fifteen kms cycling

 Very soon the mechanised vehicles in Pune will be replaced by cycles. Wishful thinking? Well, there are all indications that this may happen soon.

Did a 15 kms ride this morning and it was very refreshing to see the young and the not so young pedaling away. Some were doing a mix of walking and cycling 

Reminds me of something the Dutch Cycling Embassy had put out on their Tweet, "My hope for 2021 is that we can move beyond the shiny and new, and focus on real world solutions that are proven to work. Don't build Hyper loops and Tesla tunnels in cities where it remains unsafe for a child to cross the road or a parent to ride a bike"

When you are at a slow speed you can take in some of the landmarks of Pune, like the Shinde Chhatri at Wanawadi 

Or the Ohel David Synagogue (Lal Deval) near Camp

Talking of Camp (Main Street) it is a different sight, with all the shops closed in the morning. 

The St Patrick's church looks grand against the morning sky.

One has to be a little alert in the morning as there is no saying who will cross your path (and they have the right of the way) 

It is good to see some youngsters practicing football 

Passed the race course and saw the usual sight over there, horses getting their early morning practice ride 

It seems time stands still in some areas of Pune like this picket fence and the grand old tree. My guess is, this tree must be more than two centuries old. 

Made a 3 minute video on my 15 kms ride. Like I said in the beginning, lets give back Pune its old title of "City of cycles"

My cycle is back home, rearing to go for another spin tomorrow morning. 

 

On the way - Part 3

Continuing with our journey. . . . . . . Crossing the Holkar bridge was a real pain as it was very narrow and the traffic moved real slow, till they came up with an alternate wide bridge. I must say that the construction of the new bridge was pretty fast.

For those who want to know the past of this bridge, it was built by Madhu Rao Peshwa and named after Malhar Rao Holkar who was accustomed to pitching his tent in the vicinity. (the Holkars were the Maratha rulers of the Malwa region)

There is a water colour painting by Lester John Fredrick dated as back as 1870 showing how the bridge looked during a flood that happened in July 1870.

Picture source

I came across an old B&W photograph too, clicked maybe a century ago.

Picture source:

I tried to click a recent picture of the bridge from the same location.

One can visualize the passage of time by comparing the painting and the two photographs above. 

And to have a look at the new bridge that was built just an year ago, here is a view from the river bed. You can see the old bridge on the extreme left.

   

The city fathers planned well in advance and made this new bridge real wide with a bifurcation going to the highway via the Kirkee War Cemetery.  On some days we do take a detour from that side. (but we will explore that side later under the title Detour)

I appreciate the fact that very few trees were sacrificed to build this new bridge.

If you are lucky you will get to see some scullers rowing in the river

There are some washer men who wash their load of clothes, the traditional Indian way

And if you are really really lucky you may get to see these small birds moving around in hordes. It’s a wonderful sight to see a wave of yellow suddenly moving from one tree to another.

It is a lovely sight to see the new bridge disappearing into the jungle of trees.

And that takes us to one of my favourite roads of Pune. This road is lined with huge trees on either side giving ample shade.

Recently when I was clicking some pictures on this road, this vehicle overtook me and made the road all the more colourful.

At the end of this road there is this small quaint little Methodist church.

There is a dilapidated house that I see daily. I can’t help imagine how this house would have been a century ago. Could have been occupied by some British Military officer with his family, and an array of servants.

May be that tree could tell us some stories.  

Right next to this tree is an open playground. The best time to play football is on a rainy day and even if it is not pouring it is a lovely sight to see those youngsters engaged in a game of football.

But our love for cricket does not take a back seat. If you look closely you can see a game of cricket in progress in the midst the football players. (the guy in black stripes is bowling)

What do we call this?  Peaceful co-existence? 

To be continued in part 4.
For those who have missed out on Part-1 and Part-2.   

Extra Time

Most of us have taken part in some form of sports activity when we were young and some of us take it to the next level as we grow up. Some even end up being a professional player.

This is the story of one such guy named Bernie who was a football player on a professional level, But as he grew up he had to leave it due to age related problems. He is caught up in his daily family activities, but deep down he is not happy doing these daily chores. To add to it his wife is always around to say that he is not doing a good job.

One day while tinkering with his lawn-mover a red ball flies over the thick fence and lands next to his feet. The sight of the ball brings back old memories. He knows that the rubber ball has come from the next house where the kids were playing football. He picks it up and gives it a clean kick sending it sailing over the fence and he can almost hear the adulation of the audience like the “good old days” This turns out to be his daily activity, interacting with the children and returning the ball without actually meeting the kids. Then one day the family along with the kids from the neighbourhood move out. He once again goes into a depression as the only link he had with a football is abruptly stopped.

All this is not lost on his wife and one fine day she decides to present him with a ball. The change in his expression is worth watching.

The 7 minute short movie made by Amy Hill and John Rosy is humorous and heart tugging.  

In his own words “creating characters and exploring the ways in which they interact with each other is a huge passion of mine”

You can see for yourself – click here. (it may take a few seconds for the movie to start playing)