I have been in Nasik for half a century now.I have seen the changes that it has gone through. I was born in Nagpur & brought up in Nasik.I had my schooling here,college education…graduation ,my jobs…in pharmaceuticals & teaching, marriage & children.From the’ tangas’ to the autorickshaw the changes happened very swiftly.The industrial areas of Satpur & Ambad brought in development.
The sleepy town of nasik was known for it’s grapes,beedi making, copper & brass utensils, it’s nearby hill station…the cantonment area of Deolali, one of the jyotirlinga…..Trimbakeshwar, two small hills of Pandav leni & chambhar leni, temple of Someshwar & not to forget the ever- flowing river Godavari, our own Ganga! There was & still is greenery around as you move out in any direction. In Panchavati….there are five banyan trees ( actually more! ) but the CBS square had a group of banyan trees which were chopped to make way for the bus station widening. The temple of the gramdevi, Kalika mandir was shrouded in trees.There were more than five banyan trees. It was a spot where people visited at the time of the Navratri, a fair was held then.
Our college campus even today has many banyan trees.Inspite of the gate…the millenium gate , when lot of area was cleared, the campus is green. Nagar & Pune university have larger campuses, but not as green. To plant & to bear fruits in a single life time is almost impossible,hence the importance of these trees. Gangapur road had many trees along both the sides of the road, which we have lost recently. The tree standing opposite the Bhonsala gate remains a treat to a speeding car.
What has the city given to me? Basic needs… Roti,Kapda aur Makaan…yes, and to endure change like it did. It’s said that the pandits did not allow the railway line through Ravivar Karanja…the city may have been well connected like Mumbai with it’s suburbs, or looked like one of the junctions…Jalgaon or Bhusawal….come to think of it,it’s good as it is! From being the city of pilgrimage it changed to the capital of wines in the state. Sula & the other wineries put it on the map for it’s wine. The cultivation of grapes had changed. It was never a rich city.Although all the retired Govt officials have their homes here, Mumbai or Pune people have thought of it as investment only.
Fresh fruits,flowers,vegetables at affordable rate are available even today, although most of it goes to Mumbai. As the rest of India thinks of Delhi, we Nasikites think of going to Mumbai,that is our dream city.’Jivachi Mumbai’ was a key word for years,in last few years Nasik has it all, but going to Mumbai for further education or to Pune is a dream.What the city has never lacked is the simplicity. The language is rough, today it has many dialects mixed together.People had less money,but they were assertive always. I have always wondered from where does this confidence spring from? I could understand that in Nagar people were rich, but here I often saw that our maids didn’t have a set of sarees,they wore two halves sewn together.
There was only difference of English & Marathi medium school, the students often spoke in Marathi only.Today the students speak in Hindi, two students from Marathi households talking to each other in Hindi? The fruit sellers,dhobi, the workers in shops…all speak in Hindi & so do the customers. Till we were taught, I remember of not knowing Hindi! The impact of urbanisation has brought in people from all over & Marathi is spoken very rarely. While teaching I would stick with English,today while inter acting with the students I talk in Marathi. Many students don’t know the language,we are not here to change people, but living in Maharashtra it’s native language must be known. I don’t expect flory language but a working knowledge at least!
The elders…my father & my father-in -law came to Nasik in the 60s,when they saw this golden triangle of Mumbai-Pune-Nasik…came here to make a living. It is given to us without any effort. The grapes, have given way to many more fruits like strawberries, watermelons,pears,etc. but the weather is still the best. To have a house in Nasik is still a much coveted dream. We have it already.I am very thankful for all the things I have. So signing off for today,happy visiting!
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