What comes to your mind when you think of Pune- the cultural capital of Maharashtra? For many of us it is one of the fastest growing IT hubs in India. “Oxford of the East” is the name given by the academicians.
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Author: Maya
What comes to your mind when you think of Pune- the cultural capital of Maharashtra? For many of us it is one of the fastest growing IT hubs in India. “Oxford of the East” is the name given by the academicians. There are a number of quality educations institutions for all age groups. You would find many foreign nationals in this city. They are here either for higher studies or for doing research.
Pune is surrounding by the Western Ghats known as the Sahyadri Hills. It is totally cut from the Arabian Sea. Winter, summer and monsoon are the three seasons that prevail in Pune. Winter sets in by beginning of November and goes on till mid of March. Day temperatures are less than 30 degrees and the night temperatures are below 10 degrees. You are likely to experience mild to severe winter.
Summer comes with a bang towards to end of March and lasts till mid to end of May. In summers are real hot during the day with mercury soaring to 40+ degrees. However, the evenings are pleasant and the nights are cool. In the evening it is mostly breezy and this chills the night.
Now coming to Monsoon, Puneites enjoy the windy south- western monsoon which rages from June to October. It is wet and cold with minimum temperatures going below 10 degrees. To put it briefly, Pune has a pleasant climate and one can really feel the change of the seasons. It never has the extreme climates of northern India.
The official language of the city is Marathi. However, Hindi and English are also spoken extensively. So a new comer should not have a problem.
Before telling you about the night life in Pune, I would like to mention about the attitude of the people of Pune. What I am writing here is based on my personal experience. I came here as a newly married bride four years back. Frankly speaking though I had some language problems initially, I fell in love with this city. Putting aside the bad and dreadful traffic and poor roads, this place introduced me to the cosmopolitan society. My husband though a software engineer hails from a defence family. I live in a locality close to National Defence Academy (NDA). This place is surrounded by the hills and has water bodies too. You are at peace here. Our residence is close to the Mumbai –Pune Express Highway and the IT Park – Hinjewadi is just 10kms. Though there are lots of developments happening here. It has not marred the natural beauty of the city.
Pune is the eight largest city in India. This city though not a metro has got all the facilities and something more than any of the metros in India. The culture of Pune is a beautiful blend of both traditional and conventional. This gives it a charm. The outlook of the people here are very much liberal and cosmopolitan. This could be one of the reasons that the NRIs and the foreigners prefer Pune over the other metros. People are highly cultured, sociable and helpful. You may not find them visiting your house every now and then, but if a need arises they are there for you.
Pune is known as the Detroit of India. Here you have most of the vehicle manufacturing units like Tata, Mercedes Benz, Bajaj and so on.
Education Hub
Pune is known as the education hub of India and of the east. Many foreign returns are worried about their children’s education. Pune is an ideal place for education and there is nothing to worry. The reason is that you have number of International schools like Mercedes Benz International School, Symbiosis International School and many more. These schools meet the International standards of education and follow the IB and IGCSE syllabus.
The parents who are transferred to Pune from other parts of India also have nothing to worry about. There are good Convent schools like St Joseph and Loyola’s here. There are many good schools that follow CBSE and ICSE syllabus here.
Number of good colleges which provide courses with updated syllabus for both the undergraduates and the post-graduates are located in Pune. Fergusson College (FC), Pune Agricultural College, Engineering Colleges and Pune University are some of the best educational institutions that offer undergraduate and post graduate courses.
India’s one and only Army medical College called the Armed Forces Medical college and National Defence Academy is located in Pune. Other institutions that are associated with defence are the Military Engineering College, ARDE, and HEMRL and so on.
Pune the Happening Place
One would never get bored in Pune. There are many malls where you can go shopping- window shopping is permitted. These malls are always bustling with activities every day. They have the eating joints like McDonalds , KFC and so on. Here you can place your order and watch what is happening around you. On weekends and holidays you have to wait for hours before you can find a table.
On weekends the MG road is declared a “Walking Plaza” from 4 PM to 10 PM. On weekends the entire location will be packed with pedestrians who enjoy strolling. Many weekend eatery stalls also crop up on these days. They do a wonderful business. On one side of the road, there will be a live band performing. Weekends are simply enjoyable.
For art lovers there are many galleries which hold exhibitions and sales. There are also theatres which play dramas and conduct musical nights. Pune is always bustling with energy and life.
There are many book stores which cater a wide array of books to the book lovers. There is a shop in MG road called Manneys. This store will be celebrating its sixtieth anniversary in a few months time. There are other book stores like Crossword, Landmark and so on. These stores conduct annual sales where you get discount up to 70%. Near the colleges there are many stores which sell the second hand books. You get not only the college books, but books of all kind. You pick up used books from the pavement peddlers too.
Where you can Bargain…
The main shopping area where you can bargain for anything and everything is Tulsi Baug and Laxmi Road. This is another area which is always bustling. Though, on Mondays the shops here are closed. There are Malls like Vishal and Big Bazaar which houses all house hold items, clothes, food stuff, toys and so on. On certain days of the week they also give discounts. Most of the stuff here is branded.
Then there are shopping malls like Pyramid, Pune Central and so on. If you love to do window shopping you can roam around these malls. However, here the prices are fixed.
Nightlife in Pune
Night life in Pune is amazing. There are many pubs and clubs that cater to the young and the enthusiastic crowd. However, the pubs do have to close down by 11 pm. Here you can listen to live band and mostly all the pubs do have their DJs. Time just flies here.
There are many five star and three star hotels in Pune. They organize various international food festivals for the foodies. Here you can taste not only the continental food but also the various recipes from the African continent too.
There are also good and less expensive restaurants in Pune. There are places which offer the authentic Maharashtrian dishes. However, many of the south Indians and north Indians complain that they have to discover a hotel that serves authentic Punjabi and south Indian dishes.
There are no law and order problem in Pune. Crime and theft rate is less and it is safe for the women folk to move around. It is a peaceful and a peace loving city.
Cost of Living
Though not a metro, cost of living in Pune is higher than any of the Indian metros. Right from the rent to the consumer perishable products everything is very expensive here. If you do not have a vehicle of your own, your entire earnings and savings will go down the drain. Taxis and auto rickshaws are very expensive. Public buses are never on time. Eating out once in a week is appreciated. However if you make it a habit, it creates a dent in your wallet.
Public transportation is pathetic. The buses are unclean and you would find pan stains in the buses. In terms of cleanliness Pune has to learn a lot from Mumbai or the other South Indian Cities.
Other Things to Know
Osho’s Ashram is located in Pune. This place is frequented by the foreign nationals and the Indians alike. There are many centres for learning Art of Living (courses in yoga conducted by Sri Ravishankar).
You have many multiplexes where four to five movies run at one time. These multiplexes also house Archie’s Gallery, Book Stalls, and restaurants and so on. There are many gardens where you can go for your stroll in the evenings and mornings.
One of the main festivals celebrated here is Ganapathy Festival followed by Navarathri and Diwali.
Like all Indian cities, Pune too has its pros and cons. However, personally, I feel that one would enjoy their stay in Pune. Believe me it has got the best weather compared to other cities.
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