I went on a touristy tour of a city I have known and loved for the last 18 years. I always knew about the existence of vishram baug and Laxmi road, I could even direct people to and from there. But I never visited these places without an agenda of doing nothing but seeing.
Today, I fixed that. I went inside विश्रांमबाग वाडा. No one who calls Pune home does that. I ate pav bhaji, pan, aaluwadi and everything else that passed me as I walked. Old Pune has the best fruits: Jamun the size of a baby’s fist, Litchis, Mulberries that you won’t find anywhere else. I ate sugarcane all day, clicked pictures and walked so much I that I couldn’t feel my bum anymore.
About विश्रांमबाग वाडा: It’s in such a bad state it will break your heart. You can put Peshwa’s things in your purse and leave. No one will notice.
But but I sat on the stone stairs and read my book for a long while. विश्रांम happened.