Life at Pune
The evolution of Pune from a pensioner’s paradise to a bustling education centre and IT hub.
The once sleepy town, nestling in the hills of the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats, Pune, described as the‘Queen of the Deccan,’ ‘Cultural Capital of Maharashtra’ and ‘Oxford of the East,’ despite its brand new umbilical
cord of the Express Highway, has finally emerged from the shadows of Mumbai to forge its own identity as a
business city.
In the ’60s and ’70s, led by Bajaj Auto and TELCO, Pune witnessed an unprecedented growth of industry with
the likes of Thermax, Sandvik Asia, Century Enka, and Alfa Laval (then Vulcan Laval) setting up shop here.
This inevitably led to a sprouting of ancillary industries transforming the city into a business hub.
Pune picks up trends faster than you can blink. It is said that every time Mumbai sneezes, Pune catches a cold.
The city is a favourite with marketeers for new brand launches, an everyday affair nowadays. A recent study showed
that the penetration of Personal Computers (PCs) in terms of number of PCs per capita is the highest in Pune.
Also the number of basic telephone connections is also higher than much bigger cities like Ahmedabad.
Bowling alleys, pubs, nightclubs, go-karting etc. have all added to the excitement of this ‘happening’ city.
In the past couple of years, major five-star hotel chains like Le Meridien and Holiday Inn have set up swanky
properties in the city. |
