Pune Times

No, Pune is not the Oxford of the east or the pensioner's paradise for me. For me, Pune is Poona - Poona is friends, college, food and me. Yes, what I am today is 60% Poona, 30 % childhood and family values and 10% Google, Hyderabad etc.

 

I went there when I was 15 and stayed there until 21. Until recently I used to say I lived alone in Poona. But saying that is as good as saying Piyu, Shilpa, Mayu, Gayu, Prachi, Nam, Cams and a whole bunch of people were never there for me. And that would be a blatant lie. I look back and think there has been no other time in my life when I was surrounded by so many people at the same time who love me so much.

 

My best memories of Poona range from lifting buckets of water on the my 7th floor apartment in Rasta peth to eating veggies floating in oil and pulses floating in water. Poona for me is racing with my sister on a 60 CC scooter with boys on 150 CC bikes - and us winning the races. Poona for me is spending an entire day over one cup of cappuccino among 10 people and looking cool. Poona is riding aimlessly across the town - picking up and dropping random people. Poona is dancing on the roof with Piyu with rain piercing through us. Poona is late night drives to Lonavla to spend the weekend with someone special and riding back that very morning because the girls are planning to meet up over a movie.

 

Poona is talking all night, night after night with friends trying to sort out each others not-so-complicated lives. Poona is BMCC and breakfast at KNP. It is fights with the gatekeeper over parking tickets and shedding fake tears at police station when scooty would be towed away. Poona is saving money through the entire month to go clubbing once and have 3 pints of Foster's beer. Poona is crashing at aunt's house when I was sick and when I was homesick.

 

Poona is eating at Flag's to celebrate, N number of punctured tyres with Gayu and getting drunk in Sru's apartment. Poona is reading Richard Bach all night long and getting mesmerized. It is watching the shittiest movie at E-square for the 10:30 am show - since it was cheap. Poona is the 1 bedroom apartment in Aundh and all the bittersweet memories attached with it.

 

Pune is Natural's ice cream at Pulse and choco dip at Cream California. Pune is uphill walks with Picku and going to the gym because the instructor was cute. Pune is sitting with Shilpa outside the Psychology department or at the open canteen. Pune is standing in extremely long queues at the university to apply for various certificates and sheets for various people.

 

Never thought Poona would be about 4 busy working women who are my best friends and who would go out of their way to spend that extra hour with me and take time out for me, no matter what. Never thought Poona would be about fancy dinners and expensive clothes. Never thought Poona would also be about my best friend's wedding.