Dr. Iffat Faridi,
As usual, it seemed a bit depressing to absorb the change in surroundings while reaching Mumbai from Muscat, one of the cleanest and most beautiful city in the world. From Mumbai we were to go to Pune directly for a two days visit. A pre-paid taxi from Mumbai airport took us to Dadar from where one can hire private taxis for Pune through the famous Mumbai- Pune highway. Weather being humid and hot we hired a taxi paying extra charges for AC, which the driver very cleverly switched off after sometime as we dozed off. when we felt the change in temperature inside the car we pointed out the breach of our AC deal. Driver re-started AC after giving some lame excuses for switching it off. Mumbai-Pune highway proved to be quite a pleasant journey with hilly and green land scapes and some appealing places for refreshment which were serving Indian and international cuisines.
After settling down at a decent hotel next to railway station, a place which was active and lively through out the day and night, we went through the tourist guide provided by hotel. First thing which attracted me most was the Aga Khan Palace, a memorial devoted to Kasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi. Being a great admirer of Mahatma Gandhi i decided to visit the palace immediately.
Mumbai-Pune highway
One just can’t stop falling in love at first sight with a simply beautiful, and dusky, Italian style, THE AGA KHAN PALACE with lush green lawns and rows of huge trees around.
A palace which had Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi as it’s guests, of course under detention by Brits, during Quit India Movement in 1942. Aga Khan Palace is dedicated to memory of Kasturba Gandhi, who took her last breath in 1944, under detention in the same palace. A museum has been set up with lots of very rare and valuable pictures of India’s freedom movement. Many other articles related to Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi have been exhibited in the palace.
Another very touchy incident related to Aga Khan palace is about Mahadev Bhai Desai, who worked as secretary for 35 years with Mahatma Gandhi, an unsung hero of the freedom movement of India, was like a son to Mahatma.
The Aga Khan palace
Mahadev Bhai Desai passed away at the same Aga Khan palace in 1942. Mahatma wanted to lit his pyre himself as a father but since he was not allowed to go out, cremation was arranged in the lawns of Aga khan Palace itself so that Gandhiji could lit the pyre himself. A memorial has been made at the place of cremation of both, Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Bhai Desai, in one of the corners of Aga Khan Palace.
While the rows of huge trees , green lush lawns and chirping of birds give a kind of natural serenity to the place, the spacious saloons and suits which once upon a time had Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi as it’s inhibitants describe the history of Indian freedom struggle.
To learn more about the history of the city in limited time we had, we decided to watch the light and sound show at shaniwar wada fort. The show narrates the history of Pune and various maratha warriors and kings through lights and sounds program conducted in the lawns of the fort in the evening.
Learning about the centuries’ old glorious history of Pune through lights and sounds was an amazing and very fulfilling experience. The fort is a treat for people interested in old architecture. The marvelous remains of this fort itself is a part of the history of Pune.
Too curious to visit and know the facts about the famous Rajnish’s ashram with some kind of mysteries related to it’s philosophical aspects we took a conducted tour arranged for visitors to know and to see the ashram from inside.
Visit to ashram unveiled the mysteries about the ashram to a great extent. It’s simply a place for different activities like meditation, Sufi dancing, swimming, exercising, yoga etc. Provision of Counseling and library facilities, cafeteria with very healthy and hygienic food is also available for members. The ashram has been beautifully laid out, which helps in communing with nature and our own self. Anyone can become a member of osho’s ashram at a very reasonable rate after completing a few simple formalities. Osho’s ashram is the charm of Pune, has an international character, with members coming from all over the world.
It was also fun to roam around at M.G Road with traffic prohibited on weekend evenings with shops and road side shacks serving different kinds of local food and drinks. People could shop till they drop, relax and indulge in web surfing as M.G road has free wireless internet access.
Located amidst the beautiful, rolling plateaus, Pune City has a charismatic beauty and a fascination in itself with pleasant climate through out the year. A home for many software and IT companies, Pune has innumerable professional and higher educational institutions which attracts students from all over India and world which also gives the city a lively atmosphere and a youthful look.
Life is fun at Pune. Visit if you can.