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