarajya, which was then called the Vatsa Ganarajya. It was a place where rich merchants resided, and it was a major transport hub for people travelling from Kaushambi to Shrawasti, to Rajgrih, to Varanasi and also the Southern states.

THE CONFLUENCE OF GANGA, YAMUNA AND THE MISSING SARASWATI

Later the Mauryan, Gupta, Kushan Empires governed here. After the arrival of the Mughals,  Akbar built a Fort  near the confluence of the Ganga and Jamuna in 1573.  Jahangir the son of Akbar lived here as it was a Provincial capital of the Mughal Empire.

When the East India Company arrived and subsequently the British took the country over, they considered Allahabad to be strategically located and therefore made it their Administrative Centre. They established  the High Court, Police Headquarter and Public Service Commission here. It was later made  the capital of the North Western Provinces for twenty years, and it would surprise you to know that it was also made the Capital of India for a day in 1858.

Allahabad was originally called Prayag and in 1583 Akbar gave it the name of Illahabas, which was changed to Illahabad by Akbar's grandson Shah Jehan. The name got Anglicised and became Allahabad, but the locals still refer to it as Illahabad.

BOATS

Prayag the earlier name of Allahabad has always been important because of the confluence of the two major rivers of North India, the Ganga and the Jamuna. It is said that there is a third river too, the Saraswati which has been non existent since a long time. A dip at the Sangam is considered very holy. What I saw at the confluence was a beautiful sight. Both the rivers maintain their distinct colour and character for some distance. Ganga is quite calm whereas Jamuna had more waves and colour. There is a platform at the Sangam where people believe that they bathe and wash off their sins along with their skins.

Boatmen do flourishing business and there are plenty of boats at the shore, waiting to take people to the Sangam.

Allahabad has always been a major pilgrimage centre for Hindus. It is one of the four Centres where the Kumbh mela is held after every 12 years. When I visited Allahabad the Magh mela was on. This is an annual event and is held in January corresponding to the month of Magh of the Indian Calendar. In fact we were charged a Magh mela tax when we travelled by train from Allahabad to Delhi.

Allahabad is a beautiful city with amazing colonial style buildings. The University is a building of outstanding beauty. The All Saints Cathedral is majestic. There were many Schools and Colleges which were built during the British times and are all very spacious and beautiful.

The Alfred park where Chandrasekhar Azad killed himself, rather than fall into the hands of the British who had surrounded him, is now called Chandrasekhar Azad Park. The Park is very large and well maintained.

3rd CENTURY BC.

The Allahabad Museum is also located in the Park. The Collection of the Museum is very nicely displayed. The only problem is that there are no indications or directions telling the visitor the path to take to go from one hall to another. There are statues here which belong to the 2nd century BC too. Some of the Statues are very beautiful and a visit to the Museum is really worth it.

As the High court was located in Allahabad, there were many Legal luminaries in the city. Motilal Nehru was one of them. He was a lawyer and had a flourishing practice. He built  the Anand Bhawan for his residence. The history of Anand Bhawan  is quite interesting. In 1857 after the First War of Independence, the British government to appease and build better rapport with the Muslim population, invited Sir Syed Ahmed who later founded the Aligarh Muslim University, to come and live in Allahabad. For the purpose they gave him 20 acres of land where he built a house and named it Mahmud Manzil. Later Justice Mahmud the son of Sir Syed Ahmed lived here. When Justice Mahmud Ahmed left Allahabad he sold his property  to Rai Bahadur Parmanand Pathak who later sold it to Motilal Nehru for Rs. 20,000 in 1898.  At the house warming party of Sir Syed Ahmed's house, Sir William Moor had hoped that the palatial home built in Civil Lines of Allahabad would become the cement holding together the British Empire in India.  Isn't it ironical that the British who had brought Sir Syed Ahmed to Allahabad to build better rapport with the Muslim Population, built a house which later became the centre of the Freedom Movement? Motilal Nehru called the house Anand Bhawan and lived there with his family. In 1930 he gave the building to the Indian National Congress to serve as the party's official headquarter in the region and it was renamed Swaraj Bhawan.

Motilal built another house in the same campus and named it Anand Bhawan. This  is a beautiful bungalow which is maintained as a Museum and is maintained as it was when the Nehru family lived there. This second Anand Bhawan  was donated to the nation by Indira Gandhi in 1970.

ANAND BHAWAN

Although the Bamrauli airport now is a small airport, at one time it was an International airport from where flights left for London.

This city was home to a lot of well known Hindi poets and writers. Sumitranandan Pant, Mahadevi Verma, Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Harivansh Rai Bachhan, Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, Akbar Allahabadi, Dharmvir Bharati all belonged to this place. One cannot think of Hindi poetry without Allahabad.

A lot of people from Allahabad have made their name in the field of Art and Music, to name a few there are Amitabh Bachhan, Jaddan Bai, Nargis, Sudhir Dar, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shubha Mudgal.

This city was so distinguished that it gave us four Prime Ministers, JLNehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and V P Singh. Besides  these four, two other Prime Ministers Gulzari Lal Nanda and Chandrasekhar were educated at the Allahabad University.

The Pioneer newspaper was started at Allahabad in 1865 and Rudyard Kipling worked there as Asst Editor for two years.

Saraswati a Hindi magazine was started here in 1900 by  Chintamani Ghosh.This magazine published the stories of Tagore, Premchand and many upcoming authors who wrote in Hindi.

Jehangir the son of Akbar lived here before he became Badshah. Akbar had built a Fort near the Sangam and that is where Jehangir lived with his family.

NITHARI'S MAUSOLEUM

Jehangir's  son Khusrow built a row of three beautiful mausoleums. In one of them his mother Man bai who committed suicide was buried. The next mausoleum had been built for his sister Nithari. This mausoleum has very beautiful paintings on its walls, but Nithari was not buried here and therefore this one is empty. The third mausoleum is the tomb of Khusrow himself who was killed by his own brother who wanted the Mughal throne for himself.

THE WELL

These mausoleums are laid out in a very beautiful garden. The well from which water was drawn then to maintain the well laid out gardens,  still works and is used for watering the plants and lawns.

The grandeur and majesty of Allahabad  still remains. The sweet and very cultured Hindi can still be heard everywhere. The wide roads speak of the well planned city. Civil Lines is very well planned.

It was nice to see that old names of many areas still remain the same. If a road was named to honour a British luminary, so be it.

A lot of civilisations over time perish, cities become ruins, but by virtue of the confluence of the two most important rivers of India, Allahabad will always remain one of the most important cities of India.

THE MUGHAL GARDEN

KASHI, BANARAS, VARANASI.

BIRLA MANDIR AT BHU

Call it what you want, but for me the city will always remain Banaras. After all what is Banaras without its sarees, its paan, its thugs and the delicious thandai? All are prefaced as "Banarasi", imagine saying Varanasiya saree, Varanasiya Paan. Doesn't sound good, does it?

It has to be either Banaras or Kashi. I have heard that,  "The world is made up of twelve khand(portion) Prithvi and thirteenth khand Kashi." It is said that Kashi is not a part of our Earth, it is a separate entity by itself and is located on the three spokes of the Trishul of Shiva. Kashi is the permanent abode of Shiva, therefore it is also called Kashi Vishwanath. Perhaps this was Shiva's winter capital as Mount Kailash must be quite cold in winter!

GHATS

Banaras is an amazing place. The river seems to be all pervading as if it is  the life line of the place. Perhaps the city exists only because of and only for the River Ganga. There are numerous ghats all along the river bank. One can walk from one ghat to another and yet another for miles at a stretch. The ghats are well lit and quite safe at any time of the day or evening, the continuity of the ghats are unbroken. I took a lovely long late evening walk from the Assi Ghat to the Das-ashwa-medh ghat, although I had to watch almost every step that I took on the Dasashwamedh Ghat as it is practically the abode of a lot of cows and bulls and also dogs. 

TALL BUILDINGS


The entire bank of the river has huge tall buildings all built by Hindu Kings and Rulers, starting from Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior, Bajirao Peshwa of Pune, Bhonsle of Nagpur, Jaipur Maharaja, Nepal King, Jodhpur king and many others from all over India. There are two ghats designated for cremation. One is the Manikarnika Ghat which is never ever closed. It is open at all times throughout the day and night,  and the other is Harishchandra Ghat.

ARATI

The city has been a big attraction for travellers and has always had a heavy  foot fall as pilgrims  travel to Varanasi to die, as it is believed that anyone who dies in Varanasi is promised salvation and does not have to endure the cycle of life and death in rebirth. The understanding therefore is that life "has to be endured".

WATCHING ARATI FROM BOATS

A lot of people from neighbouring cities bring their dead for cremation to Varanasi. In earlier times  a lot of widows would also settle down in Varanasi so that they could pass  the rest of their life in prayer and wait for death and salvation.  It is a place where people do not desire much, are satisfied with what they have, have no aspirations as they believe that being born in Varanasi itself is a reward, as once they die they will be free. 

Civic sense is very poor as every disposable thing is thrown anywhere.   The River Varuna which meets the Ganga is more like a rivulet with dirty banks. The only place where one sees some cleanliness, calm and peace is at the Ghats of the river Ganga. Reaching the Dasaswamedh ghat is not easy, as transport  takes us only up to Gowdhaulia Chowk, then one walks about half a kilometre dodging two wheelers, and pedestrians and walking past small mobile shops selling peanuts, bhel and knick knacks. Along the road divider is a board which says clearly  that parking of vehicles, cycles and putting up stalls along the divider is prohibited. But who cares? Two wheelers are parked, and small thelas sell their ware blatantly  right next to the road divider under the board.

ARATI

Once we reach the ghat, one climbs down wide steps to the river, which is filled with boats wanting to take passengers for viewing the Ganga Arati from the river. The charges per passenger is Rs. 200 and the boatman acts as a guide, takes one around a few ghats and then finds a vantage position in front of the  Ghat, moors the boat and waits patiently for the Arati. The Arati is performed by 7 Pujaris dressed uniformly in cream coloured dhoti and maroon sweater in winter. The Arati is a ritual which goes on for an hour and is a visual delight as the priests use multi pronged Diyas, a mashaal, bells and conch to perform the Arati in unison. In the distance one can see that on other ghats too some more  Pujaris  perform the Arati. The veneration of the River is a very ancient custom and could  perhaps have originated so that people would know the importance of the river which is the most important element for any civilisation to survive.

Religion thrives here. It is all about Gods and temples. There are said to be about 33,000 temples in this city, and at every nook and corner and cranny one can see a temple. I do realise that Religion and Gods have given rise to big business, but I was fascinated to see the statue of a God in a row of shops  in between a small shop selling provisions and another selling vegetables. I saw commercialisation at its best! 

THANDAI

Banaras is famous for its simple cuisine too. The food is always fresh as pilgrims come from various parts of India and eat plain and simple food. One of the best known is the Kachori which is available generally before 12 noon. There is a famous gali called "Kachori wali gali" near the Dasaswamedhghat. One gets Thandai at a lot of small shops, where they will add bhaang only if one wants it added. The lassi of Varanasi is very delicious  too. It is more like thick curd. One particular mithai of this place is called Lavang latika. Poori with delicious potato curry cooked without onion or garlic is another very fast moving item.

Unlike Haridwar which is another pilgrimage town on the banks of the Ganga , Varanasi has a lot of non vegetarian eating joints. Possibly because there is a very large Muslim population here.

The famous Banarasi sarees are mostly made by Muslims.

Varanasi is culturally very rich. In the mediaval times Sant Kabirdas lived here. Tulsidas wrote his Ramcharitmanas here. There is a small temple of Hanuman at a ghat named after Tulsidas where they have kept his Khadau(wooden clogs), and where it is said that he sat and wrote the epic. Ravidas another poet, belonging to the cobbler caste also belonged to Banaras.

The famous shehnai player, Bismillah Khan, the famous sitarist Ravi Shankar, his elder brother Uday Shankar old time dancer Sitara Devi , famous Thumri singers Girija devi  and Siddheshwari Devi were all from here. There is a Banaras Gharana of music as well as of Kathak.

Munshi Premchand, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lal Bahadur Shastri also belonged to Varanasi.

NEW BOAT BEING MADE

I was quite fascinated to see the boats being made on the ghat. Since everything has a religious connotation, this work also starts with a Puja. 

BOAT UNDER CONSTRUCTION

My impression of the people of Banaras is that they are  very satisfied with life. They  seem very stress and strife free and easy going.  There is a lot of tranquility and sense of satisfaction here. Perhaps the positive energies of the Banaras people as well as the tremendous amount of faith, and gratitude of those who come for pilgrimage reverberates and gives this sense of peace here. Salvation  seems to be the goal of all the pilgrims who come here.

It is said that in olden days there used to be a lot of clan wars in Banaras and there were a lot of thugs here. One may have to live in Banaras for months together to know if any such people exist now.

HOSTEL AT BHU


As one moves away from the ancient city of Banaras, one steps into the wonderful open campus of the  modern BHU. It is huge and the hostels look very inviting. The campus is very old as the University was established in  1916. There is a lot of difference between the older hostels and the newer hostels. The older hostels had verandas in front of the rooms and access seemed open. The newer hostels are built with a single entry point with grill gates.  It shows clearly how unsafe life has become over the times.   The Birla Mandir in the Campus has a Shivling as against Vishnu in most other Birla Temples. I was quite fascinated to see the spread of the campus and a lot of tea joints with fast moving snacks and groups of students walking around. 

RAMNAGAR FORT

We went across the River to see the Ramnagar Fort, which was built in the 17th Century. There is a museum here and one has to buy an entry ticket of Rs. 20. The artefacts and items kept at the Museum are good but the maintenance of the museum is extremely shabby. As one enters one sees a lot of Palanquins, horse driven carriages, cars and other transports used by the King and queens. Sadly the entire stuff is full of dust and one can even see cobwebs all over the place. The place has not seen a broom or duster in the past several years it seems.

The Gold zari sarees, and clothes of the Maharaja are now getting  tattered. There seems to be no effort by anyone to take care of anything.

 Information about the artefacts and displayed items was very inadequate.

RAMNAGAR FORT

The beautiful side of the Fort is facing the Ganga. 

Banaras, left a lasting impression on me. It is truly like no other city. It is a place which reverberates with Religion, rituals, death and salvation. Death and cremation are taken in their stride, perhaps because it leads to eternal salvation from the cycle of rebirth. I was told by my boatman that you will not see people wailing for their dead, because they consider that the person has attained a higher position and has got "moksh". 

THE INEVITABLE SADHU

It is a strange city, an ancient city, in fact it is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, a city that celebrates death and promises salvation. A city which exists around the Ganga and for the Ganga. Ganga they say purifies everything and washes away the sins of every person who bathes in it. Banaras has retained its antiquity, its traditions and rituals. It seems that as the Ganga flows on eternally, so will Banaras go on fascinating people continually. 

BOATS WAITING FOR THE MORNING

PUNE- A CITY WHICH STILL FEELS LIKE A SMALL TOWN

It just so happened that I had to visit Pune for a short trip. I had always known Pune as a town to be passed in transit, either going to Panchgani or a short drive from Khandala. Pune by itself had never really beckoned me. When I found that I was visiting Pune, I thought that I might as well get to know the city a tad bit better.  What I found was that Pune is a lovely little city which has retained its antiquity. It is located at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers. In the centre of the city is its nucleus. The localities in the old town are  named after the days of the week, so we have Ravivarpeth, Somwarpeth, and so on until Shaniwarpeth. In olden times each place had its market on that particular day of the week, naming the places therefore needed no imagination, and also led to no controversies.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak's house.

There is a feeling of calm in these lanes and roads of Pune. On Lakshmi Road are located most of the traditional jewellery shops. The jewellery of Pune is quite distinct and pretty. The tanmani, the goph and the typical nose rings are pretty. Pearls are used in abundance.

The typical nath( nose ring)

The Kunthekar Road which runs parallel to the Lakshmi Road is full of beautiful saree shops. The only hassle  is that one has to remove shoes to get inside the shop. The Shop assistants are very patient and keep on showing  sarees, one after the other, without asking "what exactly do you want to buy?"

Pune is near Shivneri Fort where Shivaji was born.  Maloji Bhonsale was a Maratha Sardar who served in the army of the Ahmadnagar sultanate. He was born in 1552 and was given the jagir(estate) of Pune and Supe by the Sultanate. His son was Shahaji and grandson was Shivaji.

Shahaji inherited the jagirs after Maloji's death. He followed in his father's footsteps and  joined the Mughal forces under Badshah Shah Jehan, he  later joined the Bijapur Sultanate. From them he received the jagir of Bangalore.

Shahaji was an exponent of guerrilla warfare and it is said that he never lost a battle. He was very well known for his calibre and his services were sought after by the Mughals, Adilshahi as well as the Nizamshahi.

 Shivaji the son of Shahaji and Jijabai,was brought up by Jijabai  in the town of Pune as Shahaji was always away at war and usually lived in Bangalore with his other sons Sambhaji and Venkoji. Shahaji died in 1665. In the year 1674, Shivaji was crowned the Chhatrapati. Pune has always been a very traditional place where they practice Hinduism strictly. None of the Brahmins of Pune were willing to perform the abhishek  of Shivaji as he belonged to the Maratha caste which is not considered  Ruling caste or Kshatriya in the hierarchical caste structure. Bali Avji Prabhu who was Shivaji's Secretary got a genealogical table prepared which showed that Shivaji belonged to the Sisodia family of Mewar, who were considered Kshatriyas of the purest Rajput clan. Then a Brahmin was brought in from Varanasi to perform the ceremonies as the very strict Brahmins of Pune still refused to perform the abhishek, in spite of the Genealogical table.

Shivaji created a large force of soldiers and restored strategically located forts inland as well as on the coast to safe guard his territory. He revived ancient Hindu traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit as against the Persian used in courts then.

Shivaji encouraged the development of Pune and a number of Peths, temples and dams were constructed during his reign. In 1670, Shaista Khan captured Pune, but after the battle of Sinhagadh, the Marathas got it back under their control.
Aurangzeb occupied Pune from 1703 to 1705.
In 1720, Bajirao Ballal Bhat of Saswad was appointed Peshwa or Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja of Satara, who was the grandson of Shivaji Maharaja. Pune was located centrally and all parts of Maharashtra, Konkan, Khandesh, Marathawada could be reached quickly, therefore Shahu Maharaja stationed his army at Pune under the Peshwa Bajiao I, for fast expeditions as well as quick sanction of finances.

Ruins of Shaniwarwada

Bajirao I moved his base from Saswad to Pune and started the construction of Shaniwarwada and also many temples and bridges and ushered in the era of the Peshwas.  Bajirao also constructed an underground aqueduct to get water from Katraj Lake to Shaniwarwada, this aqueduct is still operational.Bajirao was a noted General.
 

Mastani Gate at Shaniwarwada

Later Nanasaheb Peshwa the son of Bajirao Peshwa, also developed the city further.  He developed Saras bag,  Heera bag,  Sadashiv Peth, Narayan peth,  Rasta peth and Nana path. After the Battle of Panipat the era of the Peshwa declined but Pune remained their seat of power until they were finally defeated by the British East India Company in 1802. In 1817, the third Anglo Maratha war broke out and the Marathas were defeated at Khadki. The City was placed under Bombay Presidency and a large Cantonment was built here. Navi pet and Ganj Peth were developed during this time.

There is a place called Koregaon Bhima outside of Pune which has become a symbol of pride for the Mahar community. In 1818 there was a battle fought at Koregaon Bhima between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy. There were 25,000 Marathas led by Peshwa Bajirao II who intended to fight the British to regain Pune. The Peshwa sent 10,000 Marathas to fight the 800 strong Company Force, that was on its way to reinforce the British troops at Pune. The Company defended the position for nearly 12 hours and the Marathas finally withdrew. The Company troops had predominantly Mahar soldiers and therefore this battle is regarded as a heroic episode in Dalit History. There is an obelisk to commemorate this battle and contains the names of the 49 company soldiers including 22 Mahars killed in action.Here I must add that due to the prevalent caste system, people other than Kshatriyas did not take up arms with Hindu Kings. There were very rare aberrations in this when the Mughals or other Muslim rulers allowed people other than Kshatriyas to join the Army. After the British came in, they broke the Caste system due to which people who were able bodied but belonged to other castes were also recruited in the East India Company army. 

Pune is very well known for its educational Institutes. Fergusson College was founded in 1885 by the British. The Symbiosis Institute, Film and TV Institute, The AFMC and other establishments of the Armed Forces speak a lot for the climate and atmosphere for education in Pune. 

Aga Khan Palace

The Agha Khan Palace was built in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khan III. This graceful building was used by the British to house Gandhi and other prominent nationalist leaders  following Gandhi’s Quit India campaign in 1942. The main palace now houses the Gandhi National Memorial where one can see the room where M.K.Gandhi used to stay. The palace is a very beautiful and luxurious place.  Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died here and a memorial has been built for them in the garden.

Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai's memorial.

Perhaps because Pune was very strictly traditional it also became an important centre in the social and religious reform movements of the late 19th century. Prominent social reformers and freedom fighters lived here, including Gopal Krishna Gokhale,Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vitthal Ramji Shinde, Dhondo Keshav Karve, Jyotirao Phule, Dr. Raghunath Karve, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai.  These reformists demanded the abolition of caste prejudice, equal rights for women, harmony between the Hindu and Muslim communities, and better schools for the poor. 
One more person of prominence who lived in Pune  is Anandibai Gopal Joshi(1865-1887)who was the first lady physician of India who studied in USA. Society in those days was such that Hindus were not allowed to go across the sea. There were many restrictions and Anandibai faced a lot of hostilities from society at large as they presumed that by going abroad Anandibai would loose her status in society and could also change her Religion. She convinced people that she would not convert and also that she was going only to pursue studies. It is commendable that a fifteen year old girl could take bold decisions and bold steps to educate herself. It is said that her husband Gopal Joshi was instrumental in educating her and also for sending her abroad, although the means that he used were harsh, as it is said that he used to beat Anandibai. She became a Doctor, returned to India but sadly she suffered from TB and stayed in Pune to get treatment but died before she attained the age of 22.

Memorial of Mahadji Scindia

Mahadji Scindia of Gwalior, was the Commander in chief of the Maratha Army under the Peshwas. He died in Pune and there is a beautiful memorial dedicated to him in Pune.  

Where Mahadji Scindia was cremated

Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned at Yerwada Central Jail several times.Yerwada Central Jail was built in 1871 by the British and  has been a very famous Jail as many freedom fighters were jailed here between 1930 and 1942. These included Gandhi, Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Savarkar. The Poona Pact where Gandhi went on an indefinite fast to protest against the Communal awards was also signed at this Jail  on 24th September 1932, between Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhi.

This jail also remained in the limelight  after Independence, as during Emergency in 1975, Balasaheb Deoras, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Pramila Dandavate were imprisoned here. Anna Hazare, Telgi, Arun Gawli, Sanjay Dutt have also been inmates here. The last notorious criminal of this jail was Ajmal Kasab who was hanged and buried here in 2012.

Pune  has been a hub for reform, freedom movement, tradition, strict conservatism and a salubrious climate for education. The Osho ashram with its very free thought was also established at Pune.
Inspite of being so close to Mumbai, it has maintained its distinctness. The Marathi language spoken at Pune is considered very pure, the conservatism and practice of Hindu Religion is very strict.
It is a large City in size but maintains its identity as a small town.
The Shaniwarwada built very lovingly by Bajirao I is now in ruins. One can only see the walls of the Fort as well as a gate from where Mastani his second wife who was a Muslim could enter the Wada. There is Kelkar Museum here which is one man's collection of artefacts. A portion of the Mastani Mahal has also been kept at the Kelkar Museum. 

DAGDU SHETH GANPATI

The Lal Mahal, Dagdu Sheth Ganpati are some more places to see at Pune.Lal Mahal was the palace where Shivaji spent his childhood. The original building was destroyed and what stands in its place is a recent building.

LAL MAHAL FACADE

Yes indeed, Pune retains its slow pace, looks pretty and neat and does not appear to want to grow up to be like its neighbour Mumbai. It is a beautiful place with a lot of greenery, lots of Universities and educational Institutions.
The new developments in the periphery of the town are distinct from the Old town of Pune, it is growing, glowing and young. Yet the simplicity of the old town, its people, its undercurrent of the pride in their Puneri language, culture, and cuisine stand out.