"All izz well!!!" Am I pacified???

“Wear black to protest whatever happened,
Wear white for peace”

Messages like these absolutely choked the network on the Saturday night the 13th of February following the blast that happened in Pune!!!
But was this the first time that this message had buzzed your cell?? Uhhh… I guess the answer would be a no. Take that cell out and check out a few messages that you received on 26/11. See, aren’t they the same? Well hats off to those who come up with such peaceful ways of opposing or protesting something. Even that “all izz well” too works to quite an extent. That is one great way to pacify oneself. Amir Khan’s funda of pacifying oneself maybe great…. But in extreme moments it is not really easy to say “all izz well” or just be back to normal with a “jadu ki jhappi”. Then you have to do something about it. Like I, ended up blogging about it or like the Pune folks, who are carrying out candle march and conducting blood donation camps.

Well Pune used to be this near perfect “holiday package place” for the people hailing in Mumbai, Nagpur, with loveliest weather ample number of trees, with a simple yet very elite and a sophisticated crowd until the capital “Cs” of commercialization, concrete and capitalization ate into the idyllic place and spoiled the climate too.

It’s said that now “Poona” has become “Pune” and might even graduate to “Pooh-nay”!! Its folks preferences have changed from sipping a cup of coffee in a haven of tranquility and peace with books in CCDs to boozing in hip and happening hard rock café, from sitting in “1000 Oaks” with an amigo in an absolutely serene and an enchanting ambience, to ‘Bashos’ with hookahs. Maybe for good though, after all globalization is the in-thing and when it comes to being “in” Pune just cant be left far behind. It has recently discovered newer ways of being a part of that global map…just like Mumbai did, Delhi, Bangalore or any other bloodshed city did. As the saying goes “ kuch pane ke liye kuch khona bhi padta hai” so did Pune had to pay the price for its name fame. To own a place on the map even Pune could not elude from the terrorists’ hit list!!!

German Bakery too has received a lot of fame but not for its buttery, scrumptious and absolutely mouth watering Shrews Berry biscuits but for the “boom” that happened there. It used to be the stamping ground for the young and the old, not only for its biscuits but also for its refreshing ice tea and its other fermented beverages. The near by Osho ashram was a must visit for any tourist. German bakery has now grown as legendary as the Kayani bakery. In fact I wouldn’t be mistaken to say that it has rather overpowered Kayani when it comes to fame. There’s a saying
“Like Tarun Tahilani’s annual sale,
So goes with Kayani’s daily sales”
I thought I should provide German Bakery too with something like that as there is now a daily column in every newspaper about it which manifests that it is a more “popular” place than any other place in Pune for now. So…
“German bakery’s “BOOM” has lead to its hyper fame’
Poor Shrews Berry biscuits yearn for the fame claim!!!” :(

Needless to say both the “boom” and the “fame” were unwanted. The blasts were for the obvious reasons, to hamper the peace of this quiet yet happening city. Since the blast was carried out in one of the most posh and a majorly foreigners inhabited area it could also be with a motive to hinder the economic growth of India and certainly to terrorize its citizens.

Whatever happened was in short sad. It has ramshackled the state of mind of the residents of Pune, it has not only made a despicable impact but has also left the country in complete despair and desolation. This was a very way ward chapter in Pune’s history and everyone will forever rancour it.

Though I always had it in the back of my mind to start a blog with something related to Pune only but had never imagined that it would be on such a tragic issue. Its just a quirk of fate that whatever happened in Pune triggered off an outburst of emotions in me and I realized that penning down my feelings about it would be the best way to pacify myself.



P.S. Remember the Lenten month is on so forgive me for any blunt statement, bear with me after all “I am only trying to pacify myself…. All izz well…. All izz well!!”