Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Pune


Pune (earlier known as Poona) is a small city, about 200 kilometres from Bombay (Mumbai)
It is slowly turning into an IT centre, giving stiff competition to Bangalore.
One of the IT companies in Pune (this is one land mark you can see when you approach Pune by air)



The “Red church” is not a church but a synagogue which is one of the landmarks of Pune. You can see cycles in this picture. It is ironical that Pune was once known as the city of cycles. (recently I discovered that this picture of the Red church is appearing in Wikipedia)

Main street is real busy during peak time, but if you happen to be an  early morning visitor you can see children practicing roller skates.



All those who visit Pune must not miss the Double Anda  Omelette Bun Maska  Cheese (double egg Omelette Bun Butter Cheese) at the Vahuman Cafe.
It is a real treat. This followed by the regular Irani chai will make your day.




Richard Attenborough was here to shoot the movie “Gandhi” A glimpse of one of the rooms at Agha Khan Palace (where Gandhi was in house arrest)  

Some of the articles that he used are on display like the small charka, his wooden sandals, his writing desk.

The room on the left is actually the bath room where you can see a part of the bath tub.


You will get to see an unique school here. Old train bogies converted to classrooms and the method of teaching is quite different from a normal school.
  
If you are here during the Ganapati festival, then this is a sight that you can't miss:


Clicked this at the rear side of Shaniwarwada. Here you can see another trait of Pune, most of the girls cover themselves with a scarf probably to escape the heat and dust.




If you find commuters hanging on the footboard of the bus, then it is the done thing here with no concern for safety.



You will find the new and the old side by side.




On a lazy Sunday afternoon you can hear the shehnai player in you alley, belting out some good tunes for a few rupees


There are some old bungalows (built during the British regime) which are left untouched as they come under the cantonment board. It may look dilapidated but there are people (mostly caretakers) staying in these houses.

Most of the old roads have good shade. Thanks to the tall trees lined on either side.


You will be lucky to spot some sparrows in your backyard as the common sparrow is no more common.


Vendors selling colourful dreams



The war cemetery at Khadki is something one should not miss. (There are graves marked for soldiers from WW-I and WW-II and of different nationality) It is commonly known as the Kirkee War cemetry 



Those who want to read in detail about all the above (and see more  pictures)  click here.

57 comments:

Lynn Proctor said...

beautiful looking place---the cemetery is so lovely--and love the vendors

Bikram said...

BEautiful place it seems to be , I have never been there. But recently one of my friends went there as a CEO of a company and has invited me over.. So hopefully next time i land in india i will be going there

Bikram's

Chakoli said...

heyyou refreshed my memories of Pune :) but also add that its now becoming one of teh most costliest city :)

thx for the lovely pics

Cecilia Robert said...

The glass building in Pune is an architect's dream. Oh you just reminded me of home in that photo where people are hanging on the door, I'm from Kenya. It's common to hang out like that, not caring if the might fall out of the bus :)

hamaarethoughts.com said...

all pictures are good!I like the sparrow one:)

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

interesting post..thanks for sharing..:)

Tasty Appetite

Ella said...

I love all the photos! It was a pretty tour~
The sparrow photo is amazing :D

anilkurup59 said...

Nice pi9s and gives a good feel about Poona.

Sharmila said...

Vohumann's cafe was a fav hangout when I was student. Lovely snaps but I long for the old Pune. .. its wonderful winters and cool summers and of course the pollution free air.

Anuradha Shankar said...

lovely post!!! i have lived in bombay nearly all my life and have visited pune about a dozen times.. and i have seen none of these :( looks like i really need to make a leisurely trip to pune!

Damyanti Biswas said...

The first pic does not look like Pune at all, but the rest do :)

Hope you’re enjoying the challenge so far!
--Damyanti, Co-host A to Z Challenge April 2012
Amlokiblogs

Twitter: @AprilA2Z
#atozchallenge

Arlee Bird said...

I've never heard of this place but it sounds truly remarkable. I'd love to be able to visit one day.


Lee
Places I Remember
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog

Anonymous said...

Hey Super Star, first time visitor and great to meet you! Thanks for introducing me to the amazing city of Pune. I love this Challenge as I get to visit new places and meet awesome people.

Haddock said...

You are most welcome Arlee

Haddock said...

Do come again Stephen :-)

Haddock said...

You will be surprised Karen by the number of Jews here in India. And there are many synagogues too especially in South India. The one in Cochin is the oldest.

Haddock said...

Damayanti, I too did not believe till I saw it myself and clicked it. It is in Hinjewadi (one of the IT parks)

Haddock said...

Anuradha, talking about Bombay & Pune the train ride through the ghats is something unique.

Haddock said...

Sharmila, you a student from Pune?
Great.
We make it a point to visit the place whenever we are there.

Haddock said...

Anilkurup, good to see that you still call it Poona.

Haddock said...

Yes Ella, like its holding on to dear life ...

Haddock said...

Yes the sparrow seems to be everyone's fav.

Haddock said...

This happens in Kenya too?
Cecillia, I think this is due to the lack of proper public transport.

Haddock said...

Very much agree with you on that Chakoli. Everything is expensive in this city.

Haddock said...

Aha finally you are coming down to India (and to Pune) Do drop in a line before you come.

Haddock said...

Its a wonderful sight, and its so well maintained.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

Love the old architecture!


Elizabeth
A to Z co-host

D.G. Hudson said...

Very interesting photos. That's sad about the sparrows, but don't birds go where there's food? Or where they aren't crowded out by other more dominant birds?

Visiting via the A to Z challenge, nice to meet you!

Laura Eno said...

Beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing them and a bit of their stories with us!

Laura
A to Z of Immortals, Myths & Legends

Sujatha Sathya said...

i had been to pune few years back and some of the pics you put here were like a flashback
nice post on a vibrant city

Unknown said...

Never heard of Pune, but that IT building is beautiful!

ScribblesFromJenn
Happy A to Z-ing!

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

Your photographs are beautiful and your natural talent for setting up interesting scenes shines through!
Visiting for the A to Z Challenge; seems the challenge just started and we are on "P" already!
http://gail-baugniet.blogspot.com Theme: A World of Crime

Felicity Grace Terry said...

Thanks for my trip around Pune. Such a comprehensive post with great photos, I especially love the contrast between the last two of the balloon seller and war graves.

P.N. Subramanian said...

I loved the post. It was like walking around Pune at different times. I would like to visit the synagogue.

Haddock said...

Thanks Petty. There were a lot of inquiries about the cemetery.

Amanda said...

Wow! Thanks for all the pics and info! I've always wanted to visit this area! :D

Amanda
softandstiffpeaks.blogspot.com

The Poet said...

Hello, what beautiful photos and the stories behind them. Very well done. Great post.

sm said...

beautiful narration with pics

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Joe .. good to see the photos of Pune .. and to read some of the history - fascinating .. thanks for coming by my blog - all the best Hilary

Haddock said...

Thanks sm

Haddock said...

Thanks Andy

Haddock said...

You are always welcome Amanda

Haddock said...

Thanks Gail. Hoping to do something like this for all the small cities in India.

Haddock said...

Very soon you will hear about it because of it, I mean IT :-)

Haddock said...

Thanks Sujatha
You are always welcome to Pune to review all those all scenes.

Haddock said...

Agree with you Hudson, but they have no natural place to lay their eggs as all the buildings are taking over.

Haddock said...

Agree with you Elizabeth.
The city fathers decided to leave the old structures as it is without pulling it down.

KjM said...

Beautiful photographs, and of a beautiful city.

Thank you for stopping by at my blog for the A to Z Challenge.

A Doc 2 Be said...

The building is gorgeous! What would you say are the competitive advantaged Pune offers over already established Bangalore and Hyderabad?

I off-shored facilities to both cities and would be interested in learning more!

Ad2b

carol said...

What a beautiful city. Thanks for the tour.

Indrani said...

I spent four months in this city. I have good memories from there. Enjoyed seeing the pics.

Haddock said...

That is going to be a real problem as no visitors are allowed inside after the Taj Hotel blasts and the attack on the chabad house in Bombay.

JayaBidkar said...

Lovely lovely pics Joe. You have captured the essence of Pune. So many things I miss. Keep posting. Thanks again for your comment on my blog. I hope Punekars take it on themselves to keep it as we all remember it.. ::)

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online shopping mall said...

Thanks for sharing, well in Pune the Hordes of young professionals come a lot for working and getting settled.

Unknown said...

You are right proctor. This is really a beautiful place. cricinside

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