Pune - A City Of Paradoxes

Achal Dhruva traces the evolution of Pune from a pensioner’s paradise to a bustling business centre

Stop for directions in Pune and ‘saral’ (straight) is the unfailing and uniform retort! Confusing? Probably, but the fact is that the city sprawling over 400 square kilometres with a population close to four million is certainly on the ‘straight road’ to metamorphose into an Information Technology - Bio Technology (IT-BT) hub, Maharashtra’s answer to Bangalore and Hyderabad.

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.

Positioned by the state government as the latest and best IT destination, Pune in the past few years has witnessed a slew of IT parks being sanctioned, the largest of which is in Hinjewadi. The results of the state government’s efforts are slowly coming to light and in Hinjewadi all the major players have a development centre. Also, a host of other international joint ventures have commenced operations in private IT and software technology parks.

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.

However, the future of Pune was not in old economy. In 2001, TELCO reportedly posted the highest ever corporate loss in India, Bajaj Auto has shifted its expansion to Aurangabad and other traditional industries have died a natural death. Along with it went the small-scale ancillary industries.

Attendant problems also cropped up with the infrastructure being stretched and the rise in pollution levels. Despite all this the city has marched ahead with vibrancy, the enormous cultural changes notwithstanding.

As a competitor to India’s Silicon City Bangalore for IT investments, the city does not quite clearly know how it is going to reconcile this post-modernist positioning with the traditional mindset of closing shop for three hours in the afternoon for a homely lunch and siesta. As if to accentuate this contradiction, 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.

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.

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.

Amidst these sweeping changes, the inner city or old Pune seems to have stood still in time with its narrow congested Wadas (as the old styled houses are called) and Peths (or localities) concealing interesting bits of history in its inner folds. A walk down the different bustling Peths, each one named after the day of the week, gives you a glimpse of a bygone era.

Shaniwar Wada, from where the Maratha empire once ruled and then waned equally fast and also where the Peshwas indulged less in administration and more in palace intrigues, is a majestic structure, especially Dilli Darwaja, the main entrance.

Located in the centre of the old city, the palace was built in 1736 and was the chief residence of the Peshwas until 1827 when it was mysteriously destroyed in a fire. Only the fortification walls with five gateways, the grand Nagarkhana and ‘Hajari Karanje,’ a 16 petal lotus shaped fountain with 1,000 heads remain. The sound and light show of Shaniwarwada is worth a visit.

Adjacent to this grand edifice is the Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum, which houses the motley collection of art and allied objects. Among the 36 sections full of antics, carved palace doors, miniatures, the Mastani Mahal is particularly famous. Mastani was the mistress of Peshwa Bajirao. Across the road is the Lal Mahal, housing a gallery of paintings on the incidents of Chhattrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s life. Another interesting sight connected to the Peshwas is the Parvati Hill on Satara Road, near Swargate. The Parvati Temple on top of the hill was the private shrine of the Peshwa rulers. The Parvati Museum next to the temple houses replicas of ancient paintings, old manuscripts, weapons and coins.

Closer home as far as history is concerned, the Aga Khan palace is a major landmark of the city and one connected to our freedom struggle. The beautiful palace with salons, suites and manicured lawns is where Mahatma Gandhi and other leaders of the Indian National Congress were imprisoned during the 1942 Quit India Movement. It is named Kasturba Gandhi Smriti Mandir in memory of Gandhiji’s wife who expired during imprisonment.

While the cityscape is dotted with such windows to the past, Osho Ashram of Rajneesh in Koregaon Park, is a pocket of the new age lifestyle. Listed amongst the most popular sights in Pune, the one hour guided tour of the premises provides a glimpse of their ‘celebration of life’ philosophy.

Besides the guided tours (two) which have to be booked in advance, the Japanese garden (open from 6-9 am and 3-6.30 pm) developed over a ‘nalla’ by the disciples is also worth a dekho. The Ashram propelled Pune on the world map long before it was marketed to the international tourists by the colourful cultural extravaganza of the annual Pune Festival (Ganpati festival). This year the 10-day festival commences from August 31.

Thrilling sports events like traditional bullock cart race, acrobatics on the ‘malkhamb’, water sports, trekking, golf, cycle and motor-cross rallies, body building contest and yoga demonstrations are the main features of the festival. In addition there are ghazal nights, instrumental music concerts and classical dance performances. Film stars and celebrities from other walks of life add glamour to the festivities.

Amidst such celebration of culture has been the emergence of Pune as an IT hub adding to this cauldron of contradictions. The influx of IT professionals and entrepreneurs will mean further growth as a ‘youthful,’ ‘cosmopolitan’ city, a trend set by the large number of educational institutes and defence establishments.

The grass has always been greener in Pune for Mumbaikars. One of the greenest urban areas in the country (more than 40 per cent green cover), Pune with its salubrious climate, a comparatively pollution-free atmosphere and laid-back character was popularly billed as the ‘Pensioner’s Paradise.’ And with its new status as an economic and business centre, Pune lures with the promise of best of both worlds.