Get Well Soon

I moved to Pune for college education back in 2009. It was exciting moving to a new city and one of our favourite hang out places back then was a quaint little eatery in nearby Koregaon Park called German Bakery. It served the best continental food in the area, which was also healthy and nutritious. The place itself was very cheerful always filled with students, tourists and inmates from the neighbouring Osho ashram in their red robes.

On 13th February, 2010 a bomb ripped through the Bakery killing 17 people, injuring over 50 and leaving the place in ruins. It temporarily shut down following this terrorist attack.

The following is a small card I wrote for it:

For the chocolate and the cheese,
For the croissants and the salads,

For the Irish tea and the black coffee,

For the exotic patrons and the eclectic ambiance,

For the red robes and the casual footwear,

For the fragrant aromas and the cheerful sounds,

and above all,

For all those brilliant memories and that service with an eternal smile,

GET WELL SOON, GERMAN BAKERY!!

-  From a fan, admirer and well-wisher who comes from a city that has felt your pain on several earlier occasions. However, it bounces back. Each and every time. And continues running in the quest of her dreams as if there is no tomorrow. Hope you do the same! Because this simple act of standing up again and spreading a little more light and happiness in the world can speak a far more powerful language than all the Kalashnikovs and Falcons put together.

(Kalashnikov: AK-47 / AK 56 assault riffles / Falcon: Super Fighter jets of the US air force. Both are dreaded weapons of war)

It's been 3 years since I went to Pune. I finished with college and am back in Mumbai now. However, the Bakery still hasn't bounced back. People say there are numerous issues with it. But it is expected to open to public very soon know though no one knows when yet. 

But, I do know this. It will happen. And the day that happens, I will go back there with my friends. Who will drop in from all over the country. And we will sit on those stumpy wooden stools and share laughter over delicious food and drinks. Just like old times.

Because the recovery will be as much ours as it will be German Bakery's.