A Day in Pune

Pune (aka Poona when the British ruled India) is the "Oxford of India" -- home to many institutions of higher learning and a lot of cultural sights.

We left Vapi at 6 AM and arrived in Pune shortly after noon. It's a pleasant drive, except for having to go through Thane (pronounced "tahn-ay") -- a suburb of Mumbai and major bottleneck on every road through town.

One of the few "expressways" in India connects Mumbai and Pune. In places, the median is filled with container plants rather than the usual dirt-and-shrubs.

Lon had to work, but I had the afternoon to sightsee. Ganpati (the 10-day festival for Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity) is serious business in Pune, and the streets were decked-out for the occasion:

First stop was the Aga Khan Palace. It was built as a public works project to give local workers the means to get through a severe famine. In the 1940's, Gandhi was placed under house arrest here. Now it one of several Gandhi memorials in India.

Next stop was the Shaniwarwada, a palace/fort built in the 1730s and destroyed by a spectacular fire in 1828.

A panoramic view of the interior of the Shaniwada.

The last stop of the day was the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, a museum dedicated to "Everyday Traditional Art". As such, it emphasizes everyday living rather than fine art. It's very difficult to find, since it is on a very narrow street that looks more like a service alley, and parking is difficult to find. I particularly liked the galleries dedicated to cooking and music.

These are vegetable cutters from the 19th century.

Metal combs

Pune may be a seat of higher education, but not all of the schools boast academic credentials:

Ping-pong anyone?

And my favorite sign of the day (sorry it's partially obscured by a pole):

Americans are not the only ones who know how to co-opt food traditions. Schezwan dosas? Schezwan chutney?