Morachi Chincholi

In Marathi Mor = Peacock and Chincholi = tamarind fields. So as the name suggests this is a place with lots of tamarind trees and Peacock dancing around them. The moment I read about this place from a flickr friend Ruhi, I wanted to visit the place and the best part is that is so close to Pune just 50-60 kms on Nagar Road :)

I prepared my camera, bag, carried along food for us and for the peacock and slept very happy :) Next morning; I along with a friend left Pune at around 5:30a.m. And drove along Nagar road passing the toll booth and Shikrapur...the route was filled with fields, different kinds of birds and villagers walking along the road. Women wearing navvari saris balancing stuff on their head, men in bullock carts, farmers working in the fields. The houses with Tulsi plant in their frontyard, and dishtv antennas as well :) (Good mix of modern and old culture. 

We drove along on a narrow road and passed villages and were wondering how much more to drive and thats when a peacock just crossed the road in front of us. It was a beautiful site...We stopped the car at the side and were greeted with the sound of the peacocks in the morning. I was busy adjusting my camera when my friend nudged me...and pointed me to a dancing peacock..I was so excited that I forgot I had to be quiet and was rushing out of the car to click a pic...and the peacock was shy and ran away. I was very disappointed but this was the case for all the peacocks...they would sense us somehow and runaway. 

We walked in the fields and nearly every field had 2-3 peacocks and peahen. I started clicking pics...but they all were far away and dint get any good shots. The peacocks were even sitting on the tamarind trees and as we walked by we would hear the wings flapping and look around and there would be a peacock flying away from the tree landing on the fields. My friend was amazed coz he dint know that peacocks flew. We tried different strategies to get close to the peacock like went in differnt directions...walked along the side of the fields and pretend we dint care about them, sat in one place under a tree...but all in vain...they never came nearby. 

Later I came to know from the villagers that they never came near strangers. We spent a good 2-2.5 hours walking the fields and trying to capture these beautiful birds on camera..but could not do justice. The experience though was overwhelming. The silent atmosphere, birds chirping, spotted other beautiful birds and the sound of the peacocks..it was just too good for a sunday morning. By 9:30 the peacocks my stomach started demanding and we had poha at 'jay malhar' restaurant (the only restaurant in the village). He filled us a lot on the peacocks, and told us that they can be seen either early morning or before sunset. Its only last year the morachi chincholi was declared a tourist spot. It seems the peacocks are very naughty. 

If a farmer tries to guard peacock from his/her farm the peacock would purposely go to his farm and destroy the field. Hence all the farmers in the village don't shoo them but grow extra amount in their fields to suffice their and the peacocks needs.

On our way back we thought of exploring the other route (which is good) via Kanhur and stopped by a field. They were growing chilies, gawar, Ladies fingers, coriander and what not there....this was my first time to see gawar and ladies fingers plants. They are so beautiful and so are their flowers. I was asking the lady who worked in the fields and she explained me the plants..she had

 also planted cabbage and gave me fresh coriander, chilies and ladies finger from the fields. 

When 

offered her money she simply denied though I insisted a couple of times. I dint have anything else to offer but my gratitude and respect for her. We never realize how these veggies are grown in the fields with so much effort when we just pick them from the market do we?

My Sunday was just so satisfying and happy. at You can view more pics at http://www.flickr.com/photos/reshmashah/sets/72157621030558108/detail/

General disappointment these days!!

Some disappointments these days

1. School

My school uniform is changed and it looks so dull. Our school girls dont look smart at all. I feel schools should have a must of a tie in their uniform. My school no longer does and the colours are dull with weird color combination!! :(

2. Radio

we have total 5 radio channels in pune...and all play the same songs....and talk so much. the quality of RJ's is going down with lots of uh ..ummm and rubbish talk. I've started hating these songs which i liked before after hearing it repeatedly on radio

Masakkali , sachde mein hi rehta hoon, jai ho(A.R ji, no offense),khuda jaane, holey holey ho jayega pyaar

I'm moving on to my ipod and casettes (yes i have a casette player in my car..duh!!)

3. Rains

I had such good plans with the rains...I thought they'd started but...its just not raining here in Pune...its like the lagaan scene..clouds just come over and move on. they don't like us anymore :(

4. Petrol

Petrol prices have gone up by 4Rs today...I just filled petrol in my car yesterday for 500Rs...had I known price was shooting up, wld have atleast filled a tank full :(

5. Office

My first co where I worked; that place is sold and it will no longer exist :(  I will miss it. 

6. Revenue stamps

Did you'll know that they are no longer available in post offices, had to go to the court to get them.

Amongst all this there are 2 good things happening

1. The roads of Pune have improved tremendously. atleast I feel my tax is being utilised here :)

2. The traffic police of Pune are doing a very good job. These days I see, at most of the places vehicles halt before the zebra line at the light signals. 

Such is life...and it will go on....just a phase I am going through :)

Monsoons..

Here is a pic of the first rains of this monsoons from my balcony :)



Monsoons have started in Pune....and I witnessed the first rainfall..it was pouring cats and dogs...and I just loved the sound of the rain. felt like going out and play in the rains...but then too old for that plus first rains are acid rains isn't (thats just an excuse actually).

I'll be enjoying Pune monsoons after 3 years ( well it always rained in UK but the fun is only in India) and looking forward to so many things:

1. get wet in the rain, mom holding a towel and telling to wipe my head

2. go trekking to sinhgad, malshej ghat and yes Matheran

3. click as many pictures under the waterfall

4. click lots of greenery, flora & fauna and scenic pictures

5. eat bhajia and bhutta while sitting on the steps in lonavala's bushi dam.

6. drink cutting chai after getting wet in the rain.

7. and the best part is I will be doing all this with my friends.

Enjoy the monsooons !!!


P.s:

1. only bad thing about monsoons is lights cut off. past 2 days lights have been off for more than 6 hours a day :( sad.

2. I have to capture the beautiful gulmohars before the monsoons settles in!!

Pithala Bhakri and Taak

As part of living alone these days I keep experimenting with cooking. Past many days I was feeling like going to Sinhgad and have nice jhunka bhakar in nice misty clouds. but the heat outside subsides all my plans of going there on top. So I decided to cook it at home itself..and to my pleasant surprise it tasted very nice as well. you can try it too...I am posting the recipe..and hey its healthy and beats the heat well.

Ingredients for drumsticks (aka shevga in marathi) Pithala
1 cup besan, 2 green chillies,chopped onions and tomatoes, few drumsticks, fresh coraiander leaves, few mustard seeds, and oil
Give normal tadka i.e. in hot oil, splutter the mustard seeds, add in and saute the chopped onions ,green chillies and the drumsticks. Add water and salt ( you can add butter milk as well instead of water). let it boil for some time till you think the drumstiks are cooked.

Now put in the besan(sieved) and whisk it to get the desired consistency.garnish with chopped coriander and pithala is ready!!

For the bhakris
take jowar flour(sieved), add in water and knead it nice and softnow actually this is the most difficult part.... flatten the flour with your hands (no rolling using rolling pins) and then carefully put it on the hot tawa(hopefully it doesn't break :)). take some water in your hands and apply in on the bhakri on the tawaafter one side cooks, turn it on the other side and then on the flame.Bhakri is ready

and for taak the ingredients are
unsweetened curd water, salt, finely chopped green chillies, ginger and coriander, curry leaves, mustard seeds and little oil
blend water curd, salt very well with a little 1/4 teaspoon of sugarnow get ready for the tadkain hot oil, splutter mustard seeds, add in curry leaves, ginger, green chillies and the chopped coriander.now pour this tadka over the blended buttermilk and taak is ready
My jhunka bhakar, taak thali is ready. try it and lemme know how it turned out to be :)

My thoughts when on expressway

These days I drive almost every week between Mumbai and Pune, and I drive on the most famous Mumbai Pune expressway. I love the expressway as this is the only time that I get solely for myself (ofcourse I do get calls in between, but not more than a minute). I enjoy this time, my ipod, loud music, the speed..it thrills me and its weird that though I enjoy this time for myself I want to drive very fast and reach my destination as well.

Feels like I am playing a game, driving fast and just when I think I am the fastest, overtaking other cars who are barely touching 80 or so ....By now I know which cars are new to the expressway and who are the experienced ones...like an Audi or a nice Merc will just past by me...zuuupppp and I'll be like...gosh I am at 120-130 what is his speed and he is way to far to be seen..and then I think...well hey I am not the fastest and I am way tooo out of the game still. I love the expressway..there is no road like it :)

P.S: dont worry i drive cautiously!