ಕ್ಷಣಪ್ರಭಾ - Kshanaprabhaa

Two amazingly contrasting trips to Sinhagad Fort in Pune within a year, and I can't help but compare the two. Probably the only two common factors in both the trips were:  a. Presence of Aniruddha b. The place where we had our afternoon lunch, the hut which sold the very filling Pitla Bhakri. Last July, on my first ever visit to Pune, former colleagues Ruju and Aniruddha had accompanied me to this picturesque and historical fort, and amid incessant rains, we had taken a bus ride from Swargate Bus Station at Pune to the foothill of Sinhagad. From there, a jeep ride ensured that we were at the entrance to the fort and we did quite a lot of exploration on the hilltop, exploring the unimaginably fresh greenery and breathing in some of the most refreshingly clean air you can ever come across. It was greenery all around. We could not see soil anywhere. All the hills all around were covered in green and soaked in mist. Sometimes w...

Some pictures from my July Pune trip, showcasing the greenness and freshness of the rainy season: Greenery atop the Parvathi Hill Green and stranded Saras Baug in the morning Female sparrow at Saras Baug White lotus in the Saras Baug pond Indian Pond Heron walks amongst the lotuses in the Saras Baug pond Trees stand tall atop Sinhagad hill station Sinhagad fort walls covered with lush greenery Rains threaten to splash Khadakwasla lake, as seen from Sinhagad hilltop Sinhagad valleys covered with nothing but green A rain drenched Indian Myna Lonesome Stranger Stairs to invisibility Ficus Religiosa with its golden new leaves Endless greenery reminding a well planned tea estate "Two roads diverged in a green wood..." Standing tall in the mountain mist "The road not taken"