Week9 Hometown Brochure

Culture

As the largest city with a predominantly Marathi-speaking populace, Pune is closely associated with Marathi art, literature, drama and religious beliefs. Many Marathi writers, poets, actors, singers and other celebrities live in Pune. In recent years, cinemas, discos and clubs have also opened up as the younger, westernized college students and young professionals make their presence felt.

Religion With 200,000 visitors annually, the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune is one of the largest spiritual centres in the world. Hinduism is the most commonly practised religion in Pune, although many mosques, gurudwaras, Jain temples and other religious buildings are found throughout the city. The most prominent Hindu temple in Pune is the Parvati temple, located on Parvati hill and visible from most of the inner suburbs. The most famous is likely the Chaturshringi Temple, located on the slopes of a hill in the northwest of the city. During Navratri (which usually falls in the month of September), there is a large procession to this temple and worshippers gather from around the country to pray here.The presiding god of Pune city is the Kasba Ganapati, whose temple is found in Kasba Peth in

central Pune. Since 1894, Pune has celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi as a ten-day long festival, in which most neighborhoods put up a pandal (tent) with an idol of Ganesha, often amidst a religious setting, complete with decorative lights and festive music. This festival culminates with a parade of Ganesh idols from across the city carried to the local rivers to be immersed (Ganesh visarjan). The Kasba Ganapati, as the presiding deity of the city, is the first in this parade. The idea of a public celebration was initiated by Lokmanya Tilak in Pune, and has since spread to many other cities, particularly Mumbai, which has a massive parade every year. Pune was once home to a group of the Bene Israel, a Jewish community in western India. Although many of them migrated to Israel after Indian independence, it remains home to Asia's largest synagogue, the Ohel David Synagogue (known locally as the Lal Deval, or Red Temple). Pune has been associated with several significant spiritual teachers. Osho (known earlier as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh) lived and taught in Pune for much of the 1970s and 1980s. The Osho International Meditation Resort, one of the world's largest spiritual centers, is located in the Koregaon Park area. It has visitors from over a hundred countries. Pune is also the birthplace of spiritual guru Meher Baba, although pilgrims usually travel to Meherabad. B. K. S. Iyengar, an internationally known yoga master, established the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune in 1975, in order to train students in the Iyengar Yoga System.

Welcome to

PUNE

Pune (formerly Poona) is the second

largest city in the state of Maharashtra in western India, around 160 kilometers southeast of the state capital, Mumbai. Situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha river, Pune is the administrative capital of Pune district and the eighth most populous metropolitan area in India. Pune is known to have existed as a town since 937 AD. Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire, lived in Pune as a boy, and later oversaw significant growth and development of the town during his reign. In 1730, Pune became an important political centre as the seat of the Peshwa, the prime minister of the Chhatrapati (King) of Satara. After the town was annexed to British India in 1817, it served as a cantonment town and as the "monsoon capital" of the Bombay Presidency until the independence of India. In independent India, Pune is known for its educational facilities, having more than a hundred educational institutes and nine universities. It also boasts a growing industrial hinterland, with many information technology and automotive companies setting up factories in Pune district.

Name

The name Pune (also transcribed Poona, but see below) derives from Punya Nagari (Sanskrit, "City of Bliss"). The oldest reference to this name is on a Rashtrakuta copper plate dated to 937 AD, in which the town is referred to as Punya-Vishaya. By the 13th century, it had come to be known as Kasbe Pune or Punavadi. Although the city's name is sometimes transcribed as Poona in English, a practise particularly common during the British Raj, the spelling "Pune" has now become standard. Pune is also known as The Oxford of the East, due to the various educational institutions, and also sometimes referred to as

The Detroit of India owing to the many manufacturing companies, particularly automobile giants, having their base within the city's metropolitan area.

Geography

Pune is located at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers. Pune is located 560m (1,837 ft) above sea level on the western margin of the Deccan plateau. It is situated on the leeward side of the Sahyadri mountain range (the Western Ghats), which separate it from the Arabian sea. It is a relatively hilly city, with its tallest hill, Vetal Hill, rising to 800m (2,625 ft) above sea level. Just outside the city, the Sinhagad fort is located at a height of 1300m.

Climate

Pune has a tropical wet and dry climate with average temperatures ranging between 20°C to 28°C. Pune experiences three distinct seasons: summer, monsoon and winter. Typical summer months are from March to May, with maximum temperatures ranging from 30 to 38 °C (85 to 100 °F). The warmest month in Pune is April; although summer doesn't end until May, the city often receives locally developed heavy thundershowers in May (although humidity remains high). Even during the hottest months, the nights are usually cool due to Pune's high altitude. The monsoon lasts from June to October, with moderate rainfall and tempera-

tures ranging from 10°C to 28°C (50°F to 82°F). Most of the 722mm of rainfall in the city fall between June and September, and July is the wettest month of the year. Winter begins in November; November in particular is known as the Rosy Cold. The daytime temperature hovers around 28 °C (83 °F) while night temperature is below 10 °C (50 °F) for most of December and January, often dropping to 5 or 6 °C (42 °F).

Demographics

The population of Pune and its surrounding urban agglomeration have an estimated population of just over 5 million. Growth in the software and education sectors has led to an influx of skilled labour from across India. Around 45% of Pune population is between 15 and 30 years of age. Marathi is the official and the most widely spoken language, while English is understood and spoken widely. The dialect of Marathi spoken in Pune has been suggested to be the "standard" form of the language. Pune has many white-collar professionals thanks to a large number of educational, research and training institutes spread throughout the city. The city is home to sizeable religious minorities including Parsis, Jews, Sikhs, Christians and Muslims.

Economy

As one of the largest cities in India, and as a result of its many colleges

and universities, Pune is emerging as a prominent location for IT and manufacturing companies to expand to.

creating unique components for the Indian marketplace.

Automotive

Software and Information Technology

The automotive sector is particularly prominent. All sectors of the automotive industry are represented, from two-wheelers and autorickshaws (Bajaj Auto, Kinetic Motor Company) to cars (Volkswagen,General Motors,Tata Motors, Daimler-Chrysler,Fiat,Peugeot,John Deere) to tempos and trucks (Force Motors). Automotive components (TATA Autocomp Systems Limited TACO, Visteon, Continental Corporation, ITW, SKF, Magna) are also manufactured here. Other automotive companies including General Motors, Volkswagen, and Fiat have set up greenfield facilities near Pune, leading The Independent to cite Pune as India's "Motor City".

Other Manufacturing

Engineering goods manufactured in Pune include forges (Bharat Forge) and engines (Cummins). Other major manufacturers include Alfa Laval, Thyssen Krupp and Black & Veatch. Other goods are also manufactured in the area. Electronic goods are manufactured by multinational companies such as the Whirlpool Corporation and the LG Group. Food giants like Frito Lay and Coca Cola have food processing plants. Many small and medium-sized companies are also active, producing components for larger companies and

Pune has a rapidly growing software industry as well, with multinational companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Tech Mahindra, Wipro and Infosys having large offices here. Some global organisations have set up their technology development centres in Pune, for example, Barclays Technology Centre, HSBC Global Technology Center and John Deere Technology Center. The growing software industry has led to the construction of IT parks to encourage new IT companies. This includes the Rajiv Gandhi IT Park at Hinjawadi, the Magarpatta Cybercity, the MIDC Software Technology Park at Talawade, the Marisoft IT Park and Kumar Cerebrum IT Park at Kalyani Nagar, the International Convention Centre (ICC), Weikfield IT Park and many others. Business process outsourcing companies have also seen significant growth here, with companies like Convergys, Infosys BPO, EXL, Wipro BPO, Next, vCustomer, Ventura and Mphasis setting up operations here.