Twenty- five Seven

#HobbyHorse – Can orchids grow in Poona?

July 6, 2016

People who associate orchids with tropical rain forests will be surprised to know that they can grow in an urban setting. There are several people in the city of Pune alone who grow orchids

One of them is my father who counts orchid cultivation as one of his several hobbies. This was a natural offshoot of his passion for gardening which has yielded many a tender green salad and tonnes of avocado which my parents have had to distribute after consuming them in diverse forms including avocado icecream.

Unfortunately his garden is pretty shaded so he doesn’t have much luck with regular flowers like zinnia and balsam. But he has just the right amount of sunshine for his orchids .

an orchid growing on a bamboo suspended in the back verandah

Most of the orchids he has collected from his various trips and you can see them hanging all over the place like this one in the back verandah.

anothe plant growing on a tree

He even has some of them growing on trees like this one and though I’ve never seen them all in full bloom at the same time, they keep him busy and out of my mom’s hair.

Of course this is quite a messy business and my mother gets annoyed with the bits of husk and coal that he uses to grow them but she is pleased when he allows her to use a flowering stem as part of a floral arrangement.

Orchids are hardy flowers and have an exotic beauty that I personally find a bit creepy but they are great ornamental plants to have in an urban home.
Driving down to Poona

July 5, 2016
Poona is just 120 km southeast of Bombay .The best way to get there is by road especially during the rains when the hills are green and waterfalls abound.

There was. long line of cars waiting at the toll booth on the sea link

The new road to Poona

Back in the day when Pune was Poona, the drive was a small 20 ft road with a perilously steep mountain road that took my family all of 8 hours to navigate.

This was largely because we stopped on the way to eat a dosa at Matunga. More often than not we’d visit an Uncle or aunt in one of the suburbs on the way. We’d stop at Khopoli for a a cup of tea and a batatawada at Khopoli. Invariably we’d stop for a bit to cool down the car just after throwing a coin at Shingroba’s temple half way up the hill road.

Entering the first of the five new tunnels on the Expressway

The new Expressway changed all that and today we make the trip in under 4 hours even if we stop for tea and pee.

Emerging from the second tunnel before the first food mall

After the second tunnel, most travellers stop at the first food mall which has two huge HP pumps that dominate the landscape.

The new HP pump

Going up the road towards Lonavala is another tunnel which brings the downhill traffic to the coastal plains.

Driving up can sometimes be difficult if a landslide has clogged up the road.

The old tunnel before Khandala still has a signboard advising all motorists to “remove their goggles”.

As a child I used to get mortally scared of this tunnel !

Approaching the fourth tunnel

getting closer

Inside tunnel 4

and at the other end

Driving down the straight stretch of road

Approaching the last small tunnel before the end of the Expressway
And finally on the home stretch as the Expressway comes to an end .

At one time the road passed through farmland with paddy fields that gave way to sugar cane as we came closer to Poona.

Today there are houses all the way through and billboards announcing even more homes and houses for people looking to live in the ‘countryside’!

Getting to Poona

There are numerous options of getting to Pune. Government and private bus operators offer a regular service with buses leaving every 15minutes , stopping at various points along the way.

For those who want more privacy, you can go by taxi.

And of course there is the option of the four hour train journey or a half hour plane ride!

Reasons to go to Pune in the rains
1. To enjoy the scenic journey to and from Mumbai to Pune
2. Pune rains are a pleasant drizzle for the most part and it’s a fun place to visit in the rains
3. The Race season is the main reason for avid race goers who actually maintain a residence for those few months
4. Pune in the summer is a killer and in the winter it can get quite chilly so this is really the best time of year to visit.
5. For a completely relaxed de-tox in a very urban setting . Somehow Poona still has a laid back feel and is perfect for frenetic Mumbaikars who want to get away and still not get away.
So what are you waiting for?
Off to Poona #MondayMusings

July 4, 2016

Off to Pune

Punekars will be offended by my title that calls their city POONA, an anglicised version of this ancient town. But honestly, Poona has a different feel to it much the same as Bombay was before it became Mumbai.

Yesterday when I met a bunch of school friends I was transported back to the time when these cities were known by these names, a time of our childhood that will soon become a distant memory. It’s not that I eulogise the past but I do wish the present were as elegant and gracious as the past.

Everything today seems more brash and brassy, more crass and less classy. Communication has been abbreviated to ttyl and cya while everything is done on the move ( including this blog post! )

My trip to Poona was very nearly cancelled with the heavy showers over the weekend. Plus the encouraging news about landslides on the mountain roads and horrendous accidents on the Expressway made me do a double think. But when I saw the jaws of my family drop with the thought of me being around instead of away, I thought I’d better risk it and go ahead.

Their obvious relief and glee at seeing me go made me realise what a Sad Sack I must have been the past few days. How easy it is to fall into victim mode and feel sorry for oneself .

We are the heroes of our own stories .

The month of June has been a great month and I have lots to be grateful for:

Celebrations: Ms.Papaya’s mother organised an intimate tea party to celebrate her turning one. It was a joy to see the mingling of generations ranging from >1 to <80!

Rain: Even though I hate damp laundry , I am grateful that the Rain Gods finally listened and we’ve had some very wet days the latter half of the month.

Help! This month I was lucky than most and am keeping my fingers crossed that my domestic help stays in place. They make my life comfortable . I could actually spend time on doing my volunteer work with St. Jude, an organisation I’ve been associated with for several years.

Friends,Entertainment and Exercise: Despite my chaotic schedule, I did manage to meet up with friends, do a long 6km walk and see a movie.

I’m looking forward to Po’s first birthday next week and of course a much looked forward to R&R at my mom’s .

They say you never grow up till your parents are around. I’m glad that they are here so that I can still be 5!

Linking this up with #MondayMusings and Vidya’s post in#GratitudeCircle.