A Glimpse of Pune City

   Queen of the Deccan, Oxford of the East and Cultural Capital of Maharashtra, Pune, also called as Poona, is a city with a future that promises to be as interesting as its history. Today, Pune is the second largest state of Maharashtra and is one of the most important IT hubs in India. It is the only city which has no capital state, yet it is ranked amongst the top 10th cities in the country. It has a dual image: that of a tradition-bound culture, often considered the centre of traditional Maharashtrian culture and that of a modern industrial metropolis. The city has recorded the highest growth within a span of 20 years.

   The history of Pune can be dated back to 1000 years. According to the archeological evidence, Rashtrkootas dynasty ruled Pune. After about 758-768 A.D. later, Pune was ruled by Yadavs. The city first gained importance as the capital of the Bhonsle Marathas in the 17th century. It was temporarily captured by the Mughals, but after the battle of Panipat, the Mughal Empire began to decline and in 1818, it was taken over by the British East India Company.

Pune is an epitome of educational opportunities as it has more than hundred institutes and nine universities. Pune is also the headquarters of the southern command of the Indian Army, with the Khadawaskla Academy. Pune University, founded in the year 1948, which has 57 Engineering Colleges affiliated to it, is the highest in the world. The city is also known to have provided an enormous amount of scientists for the high profile nominations.

   Pune city is well-connected to other cities by its excellent transportation facilities. Pune is the only city that has an international airport that shares its runway with the Indian Air Force base. The New Pune International Airport has been designed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation. Local trains connect Pune to all the major cities across India. A rapid transit system has been proposed in Pune and is scheduled to begin operations in 2013. Pune Metro Rail is being planned in consultation with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited.  The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, India’s first six-lane high-speed expressway, has reduced the travel distance between these two cities.

Today, Pune is the center of traditional Maharashtrian culture and is slowly becoming a cosmopolitan city. Rich with splendor geographical location and royal history of Mughal Empire, Pune has all the strong reasons to amaze every kind of vacationers, right from businessmen to students.

The History of Bubble Blowers

                   “…but I know that ‘bubble blower’ is what I am, not who I am.”

                                                                                           From “A Brief History of the Recent Future”

                                                                                                             (David Manning)

   The dictionary meaning of ‘Bubble Blowing’ has been defined as a children’s toy in the form of tool for making bubbles by blowing on a membrane of soap water or fluid sticked to a circlet. Bubble Blowers is amongst the oldest and most popular game among children in the ancient times. The game is one of a kind where every parent can afford their child to enjoy the happiness of blowing bubbles. The simplest way to create the solution is to twist a wire into the circle and then make some foam out of soap for blowing bubbles. The earliest patent of Bubble Blowers dates back to 1920s. A man named J. L Gilchrist filed a patent in 1918 for a new and improved bubble pipe, that “may be cheaply manufactured and in which the parts are so associated that they may be disassembled and cleaned and quickly reassembled by an unskilled person.” Pipes and wands were the earliest mass produced bubble blowers.

   Many notable Bubble Artists started their passion for bubble blowing only as a hobby, but with their invention of every new technique, they have mesmerized many people’s heart.  Throughout the history, many Bubble Artists have set various Guinness World Records. The earliest amongst them is Alan McKay of New Zealand, who on August 9 in 1996 has created a 105 foot long bubble by using a bubble wand, dish washing liquid, glycerine and water. Another well-known Bubble Artist Fan Yang proves that Bubble Blowing is a timeless game. This man creates bubbles within bubbles. He has managed a total of 12 domes at the studios of Guinness World Records in Finland on 20 October, 2001 and is a 10 times Guinness World Record holder. On 11 August, 1997, Fan Yang has created a 56-foot-long and 13-foot-high, bubble wall.

    According to the Funrise Gazillion Bubbles website, David Stein of New York has created the biggest bubble ever blown in 1988 and he has held the Guinness World Record for this as well. On 5 September, 2001, Ray Macaraeg of California holds a Guinness World Record for blowing 119 soap bubbles in 30 seconds. A total of 23,680 people blew bubbles simultaneously for a minute at the Boleyn Ground in London on May 16, 1999.  On October 9, 2005, John Erck of Xtreme Bubbles blew the Guinness World Record largest free-floating soap bubble, 105.4 cubic feet in size.  

 In the recent past, Sam Heath is the most famous Bubble Artist. He is often referred to as ‘Sam Sam the Bubble Man’. By putting inside a group of 19 boys and girls under a giant bubble, he set the Guinness World Record on March 27, 2006.

   Since the past, every Bubble Artist enjoys the fun and celebrates the enchantment of Bubbles on their performances. They equally attract every audience member's attention.

The History of Bubbles...

   Let me pen down with some monumental facts about Bubbles. Bubbles are an incredible natural phenomenon that teaches us a variety of subjects, right from physics to geometry. They are basically made up of air that is surrounded by a thin film of water. Bubble Blowing is a form of art that never gets old, irrespective of what age you are. It is also considered as one of the oldest and most popular of children’s play interests. This is one of the timeless pastimes.

   The history of bubbles dates back to the ancient times. The earliest depiction of blowing bubbles was seen on an Etruscan vase in the Louvre in Paris. The whole concept of bubble came into the minds of two men. Andrew Pears and Thomas J. Barratt who were the two dignified personalities that have led to the commercial success of a London based firm A. & F. Pears for nearly two hundred years. Andrew Pears was a Cornish man who has arrived in London in the year 1989 as a barber. But by his sharp intellectuality, he has recognized the potentiality of the purity and softness of soap and after much trial and error, an idea hit upon his mind of removing all the impurities and before adding the aroma of English Garden flowers, he refined the base soap. And later on, this became the image of Pears soap which is popular amongst the public today. For many, many years, other products were also manufactured alongside the transparent soap. But Andrew’s use of amber soap was successful all along. Andrew Pears along with his grandson, Francis Pears started their business of bubbles. They were tremendously successful and after three years, Andrew Pears took his retirement. Next to the throne comes, Thomas J. Barrat, the son-in-law of Francis Pears. He was an active and intelligent man who had revolutionized the entire distribution system of Andrew Pears within months. He used expensive and original schemes to hit the market and also, improved the sales performance. Within a short span of time, he had received a plethora of accolades for his achievements. Lillie Lantry, an extremely popular actress of the times had given Barratt a commendation for Pears soap. Amongst others include Sir Erasmus Wilson, Doctor Redwood and Henry Ward Beecher. Barrat is often referred to as the father of advertising firm and he had spent plentitude of money for the ‘Bubble Campaign’. The ‘Bubble Campaign’ started by Barratt had won the hearts of the masses.

   The best-remembered piece of publicity was the use of Sir John Everett Millais' painting 'Bubbles' as an advertisement for Pears. The model for 'Bubbles' was the artist's grandson, Willie. Over the years many new inventions took place, the world around us greatly evolved. But, bubbles have never lost their charm.

Round wonders...

    For as long as we can remember, we have all played with bubbles and they have always occupied a special place in our imagination. Be it their lighter than air presence or the sheer thought of them being there making the world around them a little bit more wonderful, children are always fascinated at the sight of bubbles blowing around.

   They are round, they glitter and when you touch them, they pop! It’s hard to imagine how this could ever fail to make anyone smile. But what adds to the amazement of bubbles is the amount of science that goes around the creation and sustenance of a single bubble.

   Have you ever wondered what makes a bubble round? What makes them form such a constant shape? Well the answer to that is simple physics. When you blow a bubble, the surface tension makes the thin film of soapy water form the smallest surface area that it can. It assumes the shape of an orb. If air wouldn’t have been blow within the soapy film, the soapy water would have continued to shrink down in size. And the shrinking would have gone on till it would have assumed the shape of a solid spherical droplet, resembling a raindrop.

   It is amazing what can be achieved with a little soapy water. Mother Nature is an artist herself. Her creations are seemingly beautiful and fundamentally complex. So, the next time you see a bubble, make sure you appreciate the beauty behind the bouncy wonder.

Bubbles...

   Bubbles...Fascinating creations that never fail to make people smile.
But what people don't quite understand is the amazing amount of science and know how behind the creation of these little spheres of air and water.

   Why are they round? How can they be? Why do I see colours in them? Numerous questions that many find themselves asking when they witness the sheer presence of these little spheres of delight. As a child everybody enjoyed blowing bubbles and playing with them. And inevitably they popped! Those were the memories that still bring a smile to everyone's faces now. And as time passed we all grew up and the childhood joy got lost somewhere in the space of time. But what many fail to realize is that sometimes the things that give us the most amount of pleasure aren't always the big, fancy and shiny things, but its the little, tiny and simple and often overlooked ones. Who would have thought bubbles would one day come to your rescue!

   So the next time when you feel the weight of things trying to crush you down, just take a moment and look around. Although there won't be any bubbles blowing your way, but then again, what's the use of that big brain of yours when it can't even imagine bubbles blowing around?

   Peace out!