Ramblings and Musings

Trip to Pune

Pune, once a quaint little city in the interior of Maharashtra state, and 180 km (110 miles) away from Mumbai, is now a huge, bustling city that is listed among the top ten most polluted cities of India. It has a deeply entrenched cultural milieu, with its denizens quite interested in folk music, folk dance and drama. I had to go there urgently on Wednesday as my mother's sister, now 93 years old, passed away in sleep.

Salma, as she was called, was Maasi to us. I remember many happy days spent in her large house during my childhood, when my mother fell ill with cancer and had to be admitted to the hospital for days on end. My father would leave my brother (five years younger than me) and me in her house to stay for a week, a fortnight or even longer. Her grown-up children had both shifted to USA and her daughter lived with her family some miles away. So, my Maasa and Maasi used to live alone. They welcomed us with open arms. Maasi was a very good cook. For her, money was not a problem, as it was with my parents (who would often cook either less food than what we needed, or diluted the gravy with water) - and we often ended up enjoying her well-cooked, undiluted, limitless food.

Later in life, she helped me with non-interest loans when I wanted to purchase my home. All through the years, she was always caring, loving and helpful. I am going to miss her. May her soul rest in peace.

I left for Pune at 11:00 a.m., reaching there at 3:30 in the afternoon. She was buried in the graveyard at 4:00 p.m. After this, I left to return to Mumbai, arriving at nearly 9:00 p.m. I went straight to my clinic, where patients were already waiting for more than 1 - 1 1/2 hours for me. A very tiring day, and I went to sleep almost instantly when I hit the bed at 10:45 p.m.