Remnants of an Era Bygone — Archived from May 2008
Of the few things that we dislike about Pune, one of the biggest grudges is that there is no ready source of social or cultural programmes and events, and news about such happenings reach us only the day after the event, when the newspaper gives it a few inches in the society pages. By which time it's quite late for us to actually witness the event. A recently concluded vintage car rally fit the bill perfectly. Organized by Central Mall, a rather well known brand name throughout the country, I heard bits of it a few days before the event on the radio, but couldn't catch the time and location. Calling up the mall didn't help because nobody had a clue about the rally timings. It obviously was far fetched to expect them to know which cars would be present at the venue. Through vague references we got the information that it was to be held at 11:00 am, a perfectly suitable time for the laid-back Puneri citizen, especially on a Sunday.
On the morning of the event, I woke up a bit later than my usual time of 7, because of a late party the night before, and for some inexplicable reason tuned in to the radio again. At 8:30 an announcer came on air with another advertisement for the rally and followed up with the start time. 9:00 am. Yikes!
I dislike rushing into a photoshoot without adequate planning, and usually spend enough time to study the treatment other people have given to their photographs when filming a given subject. There was no time for customs, traditions, or even a shave. We threw on whatever came into our hands from the closet and raced to the venue. The only glimmer of light lay in the hope that the event, in typical Puneri fashion, would start much later than scheduled.
The organizers did keep up with that proud tradition of tardiness to some extent, although in my belief they didn't give it due respect. The picture above is the only worthwhile capture in those 15 minutes between our arrival and the event flag-off.
Stay tuned for our next misinformed adventure next month.