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The moment you read the heading,  Snake
Park, you will probably imagine snakes hissing
all over. Well, perhaps not exactly hissing, but
you would definitely find snakes sprawled all
over... in pits and cages, a few even creeping
over trees! The snakes, however, are quite subdued,
lying in peaceful surroundings.
On the outskirts of Pune city,
20 km away from the railway station, is the haven
for "snakes" popularly known as the
Pune Snake Park. Set up in the year 1986 by Mr.
Neelim Kumar Khaire, a renowned naturalist, and
later incorporated in the Rajeev Gandhi Udyan
in 1999, the Pune Snake Park is one of the reputed
zoos in India comprising about 300-350 snakes
of 40 different species.
The park is an artificial habitat
for not just snakes but also for various other
wild animals like the leopard, the deer and other
reptiles as well. Mr. Neelim Kumar Khaire, the
director of the Snake Park, has provided shelter
for various other wild life like the Civet Cats,
the Sparrow Hawk and the Sinerus Vulture (sparingly
seen in India). The park is a home for all.
There is a small lake on one
side where people can pedal boats. The cool breeze,
the serenity and the adjoining play park make
the place ideal for a day trip. The air is filled
with the aroma of the delicious and spicy Paani
Puris, Bhel, Chaat and other
savouries sold by various hawkers along the boundary
of the park - definitely a double attraction for
kids! It remains open from 10:30 in the morning
till 5:30 in the evening seven days a week and
people spend their time submerged in nature at
just a cost of Rs. 3 per adult and Rs. 2 per child.
Address: Katraj Snake Park, Pune Satara
Road, Dhankavdi,
Pune 411 043
Timings: 10 30 am to 5 30 pm; Seven days
a week.
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A war memorial with a difference.
When you think of war memorials, you think that
they would be built by the forces. The Pune War
memorial is the result of efforts of the citizens
of the city who pay a unique homage to those who
laid down their lives.
The epitaph at the Kohima War cemetery says it
all. "When you go back home, tell them
we gave up our today for their tomorrow."
No other feeling sums it better when you visit
the National War memorial at the Morvada Junction.
On the walls of the memorial, you will find the
names of the around 1200 martyrs from the state
who have laid down their lives in various operations
after Independence.
The idea of the National War Memorial
was first mooted in 1996. This was on the occasion
of the Silver Jubilee of India's Victory in the
Bangladesh war. The citizens of Pune, under the
aegis of the Express Citizens' Forum, set up the
War Memorial fund. The committee asked the citizens
of the city to contribute to the fund. From the
ordinary common citizen to the Big corporates,
all joined in this citizens' tribute to the men
who laid down their lives.
The Foundation of the memorial was laid in November
1997 and inaugurated in October 1998. The uniqueness
of this war memorial is that it is the first of
its kind in Post independent India. Before this,
most of the memorials were pre- Independence or
were a tribute to the memory of a particular regiment
or arm of the three services.
The memorial, a 25-foot stone pillar, is surrounded
on three sides by plaques of stone. Each stone
plaque has the names of all the soldiers, airmen
and sailors who have laid down their lives in
the defense of the motherland since independence.
At the moment there are almost 1200 names that
are inscribed on the walls. Enough space has been
left, for any new inscriptions on the monument.
At the moment, there is a proposal to have books
on the side of the main pillar, which will contain
the names of martyrs from the rest of the country.
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as
the Mahatma Gandhi Udyan is situated on the banks
of the Mula Mitha river, a few kilometers away from
the Pune Railway Station. The garden is a popular
place for visitors to take a leisurely stroll or
enjoy a boat ride. 
