LIVING IN PUNE - WALKING IN WAKAD and MEMORIES OF GIRINAGAR

LIVING IN PUNE

WALKING IN WAKAD and MEMORIES OF GIRINAGAR

Sunday Morning Post

By

VIKRAM KARVE

This morning, I woke up early, almost at the crack of dawn, and went for a long walk with my pet dog Sherry.

I got out of the Rohan Tarang main gate, turned right and took the left fork through Wakad village.

Then, instead of going straight ahead into the verdant riverside park as I normally do, I turned left, crossed the pedestrian bridge over the river Mula (which has turned green covered completely by Hyacinth and there is hardly any water visible). 

We crossed the narrow bridge and entered the fields of Balewadi in Pune

Yes, we had crossed the “border” – Mula River - between Pimpri Chinchwad (PCMC) and Pune (PMC).

I unleashed Sherry free and let her run, frolic, cavort and gambol in the uninhabited unpolluted expanse, and I played with her too, letting the cool morning air refresh my lungs.

After some time we walked on the track towards Balewadi and Baner.

As I looked around at the vast expanse of unpopulated land around me, I hoped that this would remain as it is, unoccupied, uninhabited, and not metamorphose into another of those concrete jungles, which are proliferating all over Pune.

Soon the summer sun was up and it was getting hot. So we turned back, walking briskly, crossed the bridge over the Mula River between Balewadi and Wakad, and turned left into the verdant Mula Riverside Park.

I relaxed for some time under the cool shade of the abundant trees and foliage while Sherry  ran and rolled on the leafy grass of the lush green lawns.

I love my Sunday Mornings and this was indeed a lovely start to a bright Sunday.

As we returned home, my mind was filled with nostalgic memories of my morning walks up the hills of Girinagar.

So, Dear Reader, allow me a bit of Auld Lang Syne Complex, permit me to reminisce, hark back to those good old Girinagar Days, and post below a small piece I wrote a few years ago when I lived in that Pristine Paradise near Pune called Girinagar.

Here is the link to the map of Wakad - Mula River - Balewadi area where I went for my morning walk: http://g.co/maps/ttfz8

GIRINAGAR - A PRISTINE PARADISE IN PUNE

Tell me, which is the most beautiful, most pristine, most unpolluted and most verdant place in Pune?

I’ll tell you – it’s a lovely place called “Girinagar”.

Pune has changed – for the worse.

The pleasant, salubrious, tranquil, stress-free, easygoing, cozy, affable Pune I once lived in no longer exists.

Yes, the Pune I once lived in no longer exists...!!!

Every nook and corner of Pune has suffered the ravages of “modernization”.

Except one place – Girinagar.

Yes, there still exists a pristine paradise in Pune – a Pristine Paradise called Girinagar.

With the mighty Sinhagad Fort towering as a Sentinel, Girinagar is a fascinating place located on the slopes of the hills adjoining the cool blue Khadakvasla Lake.

The view from the Girinagar ridge is amazing.

You can see backwaters of Panshet and Varasgaon dams in the distance, and close-by down below the serene expanse of the Khadakvasla Lake held back by the mighty dam.

The metamorphosis at sunset is enthralling.

The dance of colours, on the waters of the lake, from yellow to orange to crimson to blue to grey and then a still darkness – I have not seen a more magnificent sunset view anywhere else.

In the mornings as you climb up the hills cleansing, refreshing, revitalizing and invigorating your lungs with the clean unpolluted pure fresh air, you look in the distance and see the heavy layer of smog settling down over the city of Pune, and you know how lucky you are to live in this paradise called Girinagar...!

When the monsoon arrives, and it starts raining, the sensuous mist envelops all around, everything is a soothing green, and the atmosphere, the environment, the ambiance in Girinagar is simply magnificent!

Truly a “pristine paradise” in Pune...!

Pune may have changed but time stands still in Girinagar. All the green hills in Pune may have disappeared but lush green verdant hills of Girinagar still stand strong.

Yes, Girinagar remains the same as it was in 1984 when I first visited it. (Some old timers tell me it is the same since the early 1970s)

In the evenings, I often stand in my tall balcony high up on my 9^th Floor Flat in Rohan Tarang in Wakad and see in the distance the silhouette of Sinhagad Mountain outlined vaguely against the fading light of the setting sun and my mind harks back to nostalgic memories of my unforgettable days in Girinagar.

Here is the link to the map of Girinagar Pune: http://g.co/maps/8d7n2

Link to the maps and photos of Girinagar in the foothills of Sinhagarh Fort on the backwaters of Khadakwasla Lake: http://g.co/maps/56ucn

Sinhagad Fort http://g.co/maps/cgvhy

GIRINAGAR is towards the northern tip of the map. 

Have a bright and happy Sunday.

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this blog post?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL 
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:

http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-8191091844/p/itmdyv8amagkvgpf?pid=9788191091847&affid=nme 
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART - just click the link below:

http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-8190690094/p/itmdyv7tdkhzn9vm?pid=9788190690096 

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.