This morning – the sky was clear – the visibility was great – and – I could see the silhouette of Sinhagad Fort clearly from my balcony (in fact – as I write this – I can see Sinhagad quite clearly – but soon – because of the haze over Pune – visibility may go down).
Looking at the mighty Sinhagad Fort evoked in me fond memories of that pristine paradise called GIRINAGAR where I spent the best years of my life.
So – today – let me delve into my blog – and dig out some Girinagar Memories for you to read.
First – here is a post about GIRINAGAR – I wrote this around 7 years ago – during my last days at Girinagar.
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Looking at the mighty Sinhagad Fort evoked in me fond memories of that pristine paradise called GIRINAGAR where I spent the best years of my life.
So – today – let me delve into my blog – and dig out some Girinagar Memories for you to read.
First – here is a post about GIRINAGAR – I wrote this around 7 years ago – during my last days at Girinagar.
GIRINAGAR
Pristine Paradise near Pune
A Nostalgic Memoir
A Nostalgic Memoir
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 – that 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 Khadakwasla 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 – your eyes are soothed by the serene expanse of the Khadakwasla Lake held back by the mighty dam.
If you stand on the Girinagar side of Khadakwasla lake (on the western bank) – 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 you see the heavy layer of smog settling down over the city of Pune
When the monsoon arrives – and it starts raining – the sensuous mist envelops all around – everything is a soothing green – and the atmosphere – the environment – and 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).
(Some old timers tell me it is the same since the early 1970s).
I spent more than 12 years of my life in Girinagar - in three stints - and – every time I came back – I realized that though the world outside had changed dramatically – Girinagar remained the same – as if time had stood still – yes – it seems that time stands still in Girinagar.
In the evenings – I often stand in my tall balcony high up on my 9th Floor Flat in Rohan Tarang in Wakad – and I see in the distance – the silhouette of Sinhagad Mountain
Even right now – on a Clear Bright Feel-Good Monday Morning in Pune – with the air so pure – and the weather so pleasant – with a cool breeze blowing softly – the Visibility is excellent – yes – the visibility is so good – that – from where I sit on my desk in my study – as I look out of the large window – in the distance – I can clearly see Sinhagad Fort with its two mammoth towers (the TV Tower and the Microwave Communication Tower at either end of the towering mountain ridge) – and the unique Potato Point at the southern tip.
I miss Girinagar – the beautiful picturesque surroundings – the lovely people I made friends with – the huge “Bhoot Bangla” in which I lived – the long walks we took in the hills – the boating and sailing in lake – the strolls on the “chowpatty on Khadakwasla lake – I miss everything – as I fondly recall my days in Girinagar.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
1. If you share this post, please give due credit to the author Vikram Karve
2. Please DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Please DO NOT Cut/Copy/Paste this post
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
1. This article was written 7 years ago in 2009. I last visited Girinagar 2014. It was still the same pristine paradise I have mentioned above, but may have changed now.
2. All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
This is a repost of my article posted earlier in this blog at urls: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2010/06/girinagar-pristine-paradise-in-pune.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/11/girinagar-pristine-paradise-in-pune.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/girinagar-verdant-hill-station-near.html and http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/11/girinagar-pristine-paradise-near-pune.html
