The children of the Morwadi and Vetalnagar centres spent an entire Sunday visiting and seeing different places of interest in Pune. This was also the first opportunity for kids of both centres to interact with each other.
As the bus moved towards its first destination, the kids saw the College of Military Engineering, Khadki Station, Sancheti Hospital and the PMC building.
Their first stop was the splendid Shaniwar Wada and from there they proceeded to Kelkar Museum, seeing the Dagdusheth Ganpati en route. Shaniwar Wada was beautiful and the children enjoyed the walk around as they were able to identify places within this fortress from their little brochures. Kelkar Museum saw our children on ballad across the different floors and halls, from one exhibit to another, constantly calling, ‘Didi’ or ‘Bhaiyya’ to share their discoveries. The music instruments, war equipment, clothes, utensils…everything was very new and eyecatching for the kids.
The bus then headed for a well deserved lunch and rest stop at Empress Garden, but not before passing St. Mary’s Church, Race Course and St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The garden was abuzz with kids and adults alike, given the weekend and the increasing heat indoors. Shinde Chattri was the next halt where an old attendant detailed out the history of this monument.
The majestic Aga Khan Palace welcomed the children into its tranquil walls and surroundings. Seeing parts of their history text books come alive and trodding in places where the Father of the nation trod was inspiring. The science teacher also took the opportunity to explain the solar panel and solar cooker present in the premise. The banyan tree beyond the samadhi’s was very welcoming too.
Our last stop for the day was the peaceful War Cemetery near Holkar Bridge.
The kids returned with a better understanding of their city and its history, better appreciation of each other and better language skills.
