Category: English

  • बखर – Chronicle of The Past: A Photo-series

    बखर – Chronicle of The Past: A Photo-series

    Bhuleshwar, is a secluded hill temple dedicated to lord Shiva. It is considered that mythologically the temple is built by the Pandavas but historically it is renovated by Yadava kings around 1230 AD. Restrictions imposed due to COVID-19 were relaxed recently in Maharashtra and temples are now open. Hence, we took the opportunity to visit this temple on one of the last Sunday of November. The whole ambiance of the temple complex was serene. It had that cold calmness of classic Shiva temples which I notice in all of them, regardless of how big or small the temple is. This post is a photo-series of my experience in the temple.

    Every wall and façade of the temple is ornamented with beautiful sculptures. Because of this, the temple is a treasure trove for art and photography enthusiast. Sadly, many of them were vandalized and broken. Even though, the light entering the complex was making a very peculiar angle enhancing the beauty of those broken sculptures. The whole setting with the light effects, shattered sculptures and that humid cold air in the temple sown the seed of this poem in my heart. It took me a week to bring it together in a form of a photo-series.

    बखर – Chronicle of The Past

    As the subject demands, it is yet another ‘black-n-white’ photo-series. This photo-series is very different than earlier two. It is accompanied by a poem. One stanza for each of the photos. Hope you will enjoy the series below.

    Complete poem

    बखर
    ~~~
    मागची पाने उलटली वाचली तेव्हा बखर,
    खंत थोडी वाटली मी टाकली जेव्हा नजर…
    भंगल्या होत्या जरी का गौरवाच्या या खुणा,
    आमुच्या रक्तात भिनली आजही त्यांची बखर…
    जाऊनी गगनास भिडली गोपुरे आणि कळस,
    गाजविले शौर्य आम्ही घोर हे झाले समर…
    मारण्या आधी भरारी त्या उंच उंच अंबरी,
    या भुईची वाटली मी एकदा घ्यावी खबर…
    ~~~
    आदित्य साठे

    From my earlier visit

    I had visited the place once before, about 5 years ago. It was an amazing experience in itself. I could capture so many breath-taking photos of those gorgeous sculptures around the walls of this beautiful temple complex. I am adding few of those photos from my past visit for you guys, and I am sure you will enjoy them too.

    As it is just about 45 km from Pune, on Pune – Solapur Highway, it is a one-day trip which will guaranty you the serenity, calmness, and spiritual connection. So, whenever you guys are down in Pune, or nearby city, do visit the temple.

  • Lost to The Past

    Lost to The Past

    Pune has a very fascinating history. We are also contributing to it every day. Places like hotels, cafés open up and get lost to the past. These are the places where we gathered pearls of memory. But, now we can never re-visit these places. Then they are lost to the past. This is one of such places ‘Tea Trails’ café on Law College Road

    Tea wall from Tea Trails

    पुणे शहराला स्वतःचा गौरवशाली इतिहास आहे. आपणही आपल्या पद्धतीने त्यात रोजच भर घालत असतो. अनेक हॉटेल्स, कॅफे दुकाने नव्याने उघडतात, कालांतराने काळाच्या पडद्याआड जातात. अशाच अनेक #गतकालाच्याखुणा पुण्यात आहेत. अशा अनेक जागा आहेत जिथे तुम्ही आम्ही काही आठवणी गोळा केल्या होत्या. पण आता तिथे पुन्हा कधीच जाता येणार नाही. या जागा काळाच्या पडद्या आड गेल्या आहेत. त्यातलीच ही एक जागा. लॉ कॉलेज रस्त्यावरचे ‘टी ट्रेल्स’ कॅफे.

    It was a very random plan to meet a friend for a conversation over a coffee or something after her day at clinic. I have never visited this place as tea is not my choice of drink. My friend chose the place as it was her frequent place to relax and write. I was busy admiring and photographing this wall adorned with tea tins. Then barista (is this the right title for tea maker?) behind the counter, presented the box. A variety of tea flavours was available to chose from.

    “Kashmiri Kahwa is a perfect choice to end the hectic day.” my friend, a well-known homeopathic psychiatrist and a published author, suggested me on that day. And, she was absolutely right about it. Kahwa indeed helped in soothing the body and calming the mind. I thank her for introducing the place and Kahwa to me. Even after the experience, I wasn’t one of the regulars of the place like she was. Book of Time turned its page and they have to shut Tea Trails, Law College Road. But, memories still linger around.

    ~~~
    Adi’s Journal
    24-10-2020

  • Illustrious by all means – Marathi brings me joy

    Illustrious by all means – Marathi brings me joy

    You may find it hypocritical to read about my mother tongue ‘Marathi’, in a completely different language. But the point of writing this article in English is to tell how beautiful, intricate and culturally rich my language is. I want to tell this to everyone in the world, and not just Maharashtrians. Though Marathi is this historic and ethnic, I won’t bore you with the historical dates and important milestones of the development of language of Maharashtra. I would like to tell you more about the joy it brings  me. 

    Praises of Marathi language written by Saint Dnyaneshwar

    Recently, I was interacting with a few foreigners as a Marathi writer and poet. It was  on one of the social media forums. They were happy that someone is really passionate about creating literature Marathi, a minor language from India. At first, I got a bit offended by their “Minor Language” remark, but on a second thought, I realized it wasn’t their fault. They are ignorant about Marathi language and heritage of Marathi literature. This is because we don’t boast about it, even if we boast about it, we do it in Marathi. This is the exact reason why I have to write about Marathi literature in English. It’s us, the Marathi people who are at fault for to not make  the work of our writers  known to the world. Marathi literature isn’t being translated widely into English or other foreign languages. 

    Feelings about mother tongue Marathi penned by a great poet Madhav Julian (Madhav Tryambak Patwardhan)

    The entire Marathi community, the 83 million  people speak Marathi as our first language. It’s with great joy that I can proclaim that Marathi gets the 10th spot in world’s most spoken language and 3rd most spoken in India right after Hindi and Bengali. We have stalwart novelists, poets and writers of other forms of literature who have won accolades like the Jnanpith Award for their outstanding contribution to Indian Literature. Theatre, music and other performing arts flourished with contributions of many great Marathi artists.

    Through this blog series, I would like to take an opportunity to introduce you to the fine jewels of Marathi literature and culture. A small step towards taking the minor to medium if not major. Hope you all will enjoy it.

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  • Starting a new

    Starting a new

    86272169_10156732813596056_5804646281909370880_nIt has been days for me turning that page. I put the full stop on our relationship. You know how difficult it is to move on and start a new life. When there is no further page to turn, you have to accept the end. We had such a good time together. But alas, the journey has its destination. Wait, wasn’t I aware of this destination since the beginning? Ever since I took that first step with her, back of the mind I was always staging for the moment when we reach the end of this road.

    Isn’t it obvious for a book? If you open the cover and dived in the amazing world created by an author, there is always “the end” written on the last page of the book. Have you ever felt that you are in the same world with those characters? Witnessing those scenes written on pages in your hand, hearing voices of characters speaking dialogues scripted for them? There are a few books which have taken me in their world. And I must say, they are magnificent. Valentia created by Rajamayyoor Sharma is on top of my head as far as Indian fiction is concerned while James Clavel has taken me to medieval Japan. I have roamed in London with Sherlock and Poirot. 

    However, the journey in those realms, started from the cover page, has its end marked. The author takes the characters by hand and takes them to their destination by the end of the book. They fulfill their destiny. If a writer chooses to give happy moments at the end, we enjoy them. If it’s a tragedy, characters at least get closure at the end. But hey dude, you forgot to write something for me? What about my destiny at the end? What about my share of the closure? Haven’t you thought about me as an uninvited traveler of this journey when you wrote a book?

    This is my condition when I turn that last page of every fascinating book. I need more time to come out of the world between those covers. I know it’s crazy to some other level, but hey my fellow bibliophiles, aren’t we all crazy in the same way? Just like some love yearning person, I fell for a new world. I get pulled to the bookshelf. Aroma of those printed pages always fascinates me. It entices me to pick up a new book and start anew.

  • A table for two: Photo Series

    A table for two: Photo Series

    Food and drinks have always been a major factors for people to have intimate one on one conversations. Relationships bloomed between friends, colleagues, partners and even formal business associates over a cup of coffee, shared plate of snacks or a couple of drinks. Amazing and cozy cafes and hotels around town help to create these experiences. I thought of sharing such cozy places through this photo series with the hashtag of #ATableForTwo. Hope you will enjoy these cozy corners and visit them to enjoy the vibe.

    1. The Fat Labrador Cafe, Bavdhan, Pune

    2. Chai Tapri, Thatte Nagar, Nashik

    3. Tayo Cafe, Indore

    4. Krozzon, Indore

    5. The Farm Life – Cafe & Store, Off S B Road, Pune

    6. Namgay Artisanal Brewery, Paro, Bhutan

    7. Citrus Cafe, Lemon Tree Hotel, Siliguri

    This series ignited a spark in one of my dear friend Deep Kandekar, who took some pictures following the same theme which she shared with me and allowed me to put them in front of you. So here is a couple of those pictures.

    This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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  • Only a limitless now

    Only a limitless now

    PicsArt_09-10-01.06.37It has been more than two years since I finished reading “Shogun“, the first book of ‘The Asian Saga’ series of James Clavell. It introduced me to a feudal systems of Medieval Japan. The book revolves around the first British sailor – pilot who crashes on Japanese coast and a very powerful daimyo Lord Yashi Toronaga who is a main contender in a race to the Shogunate. Japanese philosophy is scattered throughout the book in a form of various quotes and dialogues between various characters. However one particular thought stayed with me the most.

    “How beautiful life is and how sad! How fleeting, with no past and no future, only a limitless now.”

    Lord Toranaga, thinks when he is pondering about his situation in whole feudal system and a race to the Shogunate, the arrival of  the Englishman in his province, possibility of clash between the Englishman and the Portuguese Christians at the same time. 

    “Live in the moment” is what we have always been told when one starts to dwell in the past or is daydreaming about the future. Brooding over what we missed in the past is not going to help us unless and until we learn from it and move on. At the same time, thinking about the future just enough to plan for our today’s action is perfectly alright, in fact, is necessary to be successful. However, dwelling either in the past or in future always make us lose the joy of the present.

    I remember a very heart touching scene from an animation movie Kung Fu Panda where Master Oogway gives his last and best teachings for Po, the Dragon Warrior. “There’s a saying, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the ‘present’”. Teachings of Master Oogway and the pondering thought of Lord Toronaga share the same belief. 

    We have always been taught to keep working on your job in hand, neither think about what fruits our efforts will bear nor worry about if we have missed something in the past. Unnecessary worry of future and regretting the past will only make us lose the moment in hand. In a way just like Clavell said, life is a very sad thing which lasts only for a moment. We can’t control the future nor can we change the past. But at the same point, it is very beautiful if we enjoy that moment. The only thing in our hand, is to live in “a limitless now”.

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