Pune tune 

Pune is today among the most cosmo city with real culture. They talk softly, don’t push and break lines like the rest of India. Behave. Rarely cheat or abuse, unless provoked then the Maratha rule and role come to surface! Peshwas DNA is there. Don’t forget this is also the land of Swaraj is my Birthright.

This right started right on the flight to Pune from Bangalore, when one Peshwa got upset that his walker was being taken away at the last minute at the gate to the plane. “I’ve been allowed this in most flights” he told the lazy Bangalore staff of the most punctual airline in India today. So that was that. He boarded with it! Marathi manoos being kanjoos often, I felt sorry for an elderly couple separated in flight as their children must be saving ₹300 by not paying extra for a window seat! I let them sit together and earned lots more by way of their blessings. They didn’t look the kind who often flew. I do every week almost, so it was no big sacrifice to suffer a middle seat for a short, under-two hours flight.

The newly-married Mohanish-Prachi

Pune trip was for the most sorted, sabhya, secure, sweet, sahradyai man of many talents – Mohanish Jaju’s marriage to Prachi Bora.  Tech expert by day, tabla player by evening; film maker by profession and fashion photographer by chance, he is also a thinker, social worker, culture economist – an artiste at heart basically. He cajoled me long distance “Anna, I’m very happy to have found a soul mate, you must come and bless us!” So, I flew for the wedding. And to give gyan to youngsters in our field the next morning@Kala Chhaya.

Nitin Doshi on accordian

It was a grand but dignified wedding. Almost a royal one. Even the waiters looked royal in golden safa (head gears). The setting was in a spacious garden, with the full moon in attendance. Tasteful, beautiful and soulful because live musicians were arranged on four podiums – at entrance flute by Abhijeet, then Accordian by Nitin Doshi, then sitar by Tillotama and tabla by Sannat. Add Sarangi by an ustad and the char dham were complete. Each played well too. It was nice they played tunes from Hindi films from the sixties and seventies so most related to it. Aradhana, Andaz, Amar Prem, Abhiman and all the old Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan films flew by in mind’s inner scape.

Tillotama – Sannat Sitar Tabla

Guests were orderly and dignified unlike in metros where all reek of new wealth but no culture. Even kids were well behaved! In other cities they run helter-skelter and throw bones of chickaan (as north Indians call it, here and there) or leave water bottles strewn on carpets. Not in Pune.

Mohanish, being an artiste at heart, was selective about what was platformed or shared. The host family celebrated goodness that money can buy without wastage or show: The food counters were classy with no non-veg served and each dish was like home made. Full of affection and respect for Annapurna devi. Litchi-gravy was new for me as was green onion saag! Fed up of Paneer in every wedding, it was nice to see sabudana vada, caramelised gol gappa and white butter dripping on multigrain rotis! A homely women made it and served with a smile. Even the plates were wrapped/plastic-proofed for human hands and the golden girls giving out plates were competing with James Bond bimbos in looks and dress!

This was one wedding in a long time I enjoyed much because I didn’t know anyone but the groom! So no one to talk to but observe all and savour the scene. Finely-dressed folks but no show-offs or bling bling of the rest of India. No jarring notes. Just deeply Indian and cultured celebration of two souls coming together.

Mohanish-Prachi stand ashish-ed! Even the moon came down to bless them…

Next day was a sunny day to meet a hundred smiling faces at one of Pune’s oldest cultural institution – the Kala Chhaya Cultural Centre in Patrakar Nagar, very near the Symbiosis campus. This creation of veteran Prabha Marathe, foremost shishya of Pt. Guru Birju Maharaj, is an oasis of calm and peace in the hustle and bustle of Pune. It was shocking to learn that nearing 90, Prabha Marathe has still not got any national award like the prestigious SNA or a Padma.  She is a pioneer of Pune. Thanks to her, so many have learnt art forms, not just dance she specialised in. And created this oasis is an institution.

Sunday Master Talk@ Kala Chhaya

It has an amphitheatre, a gallery, classrooms and lecture halls where one got to meet students of leading stars Pune like Shama Bhate tai, Maneesha Sathe tai, Sucheta Chapekar Bhide tai and others. Younger ones like Priya Joshi and musician Samir of Flame university; Neha Muthaiyan, Madhura Pathak and Avni Garde were in attendance to thoughts on the arts, policy, pedagogy and performance. Seniors Rujuta Soman and Prajakta Atre also joined as did Devyani Mungali and Rashmi Jangam – institution builders and ideators. The three-hour session was on meaning and role is GSP (Guru Shishya Parampara) with rare footage from Khokar Archives which took one on memory lane. Seeing Kalanidhi maami, Protima Bedi, Astad Deboo, Birju Maharaj, MK Saroja, Indrani Rahman, Yog Sunder and so many brought out the golden years of dance to front. Young India is concerned about employment, avenues to perform and what to do in this age of competition. It was an interactive session with much learning. Feedback ranged from “over -whelmed” to an “eye opener”.

Pune remains the cultured city in entire western region, more than Bombay, in many senses and disciplines. Museums, galleries, new venues are coming up. It is a city on the move… Chalo Pune!

Ashish Khokar is India’s reputed arts historian, author and writer with 51 books to credit and 5k articles in the print media in the last 50 years. A pioneer  in arts admin from the 1970s, he has worked nationally (STAS, Sahitya Kala Parishad, INTACH, Martand Singh Asso) and internationally ( Festivals of India in France, Sweden, Germany , China and with AFS of USA as its India head) with many agencies, institutions,  museums and more. At heart a teacher, his discourses are full of information with humour and he is an expert visiting many universities and  also written 85 modules for UGC’s E- pathshala M.A. Course.  He is also the editor-publisher of India’s only yearbook on dance – attenDance – now in its 25th year. He has given attenDance awards to 40+ talents in the last 15 years and mentors many. He was the dance critic of the Times of India for 20 years, The Hindu for 5 and continues to be a contributor to India Today for the last 25 years. Ditto 25 years for India’s best portal for dance, narthaki. As custodian of India’s largest dance archives and collection valued at 7 crores  – built by his illustrious family Mohan and Saroja Khokar and donated to the nation@IGNCA – he has shown the way to selfless service to India and its arts, education and culture.