This was my last trip to Pune before heading to US for my further studies.
With only one and a half weeks to go, it was very crucial to time all the get togethers and meets with my college, school, and other friends perfectly to make sure I don’t miss meeting anyone and face their wraith, you know!
To enjoy the trip more and have some relaxed time, I decided to take the train to Pune. It was a good decision for many reasons. The first one being I wouldn’t get to enjoy the Indian Railways anymore, so decided to make the best out of it. The second one was I have been going to so many relative’s places that I hardly had a quiet time at home, so this train ride was the quiet time that I desperately needed to retrospect and think about many things that I didn’t get time to think about before other people.
When I reached the Nagpur Railway Station, the emotions were different and everything felt so strange. I knew, this was neither the first nor the last time that I was visiting this place, but still, it made me emotional to reflect upon all the amazing things happened to me at this spot. It felt like I lived almost 10-12 years of lifetime in a single glimpse that I could capture in the picture below.
When I reached Pune Railway Station, it was hard to navigate to my friends place as I had never been to Pune alone before that, so it was an interesting experience. Instead of listening to my friends about the number of the buses I had to exchange to get to their place, I hailed an Uber and reached their place in no time with some comfort.
I remember spending that morning with them. We had breakfast and drank tea just like old times that we used to do during our engineering at SGGS. We had plentiful laughs and I still remember our talk while sipping the tasty cups of tea. I was a huge tea person back then so it brought a smirk and chuckle to my face just thinking about it.
After this breakfast was done, I had a lunch plan with one of my junior college friends. Well, we didn’t hang out when we were in junior college together, but over the years through Facebook and WhatsApp gotten in touch with each other and were meeting for the first time. It was really refreshing to meet her in person and hear all the talks that we couldn’t do over the phone. Good that she picked the restaurant as I didn’t know any places in Pune. For food, we ordered Pizza and a coke to go with it. We had a good time, but, I was astound to look at how expensive that place was. I think I spent more than INR 1,000 just at a pizza and a couple cold drinks. Even for a big spender like myself, that was a big amount. I am not complaining, just thinking how far I have come in the last few years!
After meeting her, it was time to hang out with my college roommates again and they had some places in mind. I was tagging along with them to explore Pune and see as many places as I continue my future journey.
This is Aniket, my roommate of four years during Engineering. He is flaunting Vedant’s bike when we were about to leave for our Pune exploration.
It was funny how we actually met. So, during the initial days of Engineering back in 2013, someone told me that there was a tall guy from Nagpur who also got admission to our college, so, when I was roaming on the streets of Vishnupuri, Aniket fit the description perfectly and I just walked up to him and asked him if he was from Nagpur. He nodded and I just gave him my number saying if he needed help with the room arrangements, he can give me a call and we can figure something out.
I chuckle thinking about that incident now. How innocent we were and never knew it would turn out to be a life lasting friendship!
And then you have Vedant.
Here you have one of the funniest guys I know. Vedant has been a close friend of mine for a few years now and our friendship has only grown.
I have seen him and his then-girlfriend, now-wife Rudu grow up. I still remember how I used to hang out with Vedant’s younger brother when these guys were dating. From there, I have virtually seen them getting married, and becoming parents for the first time.
I am surprised with his immense calm and demeanor personality and always wish him the best of luck.
Your new son is lucky to have you as a parent and I wish you all the happiness in the world!
If you are fed up with these introductions, I feel you, and will carry on with my day in Pune.
The next stop was to meet Harshal, one of my friends from Bangalore and my then-girlfriend’s ex-roommate and best friend. It is always refreshing to talk to her and, you know, spend time with her. We talked about so many things and the glasses that you see were a gift from her. I think I still have those!
After spending time with Harshal and savoring some Puneri snacks, it was time to meet my best friend from college, Reshma. Reshma has been my close confidant for years now and she knows more about me than some of my friends. I always love talking to her and there is very less room for error when it comes to her. She knows how to treat someone with respect, at the same time, how to draw boundaries. This is what I love about her the most. You must be mentally ready to receive an honest feedback from her, and that’s what has kept me both grounded and humble over the years. No matter what I do in life and whatever I achieve, our bond will remain the same that it has been for more than a decade now and I cherish our friendship more than any other thing!
So, we decided to have dinner somewhere near her workplace as it would be easier for the both of us to navigate during such a crazy traffic hour. We ended up meeting at Mezza 9. I loved this place and the evening that we spent was really good. I don’t remember what I ate, but still remember her moped that she rode that day and how I made fun of her for that. Man, those times never get old and hope that we both would stay like this!
After finishing the dinner, it was time for me to head back to Nagpur. I was glad that I could meet as many people as I could in just one day and was heading home what seemed like a really long day for me.
Around 10 PM, my friend, Harshal, called me saying she and her friends would like to meet me before I head home. Turned out they were close friends with my then-girlfriend and wanted to meet me before I get out of Pune. It was refreshing to meet them finally and talk to them on random topics. I had a great time talking to them and wished I had more time to spend with them. Harshal generously gave my some Mango Pickle Jars which were my favorite and I still remember the taste of those.
I will be forever grateful to everyone who took the time out of their lives just to meet me!
One more day to feel more grateful and humble!
stochasticity 
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