Pune, I miss ya

Once you have Pune hangover, it is difficult to find a cure. It’s been about a year since I left Pune, but I’m still hungover and I have no intention for sobriety. “Pune is an addiction.” these were the words someone told me the day I moved to Pune. At that time I didn’t fully understand what it meant, but after living in Pune and leaving Pune, I now fathom how much truth those words bear.

They say home is where the heart is and Pune sure was my home for a while. My Pune memories have inspired me to write a few lines.

Glider plane ride – A joy ride indeed!

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.” – Leonardo Da Vinci

I moved to Pune in late July 2013 and at that time I used to live in Magarpatta City as a paying guest. While searching for options to stay I met a few guys who happened to be Gujaratis from Mumbai.  Instantly a connection was made and I made new friends. One of them was senior of us and he had lived in Pune before. During one of our hangouts, he mentioned about a gliding center in Hadapsar, which was pretty close. It fueled my curiosity and piqued my interest. I had come to know about glider planes after watching The Thomas Crown Affair and once I had known about it, I was quite fascinated about the idea. We decided we’d go there sometime.

The Immigration Game

Rejection doesn’t taste good, but it surely makes acceptance taste a lot better.

It was around July 2010 when I was fresh out of college after completing my Bachelor’s in Computer Engineering and I had decided to pursue a master’s course. At that time, a childhood friend of mine was also considering pursuing master’s course. He had completed his bachelors from the UK and we both decided to opt for a master’s course in the UK. So, we initiated the procedure and received admission in Aston University. I paid the fees for IELTS and began my preparation. So far so good.

Goodbye 2014! Thanks for all the awesomeness :)

“Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” – Muhammad Ali

Oh, what an eventful year it was! It turned out truly amazing. Even more amazing than I had thought it would be. Lots of memories, emotions, events experienced throughout the year. I have to confess that 2014 changed me and for lots of good reasons. I am so glad that it did 🙂 Every month has offered me something to remember. Moving on, I’d like to share a retrospective view of the year.

Shave it, let’s do it!

Kal kare so aaj,
Aaj kare so ab,
Itne din se bal ugaye,
Beta, shave karega kab?

These were the lines of my roommate with whom I used to stay when I was in college. I was pursuing engineering and those were the days when I’d go to college unshaved. In fact, most of the engineers do the same. There were two reasons behind this. First, of course the laziness to invest humongous efforts required for shaving 😉 Second, it is kind of cool for engineers to have beards (because we can keep them ;)). Who knew someday beard would get in the way?

So glad to receive Very Inspiring Blogger Award!!!

I am thrilled to announce the fact that Jatin Adlakha from A Traveller’s Odysseys has nominated my blog for  Very Inspiring Blogger Award!

Kirkee War Cemetery – Pune’s openly hidden gem

“The only real equality is in the cemetery.” – German Proverb

This proverb can’t be further from the truth and to understand its meaning one needs to visit a cemetery. When I went to Tamhini Ghat, I got a glimpse of a beautiful cemetery on the way. Even thought I just got a glance, I was really impressed by its beauty. I decided I’d definitely check it out sometime and spend some time there. Little did I know that the time would come soon 🙂

Checking out Buddhist caves near Lonavla (Bhaja Caves)

Once we reached the base we went back to Malavli station again from where we walked to Bhaja caves. Bhaja caves are ~2 kms from the station and they are on the way to Lohagad fort. The weather was good and there was plenty of greenery around so we had a nice walk. We reached the place from where we’d have to start climbing the stairs to reach Bhaja caves. We imagined it would be pretty easy. How innocent of us! It was getting onerous at each and every step. We felt like it was a Herculean task, which we felt we were simply incapable of carrying on. It was like we had crossed the age of 40 and our feet had decided not to listen to us. Two against one! Nevertheless, we gained courage and somehow we managed to reach the caves. Man, it was a hell of a trekking!

Checking out Buddhist caves near Lonavla (Karla Caves)

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” – Ernest Hemingway

It was two weeks after I visited Dudhsagar waterfalls with my buddy Asad. We had a hectic week and to add fuel to the fire we just had one holiday on Sunday that weekend. I was working on a task which he had to release soon and Asad was also working on an important task. We both needed a break. The traveling bug bit us again and I already had a place on my mind. I thought we’d check out two Buddhist caves near Lonavla. Karla Caves & Bhaja Caves. They both are pretty close to Malavli, which is just one stop before Lonavla. The good thing was that we didn’t have to book train tickets in advance, nor did we have to arrange a bike. Both of the places are easily accessible by auto / walking. We decided we’d hire an auto for Karla Caves and we’ll walk to Bhaja Caves. None of us had any idea how the trip would go.

To be(ard) or not to be(ard)?

Why some people (read men) just don’t like to shave?

Maybe because of this?

Photo credit: 9gag.com