With another month gone by, we will soon bid farewell to the first quarter of this year.
Once again, we will begin that mad rush to get the taxes filed on time , close yet another financial year and open new books of account .
And once again I have a lot to be grateful for .
For peaceful sunrises and chilly breezes , I’m grateful to you, February.
And sweet strawberries with fresh whipped cream, I’m grateful to you, sweet February.
With birthday flowers and special treats , I’m grateful, Birthday February.
For ice cream cones on temple towns and a visit to my folks , I’m grateful, February.
And thanks for all my Valentines and love , my February.
For brilliant full moons like the one last night , I’m grateful February
With the virus raising its ugly head Once again striking us with fear It’s time to take a step back And appreciate all that we hold dear
These are just some of the things that I’m grateful for this month of February.
Waiting for March to come so that we can get vaccinated and dispel some of the fear that strikes us when any maskless person passes by or when someone sneezes, coughs or talks we pray they don’t spread nasty drops .
Wishing everyone a safe and happy March .
Take your vaccination , wear your mask, keep safe and keep well .
The Maratha kingdom had a few Brahmin chieftains and the rulers of Bhor were one of them . A small Princely state, its ruler was worthy of a 9 gun salute.
It seems strangely coincidental that today’s papers announced the passing away of the 13th Raja of Bhor, HH Shrimant Chintamanrao alias Abaraje Pantsachiv, on Monday morning at his Pune residence. He was 85.
a river view
Bhatgar dam
wild flowers
calm waters of the river
The dark old hills of the Sahyadri mountain range form the perfect backdrop for the small town of Bhor, nestled among lush green flat land in Pune district .
The capital of a once princely state, the main town ( at least the part I saw) consists of a sad looking Main Street ending at a gateway to the Town Square .
The gate itself was a fairly recent addition to the town, constructed by HH Chintamanrao in 1937 to commemorate his visit to the UK for the coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth (the parents of the present Queen).
I was there on the day before my ambitronic birthday to sort out a personal matter.
Though the heat was rising with the sun, people still wore their sweaters and what lifted my heart was the once familiar typical rural Maharashtrian attire – loose white pyjamas and stiffly starched white caps. Accessorised with rustic looking Kolhapuri chappals and a bag, these men were often seen in the outskirts of Pune city, but of late this dress has become a rarity.
There he is!
Man with cap shirt and pant
Striding past purposefully
Waiting for a friend?
Doesn’t this solid doorway look impressive and grand?
The town square as it were is made up of the Palace and three identical buildings which now house government offices.
The square is dominated by a beautiful palace made of brick, stone and wood with fine carvings and details. Sadly the palace’s current occupants seem to have scant respect for history and heritage and have left it to rot bit by bit.
The front of the palace
A writer sitting at a traditional wooden desk
The rest of the square is made up of buildings in slightly better shape – possibly because they were still in use as Govt. offices .
On the day I visited, a shoot was going on and we weren’t allowed access beyond the central courtyard.
It is a shame that the palace is in such a state of disrepair because it has been quite a popular location for period movies in Bollywood. Most recently it was used to shoot large parts of the 2015 blockbuster Bajirao and Mastani.
Carved rafter tail
Painted cornice
Inner courtyard
Balcony overlooking courtyard
Rooms opening to courtyard
Carved wooden pillar
Simple knocker
Carved brackets
Surely the palace authorities could use the money from renting out this property for its maintenance so that it really looks like a royal residence rather than a ghost of its former self?
It may interest you to know that gun salutes given by the British indicated the importance of a native ruler .
A stack of firewood
The sugar icing spire of a Shiva temple
Traditional wooden window
Traditional copper water heater
Happy school children
The samadhi of a ruler who buried himself alive
Street scene
Modern day milkman
The temple of Hanuman
Beehives on a Peepul tree
The Nandi guarding the temple
The palace gate
This brief trip to Bhor took me back to my childhood.
Growing up in Pune, my family made many weekend trips to neighbouring towns. I was taken back to another time when the roads were bumpy and narrow, being squashed in the back seat with my brother, trying to read the names on the milestones as they zipped by, eating jam and egg sandwiches under a tree, chasing away the buzzing flies and and experiencing the charm of rural Maharashtra working its seductive magic.
All my readers must be knowing by now that February is my favourite month.
Apart from my birthday and strawberries and flowers, this month celebrates one of my favourite activities : Reading Aloud.
”Did you know that #WorldReadAloudDay was celebrated on 3rd February? ”
This is not as frivolous as World Pakoda Day, which is on July 30th this year . Nonetheless, I was shocked to learn that there was a day dedicated to reading aloud. I mean, I read aloud every single day!
Did you know World Pakoda Day is on 30th July this year ?
I look forward to reading to Ms. Papaya every night and I enjoy it as much as she does. It’s such fun to cuddle up and read aloud with her. Sometimes we read every alternate word, or every alternate line. Sometimes a sentence leads to another story or anecdote.
Undoubtedly, reading aloud is a fun activity.
The benefits of reading aloud to children
Reading aloud has the benefit of grabbing their attention. After all, when you modulate your voice, and talk like Mr. Mouse or Mrs. Hen, make the tapping sound at a door or zoom like a plane, the story comes alive. And especially for the little ones who are learning to read, this experience perks their curiosity. It isn’t long before they want to read those words too !
And reading is a way of learning, so reading aloud also encourages learning .
Why older people should read aloud too!
But while WorldReadAloudDay is meant for making readers and learners out of little ones, I find that reading aloud helps older children and older people too!
I’m talking about white-haired, short-sighted older people like me who prefer reading in silence. Very often I find that when one reads in silence, one speed reads. This means that words are often skipped. Of course, words like ‘and’, ‘but’ and ‘the’ are skippable and reading each and every word doesn’t always enhance the reading experience. But I find that in my desire to read fast, I often misread. For instance, I was for the longest time, reading a movie title like “Love, Sex and Dhokha” as “Love, Sex and Dhokla”. It was only when I read it out loud did I realise the movie was not about cooking or love but a movie about love, sex and betrayal told through a candid camera.
Similarly, when I am speed reading my Twitter Feeds or even newspaper headlines, I find that I have completely misreadcertain words and hence misunderstood the content!
Reading aloud also helps with pronunciation. For instance, for the longest time, I thought that the word ‘lascivious’ was lasvicious. This was because I had only come across the word while reading. It was only when I heard Yo-Yo Ma use the word, ( as late as two years ago) did I realise that I was saying it wrong all the while.
An added benefit of reading aloud is fluency in speaking. Reading aloud helps you practice articulate your thoughts and when you have to tell a story, your narrative won’t be beset with ‘umms’ and ‘aahs’.
Lastly, I find reading aloud a great blessing to old people who can’t read anymore or for those convalescing. Hearing a book while you are sick is calming. Feeling the presence of someone sitting by your bedside while you recuperate is reassuring and helps in a faster recovery.
So even though it is no longer #WordReadAloudDay I would strongly recommend that each of us makes every day a Read Aloud Day and reads aloud at least once in the day.
Do you read aloud? Do you like reading aloud ?
Do let me know your thoughts on having a day dedicated to reading aloud or even commemorating the pakoda for that matter.
Twenty- five Seven 