Xpressions

Yesterday was the last day of the 10-Day Ganesh Festival in Pune. On this day, the Ganesh idols are immersed in water - symbolic to Lord Ganesha travelling back to his abode. Pune being the cultural capital of Maharashtra, has certain mandals which are more than a 100 years old. These mandals carry out the festivities as well as the last day procession in the same traditional ways even today. I was lucky enough to be able to catch the first 5 "Pahilya Manache" Ganesh in procession this year. Below are some snaps of the interesting traditional festivities carried on in the procession.   The roads were adorned by beautiful colorful  rangolis. Some so huge, they covered the entire chowk...  Here comes the first Ganesh - Kasaba Ganapati - The Gram Daivat (City Deity) of Pune ... in full welcome sounds of the 'Tutari' This is the actual Deity, which is taken out for this procession in a Palkhi. There is a huge crowd gathered for darshan .. The...

Love this festive season in Pune. And the ongoing Ganesha festival is kind of an identity for the city. So many beautifully decorated idols are seen everywhere across the city. I love visiting the inner city areas of laxmi road and peths to catch a glimpse of the decorations.  We also celebrate it socially in our societies/colonies. We have several cultural programs and competitions. This has always been a time we kids looked forward to in our school days. In our teens this was a good bonding time which more than often saw a love story taking shape .. :). Personally, I've always looked  forward to this festival for the modaks .. :D. Our society had a wonderful program this year as well and a very peaceful Ganesha idol which you can't take your eyes off. We celebrate this festival at home as well. From childhood days, I remember working hard into the night the previous day to complete the decorations. On the Ganesha pooja day, we start the day early. Bath i...

My little terrace garden is in full blooms ... :) Consistency in watering the plants, shoveling the planters and occasional clean up has resulted good yields. I can now allow myself some expansion plans. Will get roses, hibiscus and some such real plants this time.

Dedicated to all my friends, who have been with me through all these years. Sharing and caring ... To my childhood friends ... with whom I've spent amazing years .... seeing a new dream every other day ... To my school friends ... from whom I've learned many a trick .. studied and played ... strive'd together to achieve our aim ...  To my college/hostel mates .... have spent most wonderful years of my life ... sharing a room, sharing cloths, sharing dreams ... sharing our whole lives ...   To my work friends ... we may have started as colleagues ... but will continue forever as friends ..  Your friendship has given me a lot in life ... loads of dreams ... loads of lessons .. sometimes a meaning and a sometimes a reason ..  Hence it means a lot to me ... :)

Mandoshi is a quaint little village on the way to Bhimashankar, about 80Kms from Pune. The route goes via Rajgurunagar from where you need to take the diversion towards another small town called 'Wada'.  The entire road meanders through small hills and misty ghats and even the drive is equally interesting. On the way we came across the mighty Chaskaman dam and its backwaters. This one is touted to be the new water supplier to the eastern parts of ever increasing Pune city. Green, misty and completely unexplored, it is a treat to watch this dam,backwaters and the entire catchment area. The road goes through forest areas and small farming hamlets on the way. Most of the farms were covered with beautiful young green shoots of rice fields. That is one amazing hue of green, simply awesome.  Finally we reached the small village of Mandoshi. When asked the locals about this waterfall they could not imagine that somebody might actually come to see this waterfall in their ...

Had another fun filled weekend. Learned 1 new recipe and visited one amazing picnic spot in the green hills near Pune. Looks like am developing a new love for cooking .. :) This time its eggs. This is sort of a mix between the Spanish omelette and our very own Indian version  - masala omelette.  Here goes the simple recipe:  Cut some veggies you would like with the egg - onions, tomatoes, capsicum, mushrooms, corn and beans. We'll add green chilies and coriander leaves for garnishing.  Heat some oil in a pan and add all above veggies to it. Cover and keep for some time till the veggies specially the beans are tender and cooked well. Add salt to taste.  For the omelette, beat 2 eggs and add salt and pepper to it. Put some butter on a heated pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Add some mixed herbs on top to give that exotic flavoring.  Once the omelette is cooked from one side, flip it. On the cooked...

Monsoons are here!! The hills and mountain ranges around Pune look amazing with every imaginable shade of green covering the landscapes and numerous small falls lined on the ghats and roads. Add to it good roads, ample eating options and clean loos .. :D. That's when you've got a winner. Lavasa is a planned city about 60 kms from Pune, near the Varasgaon dam. The roads are in very good condition inspite of heavy rains in that area. Once you leave the Pune city area, the roads go winding down the green valleys and there are number of small waterfalls on the way. You will find small tea-tapris and local folks selling garam bhutta on the way. It feels amazing to have a hot n spicy bhutta while getting drenched in the drizzling rains.  The entry point for Lavasa is at the top of the ghat and once inside, its a beautiful view of the city beneath. It beautifully winds down to the city area. As of now the city has a commercial street, few colleges and few hotels which seem to ...