My encounters in the new Pune

यदा यदाहं गच्छामि पुरीं पुण्यां तदा तदा ।

प्राचीनता मदीया मां विष्टभ्नाति पदे पदे ।।

"Whenever I go to the Pune City, then my ancientness obstructs me at every step."

हनूमन्तो गणेशाश्च मार्गे मार्गे पुराभवन् ।

न तानाधुनिको वेत्ति कोऽपि वाहनचालक: ।।

"In earlier times, there were Hanuman and Ganesh temples on every street, but none of the modern drivers know them."

“कथयस्व नवं किञ्चिन्नाम यद्विदितं मम ।

किञ्चित् चीनान्नभवनं प्रथितं कञ्चिदापणम् ।।

The driver says: "Tell me some new name that I know, some place of Chinese food, or some famous shop,"

पिझ्झागृहं नाट्यगृहं नृत्यस्थानं सुरापणम् ।

वद किञ्चित् मम ज्ञातं स्थानं यद् गन्तुमिच्छसि” ।।

"Or, some Pizza place, or drama house, or dance studio, or a wine shop. Tell me some place that I know where you wish to go."

इत्युक्ते मूकतां यामि, न जानामि नवं पुरम् ।

कथं कुत्र गमिष्यामि नवेऽस्मिन् पुण्यपत्तने ।।

When he says this, I become silent. I don't know this new city. How can I go anywhere in this new Pune?

यस्यां पुर्यामहं जात: शिक्षितश्चाप्यहं पुरा ।

न सा पुरी मां जानाति, न च जानामि तामहम् ।।

The city where I was born and educated many years ago, that city does not know me, and I don't know it.

स्मरामि यां पुरीं नित्यमत्र सा विस्मृतिं गता ।

या पुरी वर्तते तत्र तदन्यत् पुण्यपत्तनम् ।।

The Pune city that I always remember is mostly forgotten here. The city that exists here is a different Pune city.

स्मरामि यां पुण्यपुरीं सा मे मनसि जीवति ।

यां पुरीमधुना यामि, न सा मे मनसि स्थिता ।।

I remember the Pune city that lives in my mind, and the city that I visit now is not in my memory.

भूतकालात् समायातो न जाने नवपत्तनम् ।

नवा पुरी पृच्छति मां “कस्त्वं,” किं करवाण्यहम् ।।

I arrive from an ancient past and don't recognize the new city. The new city asks me: "who are you?" What shall I do?

“कस्त्वं कुत: समायात:, मराठीं भाषसे पुन: ।

वाणी तथापि ते भाति किञ्चित् प्राचीनकालिकी ।।

The driver says to me: "Where have you come from? You do speak Marathi, and yet your speech appears to be somewhat old fashioned."

भवान् टिळकवद् ब्रूते ब्रूते वा विष्णुशास्त्रिवत् ।

नास्मिन् पुरेऽधुना कोऽपि मराठीं भाषते तथा ।।

"You speak like Lokmanya Tilak or like Vishnushastri Chiplunkar. In this city no one now speaks like that."

कुत्रेदृशी मराठी वाक् प्राचीनाद्यापि वर्तते ।

पुराणीं भाषते कस्मात् मराठीमधुना भवान्” ।।

"Where does this old fashioned Marathi continue to be spoken? Why do you even now speak this old fashioned Marathi?"

इति श्रुत्वा न जानामि किं वक्तव्यं मयाधुना ।

प्राचीने काल एवाहं निर्गत: पुण्यपत्तनात् ।।

Hearing this, I don't know what to say, since I did leave the Pune city long ago.

मया सह समायाता मराठी वाक् पुरातनी ।

अहं तामेव जानामि भाषे तामेव सम्प्रति ।।

The old Marathi language came with me. I only know that old Marathi language, and continue to speak the same."

“अस्त्वेवम्” इति मामुक्त्वा स मे वाहनचालक: ।

करुणापूर्णहृदयोऽनयन्मां काङ्क्षितं स्थलम् ।।

"Let it be" said the driver to me and he, with a compassionate heart, brought me to the desired place.

केन मार्गेण नीतोऽहं कुत्रायात: कुतो गत: ।

न च किञ्चिद्विजानामि, गत्वाप्याकाङ्क्षितं स्थलम् ।।

Even after reaching the desired place, I still don't know by which roads the driver took me there, how I came or went.

न मां कोऽप्यभिजानाति नाभिजानामि कञ्चन ।

इति मत्वा सुखं यामि यत्र तत्र पुरोत्तमे ।।

No one recognizes me, and I don't recognize anyone. Thinking thus I wander in this city here and there.

कश्चिन्मामवदत्पार्श्वात्त्वं मित्रमिव भाससे ।

कुत्रत्यस्त्वं किं च नाम त्वदीयमिति पृष्टवान् ।।

Someone said to me from the side: "You look like my friend. Where are you from and what is your name?"

अनार्बरेऽमेरिकायां वसामि चिरकालत: ।

तव मित्रेण साम्यं मे भवेदापातत: खलु ।।

I said: "I have been living in Ann Arbor, USA, for a long time, and so my similarity with your friend may be purely accidental."

देशपाण्डे माधवेति मित्रं मेऽमेरिकां गतम् ।

पञ्चाशद्वर्षत: पूर्वं तत्समो भाससे कथम् ।।

He said: "My friend Madhav Deshpande went to America fifty years ago, but why do you look like him?"

तच्छ्रुत्वोक्तं मया “सोऽहं माधवोऽमेरिकाश्रित: ।

न तु त्वामभिजानामि, कस्त्वं, जानासि मां कथम्” ।।

Having heard that, I said: "I am Madhav Deshpande from America, but I don't recognize you. Who are you, and how do you know me?"

रे रे कथं न जानासि मां शालासुहृदं सखे ।

बण्डुरहं येन सार्धमखेलस्त्वं दिवानिशम् ।।

He said: "Oh Friend, how come you don't recognize me, your school-mate? I am Bandu with whom you used to play day and night."

परिष्वज्य तदा बण्डुं मया प्रोक्तमिदं वच: ।

नाभिज्ञातो मया त्वं हि खल्वाटो दृश्यसेऽधुना ।।

Having embraced Bandu, I said to him: "I did not recognize you, because you now look totally bald."

कथं त्वामभिजानीयां गते काले महत्तरे ।

तथापि दैववशतो मिलिताविति सुन्दरम् ।।

"How will I recognize you after such a long time. Still, by God's grace, we did meet each other, and that is beautiful."

इत्थमस्यां पुण्यपुर्यां सुहृदां मिलनं क्वचित् ।

जायते दैववशतस्तन्ममास्ति सुखावहम् ।।

Thus, in this Pune city, a meeting with friends does occasionally happen by good fortune, and that makes me happy.

--

Madhav M. Deshpande
Professor of Sanskrit and Linguistics
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
202 South Thayer Street, Suite 6111
The University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-1608, USA

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