Pune Diary - Day One

Get off at Pune. Take the prepaid auto queue like a compliant tourist and just before we are out of the station, the auto guy who readily responds to my hindi (reminiscent of the Mumbaiya no-nonsense behaviour (or did the Mumbaiya learn this from the Puneite?)), says that I need to pay extra for my bags! I decide to get off, but he says that I shouldn't get upset in the morning and should pay whatever I feel like. When we reach the area I had paid for, he promptly starts the meter and I pay 8 bucks for half a kilometer, since he says that we are beyond what I paid. Bloody hell to not getting upset!

Vada pao for breakfast and my pal and me are off. We go to E Square - a hip babyplex, if I may call it so, shopping mall, theatre complex, etc.

Friend wanted to see The legend of Zorro, but since Cathy chose Mike, I decide to choose Johny and the kid movie - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Good Choice. Its a visual treat. Amazingly rich colors. For someone who wants to explain what the difference is between 32 bit colors, 256 colors, etc, use this movie! And for those of you who have their heart wrapped for Depp, the man is getting older, but he retains his edginess or should I be saying "edge!" Deep Roy as the oompaloompa could have used Govinda's designer to get wackier dresses. The sets are imaginative as are the songs, which are directly from the book by Dahl. For us Indians, used to song and dance routines, there are enough in the movie and not for a moment are they boring as they are blessed with Dahl's wit. I liked Grandpa Joe who is cute as is Grandma Georgina who is perhaps deaf and lives in a world of her own. I liked grumpy Grandpa George even more for his one liners on cabbages & money and what not! When I exited the theatre, an old man as asked me, "Picture Sukhatla hai?" which perhaps means, "Is the movie good?" I answered,"Bahut accha hai, aapka saath koi baccha hai?
" No, that was not meant to be a cheap rhyme, but you can derive maximum pleasure, if you have a kid along with you, unless you are a Dahl buff. Ask my friend, he had fun!

Lunch at "not just jazz by the bay" and nice buffet, they have for lunch, even for vegetarians. And my dear Absolut ...

Have a cycling trip planned in the evening and another tomorrow.

More in the next couple of days, including a visit to the BCQC and rubbing shoulders with the who's who of Pune Quizzing ;)