It’s been almost a year, and
when I look back now, it feels kinda weird, as how a person’s likes and
dislikes changes. I still remember my interview, I was asked the final
question, is Kolhapur okay for you? And I was like, its fine for me, but Pune
would be a better option. And the answer came, “No we only have Kolhapur.” As I
was tired of waiting for good company for placement, so I decided, let’s get
into this. It will be fun experience. After all, lot has been heard about
Kolhapur. Tambda Pandhara, Rankala Lake, Museum, Kolhapur Talims etc.
After one month of rigorous
training, finally the day came, where we were given our offer letter, and it
was written in bold letters, ‘Location-Kolhapur’. Basically being Mh-12, and the
person who has never left home, it was bit emotional moment for me. So here in
Kolhapur one Bhk, me and my friend this was my world, which was pretty much shaken
by the traffic and roads of this city, the language of this city which either
starts with @ Randichya, or @ Marda…, and the weird names of places, like
Kavala Naka, Redyachi Takkar, Baicha Putala, Papachi Tikati. But I was
mesmerized at the same time by the unique houses and their constructions
present here, vehicles and their unique number plates, all the brand outlets. It’s
like a big metro city being compressed and placed in six and half kilometer
radius place.
Homecoming used to be a
different experience; it used to start on Saturday evening and used to end on
Monday morning back in Kolhapur. Saturdays were reserved for friends, and of
course Sunday afternoon. Naturally, mom used to get angry on me, as to, ‘if you
want to meet your friends then why are you coming home, just stay with them and
go back to Kolhapur’. After becoming Kolhapurkar I become used to the habit of
honking the horn so much that when I used to drive in my home city, people used
to look at me, as if I am from another planet. Indeed I was from another
planet, it is Planet Kolhapur .
It is said that ‘When you are
in Rome behave like Romans’, the phrase that I followed when I entered in
Kolhapur and what it’s worth, Kolhapur become the ‘city I hate to live to city
I hate to leave’.
Now when I look back is to how
it happened, my thoughts ends up at one particular logic. ‘What makes family a
good family or not so good is the people in the family itself.’ Same is the
logic applied with the city. What makes a city, a good city and not so good
city is, the people in the city itself. As per the saying goes, every city has
its perks and benefits, and Kolhapur is not an exception for it. It’s been more
than a year for me in Kolhapur and this is how I feel about Kolhapur. Basically
being Puneiet, where city is up till 12 in night, and you can easily get paneer
tikka masala at 12 in night to Kolhapur where grocery shop gets close 10 in the
night, and you need to eat what is available in the hotel, what I missed and
what I enjoyed the most is bit difficult to tell. But you know as it says every
city has its perks and benefits, and talking about benefits. You won’t get tambda-pandhara
as tasty as compare to Kolhapur. You will get pan tapries in your city but you
won’t get pan shops as big as grocery shops, which makes customer visit again
and again.
I love the hospitality in
Kolhapur right from the perfume shop in Rajarampuri to Bank of Shastrinagar,
the scrap dealer near Shahu mill to gas refiller near the Padma talkies. People
here are bit different they are loud, but soft hearted and helpful. Once you get used to it you fall in love with
this loudness and life becomes more fun.
