An Expat In India

Happy summer solstice, everyone! Think I just had my best one...ever. It all started with my morning walk under sublime skies...beautifully blue, with the usual semi-monsoon assortment of lovely, puffball clouds and perfect temps. (Humid, true...but this is very much to my liking!) I crossed the city's river (sadly, very trashed) over to the nearby, posh neighborhood known as Kalyani Nagar, home to IT conglomerates, wealthy individuals and very nice boutiques. At the end of a street near one such conglomerate with a very "heady" name (ha ha--see photo below!), I was delighted to be accosted by an exuberant litter of adorable pups! Of course I wanted to take ALL of them home with me! Suffice it to say, we played together and I spend a delightful moment in time soaking up this joyous and most precious puppy love! Was he posing for me? you bet! I wanted to take all four home with me, of course! OMG! SUCH an adorable face!!! This little guy was h...

Arriving back at my Airbnb, bowled over with gratitude to be alive!!!! (Of course my mask hides my gleefully grinning expression!)  Last Friday, I went to visit some friends at the Ananda Pune office, back in my old neighborhood of Bhosale Nagar.  The rickshaw ride to get there was about 25 minutes. When all of us got to chatting about transportation in the city--and how to do it the most safely in this era of COVID--the others were of the opinion that I should avoid all public transport as much as possible, including semi-private vehicles such as Ubers. I demurred... the "autos" (the name for rickshaws here) are open vehicles; both driver and passenger (one only!) are required to wear masks; no money exchanges hands; the driver immediately hands the passenger sanitizer upon entry to the vehicle. I personally felt that the precautions were sufficient; my friends...not so sure. So one of them--Tushar--suggested I borrow his bicycle for the return ride back home t...

This is a positively fascinating part of Pune, being home to Osho International--what his ashram is now apparently called--as well as Indian royalty and other billionaires. Of course, as with everywhere in India, and especially in the cities, there is a major dichotomy--often within a small radius--between the proverbial "haves" and have-nots". Lane One, home to princes, Osho and others, is clearly where the "haves" reside. Not more than a few blocks away are mounds of garbage, rats, shanties and beggars. Ahhh, India: love her or leave her! I love her. Now, and always. Why? Well, let me count the ways: The people. There are my lovely hosts, Ben and Prachi, with their most adorable, 9 month-old baby boy. Modern, intelligent, world-traveled, vegan, sweet and helpful as all get out. What is there NOT to love?! There is Lippi, a sizable woman in a track suit whom I just met on Facebook and who kept up with my rather ambitious stride as we cruised the neig...