Third Eye

Philip Hersch came to study yoga at the Iyengar Institute six weeks ago. His course left him with a little time to explore the city intensively. “I have been to Sinhagad and will be going to Parvati too before I leave. I have also been to the Pune Festival, and being a Jew, have visited the Ohel David Synagogue (Lal Deval),” he says.

He has noticed a visible change in the cityscape in this second visit after three years. “You have huge buildings. Everything has gone up, including the prices,” he says laughing. Hersch has had enough time to savour both Indian food and hospitality. “The people here are very friendly and that is the best thing. They are also honest. I have very rarely been taken for a ride by the auto-rickshaw guys. The food is nice. I love Indian sweets like kulfi, which is perhaps why I have put on weight here,” he adds grinning.

Speaking of his primary reason for being in the city, Hersch says that the Yoga Institute is famous for its therapeutic effects on a lot of diseases. He came here for his own treatment and also uses yoga in his work with mentally challenged adults in Australia, where he stays.

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Pune, with its diverse living, holds a fascination for Hersch and he claims that “life here is lived in the street, unlike Australia, where all life is almost indoors. But what really amazes me is the way people live in these tiny hutments. Do they have a family life? It bothers me to see a lot of poverty and I don’t like it when people cling to me and beg. And then there is the sadness that one can’t really do much. Sometimes, I do give to the beggars”.

Hersch admits that a lot remains to be seen of the city and the country. “But,” he promises, “I will be back next year”.