To Marry in India

Dnyaneshwar Temple, Alandi, near Pune, India

This month is our 9th anniversary together! Me and Anu’s. Yup, it’s nine years since we eloped from Aizawl, Mizoram and started our lives as a couple. It’s also Diwali or Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights.

So I’m putting a post on getting married, the Indian way. It’s not hard, and it’s not easy either. Here are pictures of a temple town near Pune, where young couples flock to, to get married, if you’re Hindu, that is. If not, the easiest way to get married, is to do it in court. That’s how we did ours in Mumbai – see the post here. All you need are money, 3 witnesses and some identification documents. But identification documents aren’t the easiest thing to come by in India. Only now is the government talking about having a national identity card. Before that happens, there’re like 101 different versions of how to prove you’re Indian, some paper to show when and where you’re born, some document to show your permanent address, and something with a photo to show how you actually look like. (We took the easy way out, and just engaged a lawyer to prepare all our paperwork. Money works in India, you know? Smart huh?)

Also, if you are a boy, you should get consent from the girl’s family for marriage. Or just do it the Bollywood way, as my Indian friend taught me, elope, smuggle the girl away from the family. That’s what we did, when Anu’s family didn’t agree. But that is another story, for another time to tell, hehe.

Meanwhile, here’re pictures of Alandi, near Pune, where Hindu couples go, to solemnize their marriage, sort of like a Las Vegas of Pune, lined with marriage hall after marriage hall, in the dusty streets. The main draw of Alandi though, is the Dnyaneshwar Temple. Every year, around June or July, Dnyaneshwar devotees embark on a 240km pilgrimage by foot, (Dnyaneshwar Palkhi) from Alandi to Pandharpur. This will take a week to 10 days, if I’m not mistaken. Nope, I’ve not personally seen the procession, but a similar procession, the Tukaram Palkhi, takes place at exactly the same time and that passes through the Project road that we were building in 2010-2013. We’d have to close the road and stop construction works for 2 to 3 days whenever the pilgrims crosses. Oh yeah, it’s that many people! No kidding. And they don’t carry luggage, bags, anything. Don’t they need to change? Not even their underwear? And where do they go, when they need to …err go? (Toilet, I mean). Not something I’d like to think about…




Closer views of the Dnyaneshwar Temple compound




More pictures of Alandi


The Priest and his instruments – yup that’s it, a coconut, some strings to tie on the foreheads of the groom and bride (Maharashtra-style marriages), some metal pots and trays, some water, and some rice to throw around, red powder (sindoor) for putting on the forehead and hair parting of the girl, turmeric powder, other leaves and spices for cooking (nah, just kidding, don’t bloody know what they’re for), some garlands of flowers, a turban for the groom, and fire for the bride and groom to go around

And there’re no pictures of the couple. Let’s say they want to keep it private.

Pune Diary Final Chapter

Grounds of the Aga Khan Palace, Pune, Maharashtra, India

Went to Pune for a day last week, to bring niece Karishma to Dubai, to help out with chores, especially since our second baby is due anytime now. For the time being, baby is just ‘baby’, but we’ve sort of reconciled that it’s gonna be a boy, like it or not. (But of course we’ll love him to bits. He’s our son after all). We’ll come up with a name, sooner or later.

Not much has changed in Pune since we left in Feb last year. The airport’s still small (but sometimes small is good). The city roads are still as bumpy as ever. The bus stops are still located in the middle of the roads (yeah, this is how it is in Pune, the cars, trucks, what-you-have, all travel on the side lanes, while the bus lanes and bus-stops are on where you will usually find the fast lanes! When you get off the bus, you’ll find yourself right smack in the middle of the highway, which you will then have to cross to get to the shops, houses, etc.) The favourite food is still limited to deep-fried varieties of bread and potatoes, and extra-spicy curries.

Staying here (or more accurately, 80km away from here, in Daund) for 2.5 years has made us quite fond of the city, with quirks and all. So much so that after we moved to the Pune area, Pune has become something like a second base in India for Anu’s family – sister, niece, nephew all stayed, worked or studied here at one time or another.

Pune’s not a bad city. Smaller (than Mumbai and other megacities), so more manageable traffic-wise. Pleasant climate and milder weather changes (unlike Rajasthan or Delhi). Nice (and cheap) grapes and wines (the best plus point of Pune in our opinion). Quite a few up-to-date malls, hotels and restaurants (see earlier posting). And I heard that the road connecting Daund to Pune is mostly done, so it’ll take less than an hour to reach now (used to take 2 friggin hours for 80km!). So here’s a selection of some sights of Pune as a small tribute to this city we called home for 2.5 years. Maybe we’ll meet again later on, who knows? But that’ll be another story.


Aga Khan Palace, Pune – the Aga Khan is the head (or Imam) of the Nizari Ismaili Sect, a branch of Shia Islam and a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. During India’s colonial times, the Aga Khan held a status similar to that of a Prince i.e. he was granted gun salutes by the British, the only religious leader to have such a status. This palace was donated to the people of India in the 70’s by the reigning Aga Khan, who now resides in France.


Samadhis (monuments honouring the dead) of Gandhi’s wife and secretary at the Aga Khan Palace – the Aga Khan Palace in Pune is famous for being the place where the British put Mahatma Gandhi, his wife and his secretary under house arrest for 2 years during the Indian struggle for independence. Gandhi’s wife, Kasturba Gandhi and his personal secretary, Mahadev Desai died here during the 2 years of internment.


Road leading to the Osho Ashram (aka Free Sex Ashram), Koregaon Park, Pune – this ashram (spiritual retreat) is famous for its Guru’s views on sex, and for his lavish lifestyle when he was in America. (Osho or Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh was for a time known as the Rolls-Royce Guru. He was said to have 90+ Rolls-Royce in the US, given to him by his many followers in the west). Osho was a controversial figure. He moved back to Pune after being deported from the US due to some immigration violations. The ashram is now one of Pune’s top tourist attractions. Nope, we didn’t enter the ashram. It costs a couple of thousand rupees, or more, but it includes robes, a whole day’s programme of meditation (or was it 2), and a mandatory HIV Test. I dunno how true it is, that you can have free sex in the ashram, but why else would they need the HIV Test for huh?


Mutha River, near the Shaniwar Wada Fort, Pune – Pune is a city of rivers and bridges. I dunno how many river crossings there are, but it sure feels like a lot when we travelled across the city.


A view of Pune during the monsoon from nearby fort, Sinhagad (see previous post). Note how green Pune is.


High spiky doors of the Shaniwar Wada Fort, Pune – To keep out extremely tall men… Or it might just be for the elephants


Garden of the Shaniwar Wada Fort / Palace


Mandai, a famous landmark in Pune – I think it’s a fruit and vegetable market

And how can an Indian city not have a street bazaar? Here they are: -


Fashion Street, Pune – what do you think they sell here? Hint: look at the name




Tulsibaug (pronounced Toolsee-Baag, meaning Basil Garden in Hindi), Pune


Last, but not least, here’s the patron god of Maharashtra, Lord Ganesh, in Tulsibaug – You can see Ganesh temples and shrines all over Pune and the Ganesh festival in September each year (Ganesh Chaturthi) is one of the biggest festivals for the people here.

Forts of Maharashtra

The Lonely Mountain, Erebor… haha just kidding, too much Hobbit! (But seriously, why did the producers have to extend The Hobbit to 3 movies long? Should’ve stuck to ONE, like the book!) Anyway, this is Daulatabad, Maharashtra, India

Here’s a recap of the forts in Maharashtra. Compare this to my earlier posts on the Forts of Rajasthan and of Gulf Arabia. For what it lacks in grandeur and details (a lot of it are in ruins due to the constant warfare in the area), it sure makes up for it through its amazing locations! Just see for yourself: -


Daulatabad Fort atop a mountain shaped like a wedding cake, with sheer stone cliffs at its sides. The only entrance was through a narrow upwards sloping tunnel, with stairs at one point where the guards could launch fiery objects and hot oil on invaders, and a narrow bridge, and was regarded as a very formidable fort. Despite this, it changed hands many times. On one occasion, the fort was conquered after the attackers bribed the guards. Doesn’t look like much has changed in India since then, huh?


Pratapgad Fort (at the top of the hill), near Mahabaleshwar, Maharashtra – known for an important battle where the then newly established Maratha Kingdom won against a much larger army of the Sultanate of Bijapur and went on to eventually become the Maratha Empire.


Some fort (or are these only walls?) on the road to Murud-Janjira, in between the main Mumbai – Goa Highway and Murud Village on the coast. There’re countless such structures all over the place.

Maharashtra, being at the centre of India, has seen its fair share of wars. It is home to the Maratha Empire, a number of Deccan Sultanates, the southern bastion of the Mughal Empire, and not a few Princely States. Wars raged right till the British took over (so the British actually did some good after all!). That explains the run down condition of so many of its forts.




Janjira Island Fortress – see my previous post




The fort at Baramati. Baramati is an important industrial city near Pune, rival of Daund (where we stayed), and stronghold of Mr Sharad Pawar (i.e. supremo of the NCP, or National Congress Party and ex-Agriculture Minister of India). This fort houses the government offices. Most cities here have their own forts. It’s like a mandatory structure in Maharashtrian towns, for some reason.


Foggy fort, Sinhagad, near Pune – yep, that’s the best shot I have of the fort! Note: do not visit this fort during the monsoon season, unless you absolutely love fog. I still can’t understand the logic of building a fort in a place where everything is shrouded in fog! How do you defend anything when you can’t make out your sister from your wife? Hold on, is that a kid or a doll? See? I told ya, he can’t even make out a kid from a doll!


Shaniwar Wada, fort / palace, Pune City, Maharashtra - another city fort

An Extra Romantic Day

Atrium at the Koregaon Park Plaza, Pune, India

It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow, so Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! This year’s Valentine’s also happens to coincide with the 15th (last) day of Chinese New Year (or Chap Goh Meh as the Hokkiens call it). I was told that in our part of the world (Malaysia, Singapore), the Chinese actually celebrate this like some sort of Chinese valentine’s. Girls will write their numbers on a mandarin orange and cast it into a river or lake. The boys will collect the mandarin oranges, get the numbers and eat them (of course, why waste food?) I don’t know how true this is, but I’ve never personally done or seen anything like this. The only thing we did on this day when we were kids, was to have a helluva lot of fun with paper lanterns and fire crackers. We’d bug the bejesus out of our parents to buy lanterns.

These lanterns were made from steel wire and transparent coloured paper. They’d come in all shapes and sizes, horses, goldfish, dinosaurs, heck, whatever’s popular at that time. We’d stick a candle in it, light ‘em up and walk around the neighbourhood at night. They’re crude and burn down easily if not handled well. But we’re absolutely nuts over it, don’t ask me why!

Nothing planned yet for Valentine’s this time round. But, here’s a bit of glamour and luxury from our days in Pune to add to the mood for romance…


Outing at Koregaon Park Plaza, June 2012 – No, these were not taken on Valentine’s day or any special day. Just some random photos to reflect the Valentine’s and CNY mood.


Food Court, Koregaon Park Plaza




Westin Hotel, Pune – our favourite Pune hideaway on special occasions, like our anniversary, New Year’s eve…


The rooms at Westin Hotel, 7000 rupees for a double, with breakfast included – that’s about the price of only a 3-star hotel if you’re in Dubai! – Friggin expensive here – can’t afford that sort of luxury now…






More views of the Westin


Anu and Amruta, a Pune friend who worked in the Westin


Swimming pool of the Four Points Hotel, another hotel we tried out in Pune


The Amanora Town Centre Mall, Pune


Our brother-in-law, Gopal at TJ’s Brew Works, a beer brewery, Amanora Mall, Pune

The Daund Bunch

Malaysian staff of the IJM Pune-Solapur Project, at TJ’s Brew Works, Amanora Mall, Pune – Christmas Day 2012

Some pictures of my colleagues and friends at the Pune Solapur Project, for remembrance’s sake.

I tend to post pictures of scenery and surroundings minus the people in my blog. But I realize overtime that the people in your life are just as important, if not more. They’re the ones who make our time here in this world, memorable, especially family and close friends. Friends and acquaintances come and go throughout our lives. Some, you’ll meet again, later on in life. Some, you’ll never get to meet, ever again. Who comes and who goes are but for God to know. But some of the special memories that they leave behind, are invaluable, and makes us what we are today.

I am happy for what I’ve been through and for the friends and acquaintances that God sent along the way. Here’s a little something to keep those friends in the Pune-Solapur Project in my memory. We may perhaps meet again, who knows?


IJM group photo taken in October 2012, in front of our office at Kurkumbh, near Daund, Maharashtra
Let’s see how good my memory is… (with a little bit of help from the computer of course, hehe). From left to right:
Front row – Sitaram, Pawan Saini our trusty driver, dunno, Bharat Thakur, Ganesh Satre, Vivek, Ranjan Sahoo, Avinash Shetty, Samir Hazra, Suresh IT, Utilities Supervisor name forgotten;
Second row – Thangaraju (around since the birth of IJM), Saroj Jha, Arif Shaikh, Bhanu Pratap Singh;
Third row – Yours truly, Sugrib Rao (ex-Mizoram Project), Nageshwar Rao, Karthik;
The rest of the lot at the back – dunno, Montajul Islam (ex-Mizoram, driver), Umesh Kshirsagar, Nilesh Thorwade, Amit Pillai, Suryaprakash Sharma (ex-Mizoram), Sandeep Suryawanshi, Amit Saini, Milind Thorat, Shaikh Noor Rehman (alias Osama bin Laden ex-Mizoram project), Ganesh Girim Camp Supervisor, CL Chong, Harsha, long-time colleague Ajit, Ganapati Reddy long-time RBM survivor, Yogesh Malathkar, Chandramouli, Vikash Singh, Karunakar, Raghu QS, Ravi QS, Korra Ravi


Christmas Dinner 2012, at Mainland China Restaurant, Amanora Mall, Pune – clockwise round the table starting from the left – KF Woon, CL Chong, Manjit (Mrs Ajit), Ajit, Warren, Thanga, Mrs Thanga, Thanga’s son, Justin and Anu


Another picture of the Malaysian bunch at TJ’s Brew Works – from left – Ajit, Alex Wong, CL Chong, Thanga, Warren and KF Woon


Celebrating the brothers Chong and Woon’s birthdays, with SS Lee as guest, Daund Guesthouse, July 2012


Anu with Noor Aswanah, at Ajit’s Guesthouse, Daund, Deepavali 2011


Our neighbour and Anu’s best friend and her sister in Daund, Feb 2012


Another neighbour, with baby son Aryan


Farewell for us from the Daund bunch, at Ajit’s house with VP Gupta (right-most) as host


More pictures of the Daund bunch – from left – Dinda, Suresh, Ganapati, Samir, Chandramouli, Saroj, Promod Misra and Estipan


From left – Chandramouli, Harsha, Ganapati, Suresh, Thanga, yours truly and Venkataramana


The Terracotta Guardians of Mainland China, Amanora Mall, Pune