What is it about Pune…

Pune. A city where the old and new, high and low tech coexist peacefully…
“Pune tithe kay une”
Roughly translated it means: Pune does not lack anything….
Be it culture, science, nature, music, sports and so on…

The city has some unique features that set it apart from any other city in the world.
Note: in the world!
Yes, Pune has that special something that stealthily sinks its claws into unsuspecting individuals so that somehow they are irrevocably attached to it. Ask any head hunter and they will attest to this fact— getting a candidate from Pune to relocate to a better job in another town is next to impossible. Look around and you will find several non-Maharashtrians have made Pune their home.

So what is it that so attractive about Pune?

• Weather? Maybe… A few decades ago homes did not have fans, old timers claim. Difficult to believe now as every house boasts of atleast one AC or other cooling devices.
• Water? Yes that may be a reason as i am told that may cities depend solely on borewells. We have the luxury of sweet treated water supply but that too is fast becoming a rarity with vast mini city developments around Pune.
• Electricity? Yet another potential reason that may attract people from rural parts as I am told they face extensive power cuts particularly in summer.
• Roads? While the city is small enough to technically allow travelling from one end to the other in half an hour, practically this is not the case. small roads, congested lanes, erratic public transport are a huge deterrant. The roads prove that Pune can be a strong competitor for the title of the city with maximum two wheelers!

Some Pune peculiarities:

• Old-time shops shut every afternoon for a siesta
• Industrial and Electricity holiday on Thursdays
• A row of rickshas at a ricksha stand but none ready to ferry you to your destination
•  Rude-sounding sign posts (for miscellaneous instructions) that have become legendary. Check out this site: http://www.busybeescorp.com/puneripatya/thumbnails.asp
• A surfeit of ‘exotic’ trees
• Extravagant Ganesh visarjan processions that continue long after the official religious ‘immersion’ time has ended
• The one and only Tulshibag, where enthusiastic shoppers from near and far stand cheek by jowl to buy stuff that is apparently available only there… No signs of a recession in these parts or in the adjacent Laxmi Road as well.
• Bohri Alee, the one stop source for hardware purchases at rock bottom prices.

The list can be endless. Do you have any suggestions? Do write in or comment…

Till then,
Take care.
Archana