When in Pune, do not miss the Modak ATM

Yes, you read that right. Pune has just made itself more suave, for the city has got a Modak ATM, the first of its kind in the world. This cool machine is the brainchild of Mr Sanjiv Kulkarni, and his timing could not have been better for most parts of Maharashtra are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi with quite some aplomb these days. He calls it an ATM, an abbreviation that stands for All Time Modaks in this case.

This modak machine has been installed in Pune’s Sahakar Nagar, and has become quite a rage for the merrymakers. A pretty clean machine, this one has buttons named as prem (love), daan (charity), bhakti (devotion), shanti (peace) and more, making it quite apt for a festival that celebrates all of this and much more. Users need to insert a special card to get tiny boxes with one modak each; while the packets might have just one modak in each of them, the sheer joy and surprise of the users has been making quite a stir in the community.
This unique initiative by Mr Kulkarni has been much lauded for bridging the gap between traditional and new-age. Rightly so, for the youngsters in the city are making a beeline to experience this All Time Modak machine.

The uninitiated should know that modaks are an essential dessert for Ganesha Chaturthi, and are dumplings made of jaggery, coconut, dry fruits and rice flour. Considered favourites of the Hindu deity, Ganesha, no celebration for the occasion is complete without these. And if you are in Pune for the annual celebration, you know where to get them this time.