4 years of an IT professional at Pune

It's a beautiful small city located in the sahyadri hill ranges. The western ghats known for their ecologically diversification are the rages of mountain that separate this city from the financial capital of India, Mumabi. Ofcourse with latest boom in the Indian economy, the goverment has successfully built a 6 lane expressway between these two cities.

If Mumbai is know for it's financial services, banking sectors, stock markets, petroleaum industry ... and lots of lots of people more than you can imagine, Pune gets it's attention from it's manufacturing industries and the IT sector.

The climate is pretty comfortable except for one month glitch. The humidity is less as it is quite far away from the sea.

It's beauty is it's proximity to many of the maratha forts and landmarks. Also it is very near to some of the very beautiful hill-stations of Maharashtra

Some of the prominent places to visit (I visited) and derive some pleasure of travelling are as follows.

1. Daguduseth Ganapathi temple { located in Laxmi road of Pune near to Pune Muncipality Corporation }
2. Balaji Temple {route: Pune-Hadapsar-Satara-Narayanpur-Balaji }
3. Purandhar Khilla (Fort) {route: Pune-Hadapsar-Satara-Narayanpur village - fort}
4. Sinhagad {route: Hadapsar - Sarasbhag - Sinhagad Road - Khadakwasala dam - Sinhagad }
5. Karla Caves {route: Pune-Lonavla road- take right turn at Malauvli for 6 km - Karla caves}
6. Bhaaja Caves {route: Pune-Lonavla road - take left turn at Malauli for 2 km - Karla caves}
7. Lonavla {Pune rly Station - Sanchethi hospital - Nigadi - Lonavla by Pune Mumbai old highway - }
8. Khandala {10 km from Lonavla}
9. Bhimashankar {lots of buses from Shivaji Nagar bus-stand }
10. Nashik {lots of buses from Shivaji Nagar bus-stand }
11. Mahabaleshwar {lots of buses from Swargate bus-stand }
12. Panchghani {All buses to Mahabaleshwar go via Panchghani }
13. Shirdi {Pune - Ahmed Nagar - Shirdi. All buses from Shivaji Nagar and Rly. Station }
14. Mumbai {buses for every 30 min. from Pune Rly. Station }

more to follow ....

The coffee jars are full ....

The following poem was penned down to convey a message to all our office team members here at Sybase India. It's about arrival of new ping-pong bats and coffee powder for all to enjoy a games & drinks whenever they want (need).

The coffee jars are full again
to keep you going again and again.

New branded TT bats have arrived
to tune-up your sporting skills desired.

The location of both is not a suspense
as EMC has a no-lock drawer in your dispense.

If you did not like this poetry of mine
Blame it on the blues of this Monday morn.



love
talpak

Walking in "The Biggest Rainfall Day In India's History"

Am I fortunate ..... YES .... because I am still alive !! next because it opened my eyes to some of the finest values that Indian spirit nay the humanitie's spirit always cherishes.

Am I fortunate ... NO ... because I was a mere spectatre to some very old people walking on the highway but still unable to help them. I saw some helping others but I couldn't join.

'All employees can leave the office by 4'O clock because of heavy rains'... the news from HR. Please don't use lifts go by fire exit staircase only.... not because of any emergency because our reception lobby where everyday 4 tip-top dressed, young ladies sit to receive others, is today flooded and those ladies are sitting on the tallest point of the reception block so that somebody can come and receive them to safety.

We were standing just before the door which leads us to the "open place". It was raining very heavey and the wind was blowing still more heavily. A daring young boy felt like the "The Gladiator" walking among all the fellowers like me on either sides and he juped into open place at the same time opening his umbrella.... !!!!!... WHAT HAPPENNED NEXT..... read on.

For the first time in my life I saw an umbrella getting opened into a straight rod. the open umbrella which was supposed to be like (- was like -- . The powerful Greek-army of rain-drops did enough to our gladiator who was quite sharp enough to fall back with 2 litres of pure water.
After 45 min. of waiting, around half a dozen of us wrapped all our precious things into polythene bags and decided that we must venture into the open rain waters not knowing that it is not another rainy day but the rainy day of the century....... a blunder for some but a good decision for others.

To know what happened to those people who ventured and what each has to say when they all met again after a week...... STAY TUNED (to be continued in next episode ......)

love

talpak

My First Trip To Pune

A place so near to Pune..........

1678.... August 25th......... early morning 6:00 a.m **

"Chathrapathi Shivaji" is sitting there on the floor with the head of a dead person on his lap and weeping like a kid who has lost his most beloved.... He kept on weeping.. .weeping...weeeping and finally said "I have gained Simhagad but have lost my Simha" ( meaning, I have won the Lion-Fort but lost the lion)

.............................................................................................................

This was the scene that ran in-front of my eyes when I stood in front of the "Taanaji's Tomb" there on top of Sinhagad fort around 20 km from Pune where "Subbu - The Great" is running ahead of many guys to finish his Doctoral Research in Chemistry.

This patriotic outburst may be due to the presence of "The Patriot" and Naval Officer, Mr. Naveen Chandra Krishan standing next to me.

Yes brothers, I am talking about my trip to Pune. Subbu was kind enough to allow me as another guest to the list of 9 guests who are always present at his home (almost all Research Scholors take their food and some relaxation in his house on daily basis).

Well the night when I reached there in Pune, the Naval Officer did show me his new bike and wanted to go for a telugu movie on that. But the confusion about where exactly the switch for the head-light located on the bike made our plans to be abandoned.

The most amazing person in the entire pack of 10+1 research scholars was "Father of Subbu". To tell all about him in the words of Subbu itself, "My Father is more comfortable with our generation than his generation"... I didn't believe in it, till I saw him comming with us for a movie at 10 p.m. in the night only to get ready afresh at 9:00 a.m next day morning to go for another movie with another group.

Mr. Subbu did test out his culinary skills on me and Navin and we were happy that his food made us feel afresh till late in the night to talk about our good old college days and discuss some very important aspects on some ‘DEADLY’ topics ….. guess them if you can .

I think Navin is in a state where his 'KRISHNA' aspect is surfacing on to the femina and soon, he may be the first wicket to fall. Hey, Navin, please do let us know about the latest developments.

I did visit Shirdi and have darshan of the Old old man. Eventually I managed to travel 3000 k.m. in next few days as part of 'Deepavali holidays'. Had nice time with family and friends.

Hey Subbu ! just few thoughts before I stop this mail…

Thanks for the bubbling boiling water for bath provided to kill that

chill of the early morning.

Thanks for keeping yourself surrounded with such good people like

Jayanthi, who were everready to serve me a big cup of hot

morning coffee to drive away the morning blues

Thanks for your PRECIOUS TIME taken off from your busy RESEARCH SCHEDULE

to drive all the way to Sinhagad and other popular places of Pune.

Thanks for THOSE VERY PEACEFUL GOOD TWO days time that

you gave to us.

Thanks for being a cause to rekindle the memories of college days in Navin,

me and ofcourse yourself.

God bless you with many more oportunities like this whereever you are !!#$%**

PN: The historical timings are subjected to verification. Not Authentic

take care

talapk

Oh! My Dear Mumbai ..... Part - 1

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Everybody might have heard about the crowded trains of the Mumbai City. I feel no other organisation, other than our Indian railways at Mumbai has brought our Indians so close to each other (literally)

Everyday I negotiate for a half foot of train's place for me to stand on one of my legs when I travel from my home to the office. On weekends, the trains are quite free with 90% of you getting a seat (not to sit but to stand comfortably). During these trips, I come across simple incidences which take my vision to the answers, this Mumbai city has for it's masses.

One day a poor couple, the man clad in half-dhothi and woman in saree boarded the compartment in which I was travelling. Their clothes were soiled. They were carrying some masonry equipment probably to work as daily-wage worker at some construction site. Both of them seem to be from distant village from Telangana (they were speaking Telangana Telugu). They seem to have escaped from the four consecutive years of drought in A.P and making their living at Mumbai.

They look simple, humble, ignorant and innocent of the so-called modern pleasures to life and only thing they are bothered about are next two meals for the day. Well it is better atleast they get something to eat than remain back in the village unable even to get proper drinking water. My thougts were gallopping back towards my dusty drought prone native village in Rayalaseema

...... BUT .............. rrrrngngrrrrggrrrrrg ........

my continuous thought process was jolted, when a famous ring tone stated originating from that person. Slowly but steadily his sun-baked palm goes into his shirt pocket and there comes out .....ooooooooppppssssss..... a cell phone (NOKIA 1100) and off he goes off for a coversation in Telugu..... this is too much man... well after all it is Mumabi.

Now I realize what Mumbai's crowded trains carry. They don't carry just crowded people. They also carry the dreams of those people who want to make a difference to their life. The dreams of those people who demand an answer for so called fate.

Mumbai is trying to give it's best, to the population of around 3.5 crores (35 million).
I wish Mumabi all the best in it's endevour.

Have many stories to tell but let me come back to you with one more next time...

love

talpak