And She Wept in My Arms...
August 27, 2009 Pune, India - I woke up early that morning and saw her busy getting breakfast ready for me. I rubbed my eyes and read the hour hand of the table clock - it was pointing towards eight. I got up from the bed and started walking towards her, just to realize the memories of the previous day. That brought me back to my senses. She was not talking to me, I recollected. I was finding it hard to locate the actual reason that had resulted into a dispute among us the previous day. This was the worst among all the quarrels we had so far. There was almost no communication that took place between us since last evening. Today seemed like a continuation of yesterday's battle.
I continued moving ahead in her direction. She was easily able to recognize my presence on the kitchen floor. For a while, she noticed me approaching towards her through the corner of her eyes. Ignoring it all, she moved her face on the other side pretending to be busy with her work. That was well enough for me to change my mind and my direction which was now diverted towards the refrigerator. I took out a bottle of cold water and emptied it till the last drop. I wished to start a little conversation with her. I knew she was not talking to me. Had I taken the initiative, I knew it would be kinda embarrassing to not get back a reply. I decided not to utter a word. Not again, I thought. I was in a no mood to relive a day which was same as yesterday. But, did I have any option? Her reticence was killing me, but then if she is not willing to speak - why the hell should I?A few minutes later, we had left for our respective offices. Although, some pieces of work kept me busy all day long, my mind reminded me of her every other minute. At times, I wished to call her. I picked up the receiver a couple of times, but all my efforts turned futile. Let her call, I thought. If she owns the same feelings as I do, she will. It's not me who is at fault. I am not calling her and that's for sure. I tried letting not my mind wander in her thoughts. The day continued like every other day and ended just as any other bad day ever would!
I reached home and saw her already arrived from her office. She was facing the bedroom window as her body rested on the bed. I took of my wrist watch and kept it on the table ensuring that it made some noise. I noticed that this had diverted her mind from her thoughts. She turned her face towards me and looked - just the way a two year old would ponder at you if you snatch away his favorite doll from him. I kept looking at her.
"I have a head-ace!” she spoke in a low voice.
I reached her forehead and realized that she had some fever. She pushed my hand away, as if she didn't like my touch. I looked at her in anger.
"You are insane!” I shouted as I left the room.
"Please don't go!” she pleaded. I kept hearing her weary voice as I walked out of the house. Her voice faded away as I kept walking and ultimately came out on the streets.
The memories of yesterday and today started wandering in my mind. They kept on boosting my anger and kept reminding me of all that I had suffered.
I came back to the house after a few minutes and rushed towards her with a glass of water.
"Take this Crocin tablet. We'll go to the doc' this evening if this doesn't get you alright!” I said as I held her palm and caressed her head passionately. She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
"You went to the Chemist's? I thought... ", she kept on speaking as she looked deep into my eyes. Her reticence almost faded away as she kept dropping numerous tears down her face. Her voice kept resembling more like a small baby as she spoke and cried. I hugged her tight and she burst out crying.
"I don't need the medicine honey! All I need is you!” she said. Her words moved me from the bottom of my heart as they kept reminding me of all the stupid mistakes I had unknowingly committed. A paltry 'sorry' would never bring us back the time that we'd ruined.
She kept weeping in my arms as I followed suit.
A Pee-er Review!
August 25, 2009 Pune, India - I was once, while I was attending the final rounds of an interview of a multinational organization, standing next to a few of my prospective colleagues in a restroom. Had I received the offer, who knows, some of them could be my new seniors, junior colleagues and last but not the least, one of them could be my immediate manager too. I agree that it was quite unnatural for me to keep staring and analyzing them at such a place. Unfortunately, I was very keen towards the gestures exhibited by a few of them. May be sometimes, my mind works in some awkward directions attempting to read some random personalities. Of course, I agree that a restroom is no good place to get to understand people or getting introduced to. Most of us keep on visiting restrooms, often during a working day most of the times, neglecting the people around us. But here, I was caught in a situation amidst the people with whom I was going to spend at least a few years of my life. It was just then when I thought of performing a pee-er review!
'Perfectionists' are the ones who are just and focused on the given task, in search of high standards in every feat they accomplish. Nothing could diverge them from their intentions to visit the place. They take care that not even a single drop is spilled outside the bowl. They come in straight and walk steadily towards the stall. And then, Just Go for it - Aim and Shoot. Washes his hands clean and leaves the room immediately.
A 'confused' pee-er saunters inside, wondering all the time what under the sun has made him feel visit a restroom. He takes a look around his fellow co-pee-ers and takes ample time to judge his bladdery movements. Realizes that it is worth taking a chance and stands in front of a stall. He feels disgusted when he realizes that there ain't anything to be waiting for. Quits.
The 'Curious' kind is much interested on how their neighbors do it. Try to peek from the wall and enjoys the way you do it. You might feel shy and would try to hide yourself from his uninvited stares. He would then try to steal back his stare to find someone over the other side. Do not always mistake them to be homosexuals, these are rather among the curious breed of Pee-ers. Rare enough! :)
The most boring kinds are the most 'punctual' ones. He realizes that it is the time for an afternoon pee-break, walks steadily in the restroom, looks at the minute hand of his wrist watch, notes it down in the mind. Unzips, pushes the boxer down with the left hand, and grabs the little man with the right - forces his bladder to finishes the task just in time. Not bothered much about the spillage. Wipes his hands and leaves.
A 'kiddish' pee-er takes almost half the time in unzipping his pants, sometimes brings it down halfway. After many efforts, he is successful and feels very happy about his accomplishment. He takes his own time to have a look around the side walls. Suddenly, he realizes that he missed the shot. Holds back his breath for a while and tries to concentrate. He loves the sound of the fluid getting accumulated in the pot. He keeps enjoying it until the time he realizes that he may finish soon. He then moves back and forth; left and right, making circles into the water and continues the game until he notices that he has victimized one of this shoes.
Desperate! Well, GO!! GO!! GO!! I believe that they do not fall under the reserved category. Basically, they can originate from any of the categories mentioned here. They have only one thing in their minds - to get rid of their pain. They are ready to reject heaven for the want of peeing. Nothing in the world is more relaxing.
Doubtlessly, my favorites are the 'creative' pee-ers. He looks for innovative ideas every time he visits the restroom. To discuss about all his ways would form a different story, hence let's not discuss it here. He finishes his task gracefully and looks up at the wall. He hates it clean. Takes out his ink and writes a beautiful slogan - the one he just thought of during his stint. The most intense ones among this breed are expert painters and cartoonists. They really make the place entertaining.
'Music Buffs' do not really need a description. Rather, their song describes them well. Essentially, they are not very good singers, but they enjoy humming, whistling and singing all the time unlike a 'moron' who takes off his fly, looks straight up at the ceiling, and pees on the neighbor’s foot. Ahh! That’s disgusting, my shoe!
I think, almost all of the personalities of the people could be read in a restroom. I would like to restrict my explanation to only these personalities lest my imagination would turn wilder, so much so that I would gain some second thoughts before I could post this article on my blog. But I would like to disclaim that personalities and work performances are two separate things and have no interconnections within. Further, I am still researching on the resemblance of a person's behavior in a restroom with his natural personality. So just keep this in mind the next time you meet me in the restroom - you are a subject of research.
'Perfectionists' are the ones who are just and focused on the given task, in search of high standards in every feat they accomplish. Nothing could diverge them from their intentions to visit the place. They take care that not even a single drop is spilled outside the bowl. They come in straight and walk steadily towards the stall. And then, Just Go for it - Aim and Shoot. Washes his hands clean and leaves the room immediately.A 'confused' pee-er saunters inside, wondering all the time what under the sun has made him feel visit a restroom. He takes a look around his fellow co-pee-ers and takes ample time to judge his bladdery movements. Realizes that it is worth taking a chance and stands in front of a stall. He feels disgusted when he realizes that there ain't anything to be waiting for. Quits.
The 'Curious' kind is much interested on how their neighbors do it. Try to peek from the wall and enjoys the way you do it. You might feel shy and would try to hide yourself from his uninvited stares. He would then try to steal back his stare to find someone over the other side. Do not always mistake them to be homosexuals, these are rather among the curious breed of Pee-ers. Rare enough! :)
The most boring kinds are the most 'punctual' ones. He realizes that it is the time for an afternoon pee-break, walks steadily in the restroom, looks at the minute hand of his wrist watch, notes it down in the mind. Unzips, pushes the boxer down with the left hand, and grabs the little man with the right - forces his bladder to finishes the task just in time. Not bothered much about the spillage. Wipes his hands and leaves.
A 'kiddish' pee-er takes almost half the time in unzipping his pants, sometimes brings it down halfway. After many efforts, he is successful and feels very happy about his accomplishment. He takes his own time to have a look around the side walls. Suddenly, he realizes that he missed the shot. Holds back his breath for a while and tries to concentrate. He loves the sound of the fluid getting accumulated in the pot. He keeps enjoying it until the time he realizes that he may finish soon. He then moves back and forth; left and right, making circles into the water and continues the game until he notices that he has victimized one of this shoes.
Desperate! Well, GO!! GO!! GO!! I believe that they do not fall under the reserved category. Basically, they can originate from any of the categories mentioned here. They have only one thing in their minds - to get rid of their pain. They are ready to reject heaven for the want of peeing. Nothing in the world is more relaxing.
Doubtlessly, my favorites are the 'creative' pee-ers. He looks for innovative ideas every time he visits the restroom. To discuss about all his ways would form a different story, hence let's not discuss it here. He finishes his task gracefully and looks up at the wall. He hates it clean. Takes out his ink and writes a beautiful slogan - the one he just thought of during his stint. The most intense ones among this breed are expert painters and cartoonists. They really make the place entertaining.
'Music Buffs' do not really need a description. Rather, their song describes them well. Essentially, they are not very good singers, but they enjoy humming, whistling and singing all the time unlike a 'moron' who takes off his fly, looks straight up at the ceiling, and pees on the neighbor’s foot. Ahh! That’s disgusting, my shoe!
I think, almost all of the personalities of the people could be read in a restroom. I would like to restrict my explanation to only these personalities lest my imagination would turn wilder, so much so that I would gain some second thoughts before I could post this article on my blog. But I would like to disclaim that personalities and work performances are two separate things and have no interconnections within. Further, I am still researching on the resemblance of a person's behavior in a restroom with his natural personality. So just keep this in mind the next time you meet me in the restroom - you are a subject of research.
Racism is a Self-induced Disease
August 21, 2009 Pune, India - I had a hard time last week, explaining a European guy that I hailed from a country which consisted of 28 states and more than 25 spoken languages and thousands of other languages. Nevertheless, it wasn’t much surprising for me to believe on his imbecilic remarks just for the reason that he was never outside his own country. Subsequently, another thought haunted my mind – Are we Indians so ignorant about the people from the prosperous countries? I am sure that all my attempts to find such a person, at least among the well-educated sections from the Indian society would turn futile.
It is not uncommon in India for people to gather useless stares at a tourist or a foreigner (firang* – that’s what they refer as in Mumbai) who is on a brief visit to the country. Well, it is not about the stares and glares I am talking about, but I am unable to understand the reason why we are attracted so much towards the white skin. The Englishmen ruled us for years for the very reason and the prejudices that they were taken to be superior, more presentable and thus possessed the power to influence. Why is any thing that is darker than white, rather being wheat-ish or black is considered substandard? I was born to a mother whose skin color was fairer than that of my father. Later, I was being told by a family member that my Grandma prayed for my bright skin color. This trend is common in Indian societies and is omnipresent since generations. It is not that these thoughts of orthodoxies existed only during the reign of our Great grannies and Great grand fathers. It is disheartening that the inclination towards the whiter color is much appreciated than the human nature, his work, talent and merits even today.
One of the most affected sections of this self-induced racism is the fairer sex. A member among the fairer sex has no good future in the glamor-world if she is not born fair. An average looking girl does not stand a good chance of getting married to the man of her dreams just for the very reason that his family members do not prefer her to be a good match. In an arranged marriage, they would always ask for her younger daughter who is rather fairer. Isn’t it disgusting? Unfortunately, this is common among our societies. We have been overlooking these aspects for generations, so much so that they have become a part of our culture, taboos and more significantly, our attitudes. I have been seeing several advertisements being flaunted on the Indian television screens which claim their cosmetic product, a fairness cream or soap guaranteeing a brighter skin color – the product that has a potential to open new doors of success and enlightenment into their sad and non happening state of lives. Some cosmetic companies have not even spared men for their crime of being the darker sex. A typical such advertisement shows a dark colored, oily skinned teenage man sitting gloomy, disheartened for his skin color, unable to attract attention of the girl he likes in his college. Typically, he finishes the two week exercise of the skin cream recommended by the Company and here he goes winning not only the girl of his dreams but also a huge feminine fan club. The question to be raised here is that are such advertisements specially designed for the Indian market? The answer to which lies in the very fact that such advertisements are openly flaunted and anticipated by the various segments of people in the Indian market. This is obvious due to a basic reason that, we have taken dark skin as granted to be an emblem of inefficiency and incapability.Caste-ism is the worst form of Racism. Believe me, even today it is not easy to be a student belonging to a so categorized scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and other backward class background. I still remember the attempts of my School Principal in class ten, to reduce my internal practical marks in the final examination papers lest I may score more than her son who studied in the same class. I am thankful to my class teacher who stopped this crime from being committed, who stood beside me and later communicated us this loathsome act. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do. It is not easy to prove the injustices you suffer due to your origin, social or family backgrounds esp. when most of such acts are not done openly. In a society where a person’s last name is asked in order to identify his caste, creed and the profession of his forefathers, it is difficult to grow up and rise esp. when you have not much in your hand. For years, great social reformers have been sacrificing their lives to abolish these unfair practices of such caste-linked biases. Even a majority of ‘Dalit’ population is downtrodden, devoid of basic education. Females are harassed, raped and brutally murdered in Indian remote villages for the reason of being born Dalit. A nation will never grow due to a handful prosperous men that make a mark, rather you must grow in harmony – it’s only when your people grow, your country grows. Reservations, although are helpful to provide opportunities that have been deprived off by the society from this population, it is not the only solution to put an end to these practices. If Racism is the thirty thousand feet view of the Indian society, Caste-ism is the ground view. It’s all in our minds.
There was this superb story floating around through e-mails which referred the downtrodden people among the Indian society as 'grasshoppers'. The fortunate and well qualified people referred to as 'the ants' got fed up one day due to the nuisance caused by these grasshoppers. They were worn out due to the internal politics within the country and due to the opportunities they were missing due to the burdens caused to them due to these grasshoppers. The hardworking ants suddenly became self-centered spiders and gradually decided to build their webs in the United States. The story finally ended up with all the ants landing up in the States and there they started to live happily ever after. In India, millions of grasshoppers are still toiling hard for their living. Well, have nothing to blame for the ants here because they are hard working, sincere, desirous of a society with equal rights and opportunities and laws fair enough for the benefit of all. I feel that these ants are myopic and lack the vision to grab a view of a bigger picture. They are myopic to the fact that these so called grasshoppers are real victims to the greed exhibited by them. These ants have been stocking the food of knowledge and power into their homes keeping the rest of the needy ones deprived of it. Now, let’s stop talking in the language of the ants and the grasshoppers - the story never covered the bigger picture of the whole situation. It's all about us, the people. We fail to realize the tougher situations being faced by the less fortunate people. We never exhibit openness of thoughts towards the socially backward people. A majority of the suppressed families don't even know how to avail the benefits of reservation. Today, a highly qualified business graduate thinks of developing his roots abroad, righteously neglecting his moral duties, giving almost nothing back to his country. This negligence is another form of racism and is the real picture of Indian society today.We being humans, favoritism will never cease to exist in our minds, but it is rather more important to assess ourselves on the terms of the way we think about others. Being fair-looking or being born to prosperous parents does not provide us the ethical right to build a narrow outlook towards others. Just give it a second thought when next time you disparagingly refer an Indian a 'Desi'. This is the time to review ourselves before terming the world a 'Racist'.
Virtually Social...
August 19, 2009 Pune, India - Rolling back the wheel of time to a point where we were small kids, I could imagine myself playing in mud, giggling around with other kids from our apartments, playing hide-n-seek with the kids within my network, enjoying, laughing, weeping after an unexpected quarrel face to face and getting engaged with real innovative games – the kind of ones which are hardly heard of by the kids of today. The story stands true not only for our high school days but also for the days just before we entered the college. My years as a kid were real exhilarating, for the things we did collectively as a bunch, as a network of prodigies and partners in crime. We played and soiled ourselves in the mud, soaked ourselves in the early showers of the monsoon every year and had committed innocent crimes with our own troop of partners. Little rascals, so were we. But this was my kind of social networking as a kid of those times.
Coming back to the point to where the wheel of time is currently pointing to, I notice that there is a drastic change to the way kids and people at a broader scale network and socialize. Keeping afar from the non-creamy layered sections of the society, to whom the word ‘socializing’ is not more important than their daily bread and butter, a majority of the children from most of the prosperous families have been caught into the vicious trap of online socializing. They have built their own set of protocols and a common set of terminologies which they often use over the telephone and lately the Internet. Their world is set up over the ‘Tweets’ and ‘Scraps’ they write and post online. They have their own set of followers to whom they refer as ‘friends’. Friends follow their tweets everywhere; some real good ones care to comment on them too. A person’s display picture on the social networking website is the face of the individual in the virtual society of online networking and all that he has inked down in his display profile is known to be his personality. Online Scrapbook, well, is something that you need not even carry, rather it follows you wherever you go - more the number of entries you have in it, the more social animal you are supposed to be. I remember the days when we carried our scrapbooks in our school to collect the autographs of our teachers and friends. But then, it was the way we did it as technologically backward kids. Times have changed and so is the way people maintain their stuff. Technology was just invented to make our life easier, wasn’t it?“I have just created an online profile and have started adding new friends, some of them to whom I already know, some whom I do not know and some I haven’t even ever met. I send out messages to them periodically, express my thoughts, disgusts and joy with them. I do not really bother if they really understand me but it makes me happy to have so many people who are always available to me to share my feelings. I also keep on following other bots on the Internet and read their thoughts and feelings. I kept on doing this for days, for months and for years. I realize that I’ve started living in a virtual world of feelings. The very next day I come across an application that can very well be embedded into the portal I use to socialize, I can send out hugs, kisses and slaps. I also have an option to publish my actions within my network. Can it be any easier than this? I am damn sure not. All my actions are powered by binary codes and they absolutely have no restrictions. That is something I must be proud of. One fine day, something out of this world, made me realize that I have become so mechanical. Why do these online bots fail to please me when I am real sad, soothe my pain when I am ill or pacify my loneliness when I am in need of a real good company? Sometimes, I wish I had a chance to pinch the cheeks of a newborn of my best friend, wish I could have a chance to pat the back of my old friend for his promotion and wish I could share a cup of coffee with a friend who had not been in touch for ages. I am a human and sometimes I hate to be one. I have started feeling lonely. I see nothing but a notebook screen that has been creating an illusion of the world I am living in. I realize that although I have my friends and dear ones living in my computer, all that I am missing is their personal touch.”
Isn’t that something you might have ever felt? Technology has always been man’s best friend, a tool that has been shaping our lives, a boon to innovate the way we think and do our work. Online socializing is just another example adding to it. The globe is getting smaller and smaller
each coming day. For years, technology has been giving newer dimensions to the way we perform our things in the real life. I really love the beauty of several of the social networking websites over the Internet – they almost can be epitomized as a visualization of the real life. Ironically, although it is visualization, at the same time it is virtual, irreplaceable and not substitutable to the real world. The tools available online are just assisting us to keep your ends tied to your contacts.We live in a dynamic world. I call it as the real world. Let us refer the technologically visualized world in the social networking websites as the virtual world and the society therein as the virtual society. Talking about the real world, we live in a society that is formed of laws, ethics, behavior, relationships and numerous such aspects that I believe cannot even be visualized in a single go. The virtual world that can be surfed today on the Internet is actually not even a smallest fraction of the real world. I do not want to discuss the algorithms, the logic involved and other technicalities pertaining to the famous networking websites available today, rather just want to drag your attention towards some of the most serious limitations these websites possess. Ungoverned access to pornographic content, unethical hacking into restricted information, illegal dating services are to name a few. In no manner, this is a true visualization of the real world that I know and understand. The Internet claims that social networking is in the phase of evolution and would be the future of upcoming technological advances. Evolution is a never ending and an ever improving process but there are doubtlessly no substitutes to the basic elements that constitute to life.
One of my favorite bots from the virtual world, also my best friend in the real world says – “I love my computer because all my friends live in it”. Now that could sound funny in the first read, but this is something which needs a second thought when you login to any social networking website the next time.
But Be Not a Victim!
August 16, 2009 Pune, India - Draught, pandemic, economic crisis, terror threats, job loss, unemployment, inflation, climatic challenges – Is that all what you call a bad time? Do you feel victimised by any of these ongoing problems? Have you lost the vigour, and passion to keep up everything you always wanted to do in your life? Well, go on as you are not the only person who is feeling the heat. You are just another affected person among the millions across the world. When I say affected ones, it means they are mere stakeholders of the adversities caused due to these ongoing problems and not necessarily the victims. It is the time for us to realize the force behind the world that keeps it going.
Things have never been so easy, but the present fact is that things were never so challenging either. The conditions are demanding men to equip themselves with more valour in order to face the newer challenges than ever before. Sometimes these happenings tend me to revisit the possibilities of the Doomsday – again and again. In a country like India where one of the biggest concerns is the human population, even the smallest of the small calamity could lead to numerous deaths. This has always been true since the onset of evolution and the theory proposed by Darwin sometime back in the pages of history stands valid even today. It is the fittest of all who would stand the wind. The fearful of all is the first to become extinct and that’s the very rule of the nature itself.When I look back in time, I realize that it is the ray of hope within our hearts that drives us all. If someone says that the world is goanna end tomorrow, I know a majority of us would continue their usual routine, not bothered about the consequences of the future. This is just because, we have believed in the results obtained through the hard work of the morrow. Certainly, this is the correct approach towards problem-tackling. When things go wrong, it is not uncommon for a noble mind to get disheartened, get the feeling of being lost and depressed. This is the time to get rejuvenated. Different people have different ways to tackle depressive conditions. Many of us would like to divert out attentions, at least for a while, towards some lighter things in life. Hobbies and other interests help us a lot. Some of us tend to become spiritual, and try out prayers and chants. Prayers have a divine strength to rejuvenate minds. They help revive your valour and enlighten the ray of hope within you which has always been a driving force behind all your actions. But then you must be still wondering about your problems! They still exist, right? Well, they will always exist in some form or the other. No matter what methods you adopt to get yourselves prepared for the tough scenarios, you just need to face the challenges – no matter big or small. Some men find themselves broken down, experience a drastic fall in their confidence levels and seem stressed out due to the challenges they cannot overcome. This is the time when you are in need of a real breather. Try to come out of the bigger issues, take a small vacation and divert your mind for sometime. Come back and deal with some small problems – this could be as good as a puzzle, a sudoku or a video game. They help you revive your confidence levels, trust me.
Times are real bad and this is the time you need to build your own armour for the battle that is awaiting you. Staying fit is paramount and being calm is even more important. The human mind always performs at its peak when calm. When caught under disturbing situations, there is an obvious demand for a better performance. If you are affected by problems, you always stand a good chance to cope up. If you panic around the situation, you always stand a good chance to fall a victim.
Sinhagad - the Lion Fort
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| A Serene View from the Sinhagad (Kondana) Fort, Pune |
I find it not gainful enough to start the description of this fort with its glorious history since I believe that the Internet is already filled up with enough pages depicting the greatness of it. Sinhagad, formerly known as the ‘Kondhana’ fort has been an epitome of bravery for centuries. Every glimpse of the fort is full of the memories of the great warrior Tanaji Malusare – one of the outstanding Generals from Chhatrapati Shivaji’s army. His memorial on the fort reminds us of the bravery and loyalty of the Maratha soldiers during the reign of Maharaja Shivaji in the month of March 1670. Today, it is one of the prime attractions of the Pune city and is a great historical place, a true heritage of not only Maharashtra but of the nation.Last Saturday, we visited the Sinhagad fort for the very first time. Most of the tourists who visit the place are not hardcore trekkers; a majority of them prefer to climb the fort using their personal vehicles. Needless to say, I was one among them. Although, there are government buses plying every hour from Shanivarwada and Swargate, Sarasbaug to Sinhgad foothills, it is recommended that you travel using your personal vehicle esp. a two-wheeler, a bike.After a forty five minutes drive from Swargate, leaving behind the Khadakwasla dam, we reached near the Sinhagad foothills. Just then we came across a milestone that read 12 kms. We continued further to reach a toll pass of the forest department – charging us Rs. 50 for a four wheeler and Rs. 20 for a two wheeler. It was just after we crossed this toll pass, we started to feel the exuberance of the lush green forest and the cool breeze coming from the mountains. Adding to the excitement, it started drizzling that made our journey even more exiting. Suddenly we realized that the roads had started loosing its smoothness and soon it was covered with pebbles, pits and bumps.The uphill journey was now filled with thrills and the unexpected curves seemed real scary. The 
smell of the water-soaked mud was enchanting our minds. If you are driving a two wheeler motor, I would advise you to be extra cautious on these roads in rainy season since the roads tend to become too slippery and hence more unpredictable. After a few minutes drive from the foothills, we reached the hilltop. It is hard to digest that once well-known for its strong fortification, the fort today is none other than the ruins of the great walls which once formed the fort’s assets. Just as you reach the top of the fort, you come across a parking area which is normally occupied by numerous vehicles. It is no hard job to find a space for your vehicle in the parking lot, unlike several shopping malls and joints in the city of Pune.If you are a food freak, then the fort is a place to be. Don’t be amazed to find numerous hawkers and their stalls selling yummy eatables viz. my all time favourite Kanda-Bhaji, Pithala-Bhakari, Vada, Makaa (Corn), Matka-Dahi (Curd served in a Pot), Taak (buttermilk) etc. These are among the common Marathi dishes in the state of Maharashtra; but their taste is unique and doubtlessly worth trying. If you are from a foreign land, a tourist not belonging to the state, these fall among my most recommended eateries list for you. The hawkers and shopkeepers here are from the rural areas of Maharashtra and you will love their hospitality just as you would enjoy their mouth watering dishes.
For trekkers, it is an amazing journey towards the fort, almost 800 meters high; it makes a great journey amidst the green grass that grows on the mountain in the rainy season. The NDA (National Defence Academy) trainees are often found drilling towards and back from the Sinhagad fort as a part of their regular training exercise. The trek, although not very hard, would make you pant at times. But you definitely realize the worth of all your efforts when you get a glimpse of the breath-taking view from the fort. Provided the sky is very clear, you could see a majestic view of the Pune city from the apex. The bird’s eye view of the fort shows you the Panshet, Khadakwasla and Varasgaon dams. The famous Torana fort is also visible from the Sinhagad fort.I happened to wander across the fort, glaring at the ruins of the fort. The most prominent landmark on the fort is the Doordashan tower, which is responsible for the television transmission to the Pune city. The fort also consists of the bungalows of the famous Maharashtrain social reformer Lokmanya Tilak and the renowned Marathi poet and writer G. D. Madgulkar (Ga Di Ma). The monuments that were built in the memory of Rajaram Maharaj and Tanaji Malusare can also be found on the fort. In addition to these attractions, the Pune Darawaza, Kalyan Darawaza, Kondhaneshwar (temple of Lord Shiva), Zunjar Buruz, Tanaji Kada, Kadelot Point, Western Point and Dev Take are amongst the other attractions that make a mark.Just as our journey uphill, our return journey was equally enjoyable. The fort is definitely the best place for a one day tour, a good break from the troubles of the City life. The strategic location of this fort has always been an attraction for great warriors to fight for it. Many great heroes have sacrificed their lives for the possession of it, yet the Sinhagad fort stands still, for centuries.“People ruled, people fought, captured and died; but none were able to retain. History is not about the ones who once ruled me, but it is about the great ones who gave up their lives for their love towards me” – is probably what Sinhagad speaks to us today.
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