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India.com
25-05-2025
- India.com
Explore Pune: The Perfect Spot for Adventurous Backpackers
Pune, eloquently christened the 'Cultural Capital of Maharashtra, is a pretty city that fuses heritage with contemporary styles. Located in the western belt of India, Pune has become a favored spot for backpackers in search of authentic and rich places to visit. Travelers will deeply appreciate dipping into Pune's history, culture, and nature as well as its affordable cost of living. Here are seven compelling reasons why Pune is propitious for backpackers. 1. Backpacker Friendly Living Conditions and Accommodation Options The foremost reason that attracts backpackers to Pune is its inexpensive living conditions. While traveling, it's much easier to budget an entire trip to Pune rather than other metropolitan cities like Mumbai or Delhi. Pune has numerous hostels, guesthouses, and homestays that are not heavy on the pocket. While navigating through Pune, you will have access to clean, safe, and social 'The Hosteller' and 'Madpackers' hostels. In addition to these budget-friendly accommodations, food in Pune is also priced reasonably with street vendors and local joints offering delicious meals at friendly rates. Because of this affordability, backpackers can enjoy the cheapest accommodation options and rustle up a comfortable trip without stretching their budgets. 2. Historical and Cultural Significance Pune is packed full with historical sites and cultural contributions which can be seen on its landmarks and museums. The city served as the capital of the Maratha Empire and was the center of the Peshwa dynasty. Notable sights are Shaniwar Wada, a former fort that was the seat of the Peshwas; Aga Khan Palace which is famous for its association with Mahatma Gandhi and architectural beauty; and Lal Mahal, the birthplace of Shivaji Maharaj's palace. These locations allow backpackers to get a glimpse of India's history and culture. 3. Nearby Areas of Tourist Interest Pune is also well-known among the nature-loving people of Maharashtra because of the amazing locations available with just a few hours of driving. The Western Ghats is a UNESCO recognized heritage site that is filled with towering hills, abundant vegetation, and offers camping as well as trekking. Lonavala and Khandala are popular spots near Mumbai as they offer picturesque hills and waterfalls; alongside, the Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, which has a variety of plants and animals or Sinhagad Fort for the trekking enthusiasts. These places enable backpackers to enjoy natural beauty without leaving the city boundaries. 4. Food Culture Pune's traditional foods are based on Maharashtrian cuisine, but the city also offers a range of different cuisines for its residents and visitors. Street food lovers can savor vada pav, misal pav, and pithla bhakri. If you fancy a taste of other countries, Pune malls and restaurants have cafes serving Italian pasta and Japanese sushi. The city also boasts a phenomenal health-centered organic vegan food culture, and is an ideal place for travelers who want to stay healthy. 5. Arts and Music Culture Pune is also termed the 'Eastern Oxford' and is famous as an education center along with a booming art, music, and theatre scene. Several festivals like the Pune International Film Festival, Sawai Gandharva classical music festival, Jehangir Art Gallery, and Bharat Natya Mandir are held and opened to the public throughout the year. Arts and culture backpackers have the chance to watch performances, go to exhibitions, and attend workshops while in the city. 6. Easier Connectivity and Accessibility All modes of transport including air travel, rail, and roads are easily available in Pune. It is a delight for backpackers seeking adventure as this city has a central location in Maharashtra. Pune International Airport connects the city to other parts through domestic and international flights. Between auto rickshaws and buses, public transport is sufficient with little hassle. Tourists visiting the city can also take short trips to nearby attractions. 7. Friendly People and Warm Environment The residents of Pune are extremely hospitable and make the city warm and inviting. The local community is very supportive of tourists so one can easily ask for assistance and get tips about the city. You are likely to be greeted with a warm smile while taking a stroll, shopping, or even haggling at the market. Such a welcoming environment gives a sense of comfort to travelers, greatly enhancing the trip experience. Conclusion The tailored mix of cutting-edge development and historical richness of Pune render it one of the most preferred locales for backpackers. The city not only houses famous landmarks but is also surrounded by valleys and mountains. In addition, the city is known for its flourishing heritage. It's easily accessible for people with different hobbies; be it sports, arts, or anything in between. The citizens of the city are friendly and welcoming which motivates tourists to explore more. Now, history enthusiasts, nature admirers, and foodies can all experience the extremely diverse city of Pune. There is always room for thoughts to explore more in every corner of the city. So grab your gears and set forth on a journey to Pune.
Time of India
24-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Fire breaks out at Sarkarwada, no major damage
Nashik: A fire broke out at Sarkarwada, near the Raviwar Karanja area of Nashik, around 1am on Friday. Fire brigade teams from the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) rushed to the scene and quickly brought the blaze under control. "We received a call at around 1am on Friday. We immediately sent our team of firemen along with the fire engine, which immediately brought the fire under control," said a fire brigade official. Preliminary investigations suggest that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire. Sarkarwada, a state govt-protected monument, houses the office and museum of the state's archaeology department. The building dates back to the 18th century and served as the administrative center during the Peshwa era, making it a site of immense historical and architectural value. Amol Gote, assistant director of Directorate of Archaeology and Museums (Nanded division), confirmed the incident and praised the prompt response. "Our staff that was also at the office building also made their efforts to bring the fire under control," he said. He added that both the fire brigade and police acted swiftly to contain the fire and prevent it from spreading further. "There was no major damage, but some office furniture and table fans were damaged in the fire. But all the documents are safe. There was no damage to the museum of the archaeology department as the fire was in the inner premises of the building," Gote said. Sarkarwada is a two-storied structure spanning 1,304 sq m. It previously served as a police station and now functions as the office of the state archaeological department and a museum. The building has withstood various historical events, including the 1939 floods, when the Godavari River rose high enough to submerge 11 of its steps, prompting the administration to mark a flood line on the wall. Local officials have stated that additional safety measures will now be reviewed to protect the structure from future incidents. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Brother's Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
01-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
British bounty of Rs 1L on Nana SahebPeshwa would be worth Rs 82cr today
Lucknow: Royal rebel Nana Saheb Peshwa was always a prized catch for the East India Company during India's first war of independence in 1857. But one gets an idea of his 'wanted' stature from the reward announced on him. The EIC had published an advertisement announcing a bounty of Rs 1 lakh to any person who would help it arrest Nana Saheb Peshwa — the leader of Indian rebellion against the British in the then Cawnpore (today's Kanpur). This 'advertisement' and many such priceless exhibits would be on display at the UP State Archives Exhibition on the ' War of 1857 ' to mark its 76th anniversary. The exhibition will be inaugurated in Lucknow on Friday and continue till May 10. The astounding fact is that the bounty of Rs 1 lakh, which was way too high even in those times, would be worth a whopping Rs 82 crore in the present times. The Peshwa could never be captured by the British and he disappeared after the rebellion. "In those days, one rupee coin was made of 180 troy grains (locally known as tolla or 11.66 grams) of highly pure silver. It means that the weight of Rs 1 lakh of those days was about 11,600kg of silver. Considering that the cost of silver in India as of today is Rs 70,900, the bounty may be pegged at Rs 82,24,40,000," said Sushil Kumar Pandey, faculty at the department of history at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University, Lucknow. "As many as 30 interesting exhibits related to India's first war of independence will be on display," said an official. Another key exhibit, a telegraphic message from the commander in chief to the Governor General of India dated Feb 25, 1858, is a testimony of the bravery of Begum Hazrat Mahal of Awadh and how she led the attack on British officer James Outram on elephant back in Lucknow. "The enemy attacked this morning much in the same style as on Sunday. Their columns towards our right rear in great strength. Cavalry, artillery, and infantry moved out to intercept, took two guns, and cut up a large number. Begum and some of her principal officers were present in the field on the elephants but got back into the outworks before they could be reached. Our loss: two killed and six or eight wounded – so far as yet known…," reads the exhibit. Meanwhile, organisers said that the 76th anniversary celebrations would be marked by a day-long event in which historians and history teachers from across the city would share insights on diverse topics. A key highlight of the event would be a paper presentation by 45 research scholars from UP and neighbouring states. The theme for this year's paper presentation is 'India's first war of independence-1857'. Who was Nana Saheb? Born as Dhondu Pant, Nana Saheb Peshwa II was a key figure in the War of 1857. He led the rebellion in Kanpur (Cawnpore) and forced the British troops to surrender and even held the reins of the city briefly. His grievances stemmed from the East India Company's denial of his pension after his adopted father, Peshwa Baji Rao II, died.
Scroll.in
27-04-2025
- General
- Scroll.in
‘Teru': Sahitya Akademi-winning Kannada novel questions uncritical acceptance of religious ritualism
BR Ambedkar tersely stated that all civilised or uncivilised religions try to portray two essential features: historicity and provision of psychological comfort (to the banal–episodic hysteria). These are then portrayed as a philosophy of religion, though the fundamental essence of what constitutes philosophy differs from the above-foregrounded portrayal. One crucial element that embodies any religion is the category of myth. In the words of Wendy Doniger, a myth is a story that many people believe, although they know it is untrue. The essence of a myth is veiled, and therefore, people ignore it or cannot comprehend it. Thus, myths with the additives of rituals help attain a balance between the individual and society. In a Machiavellian sense, they are enablers for an individual/group to establish their hegemony using this power of philosophy to maintain social order using the masculine idea of strength. Symbolism, mysticism, mythicism, spirituality, ritualism, religiosity, and philosophy are the way of life for the people of India. Their agency of experiencing and following their religious philosophy is attached to practising rituals and a staunch belief in these myths without questioning the institutions that propagate them, symbols, or the proclaimed/traditional/imposed authorities. This complexity and the dialectics of various tenets of layered religion are attempted to be dissected in the unique postmodern yet nativist literary work of Raghavendra Patil in his Sahitya Akademi award-winning Kannada novel, Teru. Locating Teru's genealogy Teru, in English, means chariot. The image of a chariot generates a Rashomon effect if we think of it in the lexicon of religious philosophy. In the Buddhist pantheon, it symbolises the wheel of Dhamma: progress and continuity. The Hindu pantheon invokes the idea of war, evident in the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The image undergoes diffraction of qualified meanings as one moves across the period, along with mythology, pragmatic history, or the realm of mythical history. The novel's staging happens in the Belagavi region, the northwestern part of Karnataka, bordering the state of Maharashtra. Though the novel's core spatiality is the village of Dharamanatti, the events portrayed also cover the area around the rivers of Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, and Krishna. The novel covers the period of Peshwa rule till the years beyond the Emergency. It tells the reader about two social systems: Brahmanical feudalism in pre-independence India and resuscitated feudalism in post-independent, democratic India. The main participants in this novel are the individual, family, and society. Lastly, one can think aloud on these lines and answer how these can be rethought to arrive at the idea of a nation. In these delineated contours, Patil tells the reader the generational saga of the Killikyata family, of low-caste people who practice the profession of puppetry. It begins in the Peshwa period and follows patrilineal descent. Though the story revolves around a family, it is an alternate saga of the metamorphosis of parochiality embedded in social morality. Peshwai feudalism and the manufacturing of the myth The caste feudalism under the tutelage of the Peshwas and its Brahmanical agents, in the name of Vitthala of Pandharpur, initiated a chariot festival using the mask of devotion and spirituality. The ritual performance is a core arrangement to ensure the institution of Peshwai feudalism that thrives on the blood of the low caste(s). The systemic feudal–caste discourse(s) nurture economic undemocracy, as societal status decides the degree of the freedom of an individual to choose her livelihood. This Killikyata family thrives on the orthodox piety of this feudal order and is lured by the 'ought to be assigned dignity' and forthcoming 'bestowed generational holiness.' This deal is offered for their (low-caste) son's sacrifice knavishly by this patriarchal feudal system by using the architectonics of gendered-caste in its utmost subtlety. Thus, one sees how an institutional method of madness using the cloak of philosophised-spiritualised ritualism in the name of religion is created. This then turns into a mythical saga expected to be confirmed by future generations using the communitarian force that is Leviathan and lends a death blow to the freedom, choice, and individuality of a being, succumbing her to bend to this socio-religious force. To evoke Dr Ambedkar again, religion, with its rational-enlightened philosophy (expected), should cater to the person and not vice versa. But, in the story, the philosophy of religion manufactured to cater to certain classes of society fails the rational–humane person. The psychological percolation of this subtle hegemonic philosophical indoctrination normalises the banality of evil. Without any interrogation of the rituals that have been traditionally imposed or asked to be followed, in the force of brutal sanctified dogmas, the idea of love is lost. This happens in the democratic post-independent setup; the now contemporary Killikyata (I am deliberately using the caste name as the Brahmanic reduction of a person to her caste persists in democratic India, too) is unable to marry a Dombara caste girl against the dogmatic-set caste norms due to the primacy of religious ritualism over the person's love. Here, essence triumphs over existence as communitarian-caste ethos thrives over a person's love. The idea of love, having lost in the tangible realm of this undemocratic, philosophical-ritualised world, the Killikyata person's individuality ultimately tries to find her liberation in the metaphysical realm in the service of excluded people, i.e., leprosy patients, with whom the defeated proponent of love may have found a resemblance to a certain degree of marginalisation. The novel has humongous scopes in terms of literary aesthetics, the deployment of the force of regional language, the multiple narratives, the dialectical play of their reliability-unreliability, the many nations formed on the denominators of gender, religion, caste, region, etc., but one thing that we can be sure of is the melancholy a reader shall feel when they finish reading it. Rare are the instances where a profoundly religious or spiritual person laments over the triumph of religion over a mundane person who lost her love. Again, one cannot help but ponder what Dr Ambedkar said, 'A just society is that society in which an ascending sense of reverence and a descending sense of contempt are dissolved into the creation of a compassionate society.' In this light, how do we rekindle this lost love or compassion? Can we reclaim that love and compassion again? We need to answer these questions ourselves; this is what Teru compels the readers to do.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘Phule' movie review: Pratik Gandhi brings home the Mahatma
Bollywood seldom tells stories of Dalit assertion. It mostly sees the marginalised as victims who need the compassion and cover of an upper caste saviour. Perhaps, that's why the inspirational story of Jyotirao (Pratik Gandhi) and Savitribai Phule (Patralekhaa) remained off the radar of commercial filmmakers. Known to pick up challenging subjects, this week, writer-director Ananth Mahadevan turns his lens on the intrepid Maharashtrian couple that challenged the prevailing social order and the upper caste hegemony in the 19th century through education and progressive values, and started a mission against caste and gender discrimination. Unlike last week, when Kesari fictionalised the story of C. Sankaran Nair beyond recognition to cash on some chest-thumping moments, Mahadevan is sedate, largely sticks to the recorded history, and doesn't lend his work an overtly agitative tone. The film opens with a wide-angle shot of the fields of Marigold. Gradually, we discover that Phule gets his surname from the flowers his family grows in the fields granted by the last Peshwa ruler for their floristry services. Flowers are offered to the deities, but the gardener is kept out of the temple. Even his shadow is proscribed. His family and immediate society have accepted it as an order dictated by the scriptures, but Phule stands against the 'middlemen' between the Almighty and man. Inspired by the French Revolution, he quotes from Thomas Paine's 'Rights of Man.' Mahadevan brings to light the hypocrisy, the unspoken vice in religion. The Brahmins want the numerically superior Shudras to take up arms to take on the Colonial power, but don't want them to read, write, or have a voice. Through Savitribai's trusted ally, Fatima, the film also opens a window to the orthodoxy among Muslim men towards girls' education, which is not different from that of Hindu society. The Lords open the education path for them, but to lead them to the Church. A strategist, Phule can see through the divide-and-rule tactics of the British and implores the high priests to set the house in order before taking on the foreign power. Phule (Hindi) Director: Ananth Mahadevan Cast: Pratik Gandhi, Patralekhaa, Vinay Pathak, Joy Sengupta, Amit Behl Runtime: 129 minutes Storyline: The life and times of social reformers Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, who fought against caste and gender discrimination to create a more equal society Some moments make you chuckle at the conceit of a section of the upper caste. When a group of Brahmins sends men to eliminate Phule, he, laughingly, says that was the first time that Brahmins had spent money on him. When Phule conducts marriage rituals, Brahmins object and seek compensation. Phule asks if they would pay the barber when they shave themselves. The CBFC has muted the tone, but those who could read between the lines will find answers to the Battle of Bhima Koregaon before Phule and B.R Ambedkar's renunciation of the Hindu faith after him. Popular culture has focused so much on Mahatma Gandhi that we have forgotten that the non-violent struggle of the original Mahatma of modern Indian history continues unabated. However, in terms of storytelling and craft, Mahadevan again disappoints. For a large part, the film reads like a visual essay, where each paragraph captures the highlight of their journey. Perhaps, to sidestep the opposition before the release, in a foreword kind of sequence, the film underlines that Phule had some Brahmin supporters and friends before moving to the opposition from the family and society; the Brahmin backlash, Phule's critique of the caste system; dung and stones hurled at Savitribai; providing shelter to pregnant Brahmin widow and so on in a textbook style. You can appreciate the sincerity in Mahadevan and writer Muazzam Beg's storytelling, but it is more educational than immersive. The internal struggle and self-doubt of the protagonists hardly come to the surface, and the ideas of Phule sound more like teachings than lived experiences. One can see the battle to get a well of their own is hard-fought, but you don't feel their thirst for change. Like most historicals, the film makes the mistake of seeing Phule through the prism of today by putting the halo behind him. Despite solid actors like Joy Sengupta and Amit Behl, it appears the Brahmin characters are there to be ridiculed. It means no suspense or surprise awaits us in their journey. However, Pratik finds depth even in this creative flatness to portray the gravity of the struggle. The confident gait, the furrow on the forehead, and the transition to a man who realises that his mission will not be complete in his lifetime, Pratik coalesces different timelines and situations in his malleable frame. The understated ebullience of Patralekhaa feels more like 2025 than 1885, but together, they generate the vibe of a couple that grows from sharing a teacher-student bond to becoming soulmates. Phule is currently running in theatres
