Riverside Rantings

Perched on a bench on the riverbed of Maine (a river in Wurzburg, Germany), I wonder whether life could get any better than this. Far away from Pune’s scorching dry heat, dust ridden air, glances from men and women, which range from intruding to anxious all nevertheless suggesting- what on earth was I doing sitting all by myself, men and boys lurking around "checking me out!!", heavens only knows how completely at home I feel in this foreign land. For here I am left alone and in spite of it, I don’t feel lonely. Neither am I made to (more importantly). Infact I am loving it. I am feeling safe being a single woman and strolling on a riverside after a long time.

People, young and old enjoy their stroll along the riverbed. They talk softly and do not disturb the calm of the place. I hear the birds whistling and chirping, the water flowing – peace is in the air. A cold breeze is doing the rounds but the sun peeps out in intervals and is keeping me warm. Cyclists whiz past swiftly on the clean cycle tracks beside the lush green grass strip, where people laze around chatting, reading, or soaking in the sun. Thought of the moment -we can all live so harmoniously together, if only we gave a chance for others to live….

But as I revel in the beauty of the river and the place,my mind oscillates between Wurzburg and Pune. .Also,almost as a simultaneous realization it dawns on me what I have missed in Pune. And no, I am not talking about the bad roads, rather the safety of women. More so, for I have seen Pune although never as beautiful, but definitely more liveable than it is now. I have strolled and cycled through the shady lanes and by lanes of the city without the fear of being robbed of the little money I own or being run down by a debris carrying truck or being troubled by strangers. But not any more, now I am worried. Life is no more predictable in good old’ Pune.Sometimes when I sit back I wonder when exactly did Pune change from the cosy neighbourhood to the "city of strangers"?

It breaks my heart to solemnly nod in agreement with all those who declare it "no more the pensioners paradise" it once was. Infact with the frantic and unplanned development of Pune it is only the old and the very young who are at the receiving end. Neither do we have playgrounds for the children to play nor parks for the elderly to stroll and worst still lovers are shoved away from the only bench in the small green patch they manage to find ,by the so called "moral-police".Since when did we start hating "love" so much...? With the growing sense of insecurity creeping into young minds in India, to me it is a great relief to see two people madly in love with each other... Perhaps, a reassurance that love still exists? This might require an entire separate piece to put forth my say, so I leave it for some other time…

As Pune grows bigger, I see bleak chances of finding a place to breathe - either geographically or emotionally. Gone are my favourite "kattas" in road widening, cosy coffee shacks have reformed themselves into drab tall buildings and posh hotels to draw in more customers, large banyan trees disappeared long time back and our dear tekdis are on their way out too. So, where do people like me go?. I love to lie down on the grass and gaze at the blue sky… That’s all I want to do on a weekend after a hectic juggle between office and home on weekdays.And definitely not -a 25 minute drive through honking traffic, another 15 minutes hunting for a parking space and all of this only to snuggle myself into a already crowded coffee shops blaring out loud music, to be the only option for me to to unwind? Chilling out on a weekend in Pune now, means either watching a movie in an expensive multiplex, shopping or splurging on an over expensive -coffee.

More importantly,all this even when we have two main, long, beautiful rivers flowing right through the city...???...

I continue to gaze at the bountiful Maine, wishing we start looking beyond "ourselves" before we have nothing left to look-at ...?