Pune a city awakening

Two days in Pune, and I could not clear my doubt. Is Pune on its way to become another Bangalore, or is it actually the other way i.e. Bangalore is an expanded version of Pune. Whichever way, these two cities have many things in common, most obvious being the IT sector and students.

Pune, as a city, looks very active and fast running. Owing to its strategic location and large numbers of educational institutions it is flooded by students. These students enforce many a changes in the way this city lives. Most hot and happening roads like FC Road, JM Road and even SB road are centers of activity for the youth. Think of any kind of restaurant or shopping place, and it is here. You don’t need to go far. And these places are always lively and warm thanks to the even increasing student population of the city.

Pune used to be traditional Marathi center some years back. But with IT wave gripping its business scene and inflow of job and quick money has changed everything. It is becoming a metro with people from every part of India making it their home. Local people have welcomed these outsiders to a very large extent. Though, they still continue to live their own way. Everything is marathisized. Where else can you see “PIZZA CORNER” written in Hindi and Marathi way? It’s not a distant dream when you will get kadi-patta in McD’s burgers. Anyways language is one thing which has kept this place bonded, so let it be the way it is.

Roads in Pune are much better than Bangalore. The city is going through radical construction work with lots of flyovers and new roads in offering in next couple of years. Old city is congested with its narrow roads. This problem is visible in every Indian city. Pune is no special case. Roads out of Pune are simply superb. Expressways with massive flyover constructions and some magnificent tunnels make it an unforgettable experience to drive out of Pune. City traffic is very bad; people have absolutely no road sense. They don’t care about signals and any other traffic rules. Honking is their favorite activity while riding or driving. They need to learn a lot in civic sense.

Pune has advantage of superb location. Its closeness to Mumbai makes it a good business center. There are so many weekend gateways: Panchgani, Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Khandala, Matheran, Alibag, Macher – the list goes on. Have time and enthusiasm? Come to Pune and enjoy.