Things I'll miss about Pune...

I have been to Pune at least twice before my 2 year stint at SCMHRD....But Pune never appealed to me as a city... The closest analogy I can think of is a man who is stuck between Youth and Old age...Pune is like a city seeking an identity for itself... Whether to be a Bombay- Cosmopolitan, Suave and chic... or to be an Indore- Cultural, Intellectual and very Indian....With the result that it hung around in the nether world- Trying to create a space for itself

Legend has it that only the most virtuous end up in Pune, (Hence the name Pune- “Punya Nagari’ i.e. The City of the Virtuous)... Umm... That might not be entirely true... But there certainly are enough reasons why Pune is one of the most fantastic and awesome places to stay in!

Memories of Pune that I will cherish forever-

1.)Fabulous Weather- Pune’s USP is its lovely weather… With the temperature hovering mostly around the 30s (except for almost 6 weeks of Fire blazing summers)… Pune is the ideal place to be in… Especially in Monsoons, when wet spells are followed by a cool breeze and not sultriness as is the case in Mumbai…winters are mild at the best… Cool enough to induce someone into the blanket, but pleasant enough to be off sweaters for most part of the day!

2.)Eateries- Pune has one of the best eating places that I have seen so far (Actually Bhopal hardly had any GOOD eating places, and I am yet to explore Delhi sufficiently to pass an expert comment, so…)… Once in Pune, do make it a point to visit the following places-
a.Chaitanya’s for Paranthas and Lassi
b.Manmeet / Kadhai/ Pasteur Dairy for Chaat
c.Shabari for aunthentic Marathi ‘Jewan’
d.11 East Street Café for Continental food
e.Tareef for the Kebabs
f.Hard Rock Café for you know what
g.Chowki Dhaani for delicious Rajasthani food
h.Good Luck Café for yummy Breakfast (specialties: Egg!)
i.Panchvati Gaurav/ Sahare for Gujarati Thaali
j.Polka Dots for continental
k.Idliccious for lip smacking South Indian Menu
l.Cad B/Mocha- For the mouth watering chocolate beverages!

3.)Places to visit- Pune is like a treasure trove for anyone with even the slightest inclination to travel… There are numerous places within the city that must be explored… These include-
a.ShaniwarWada- The Maratha Fort that served as the capital of the Maratha Empire
b.Parvati- the Temple on the hilltop… One can get a delightful view of Pune city from atop this place
c.Sinhgad Fort- The ‘invincible Fortress’ is situated on the top of a hillock and makes an interesting trek…
d.MG Road- For the street shopping and random eating…
e.FC Road- For the sheer number of eateries lined up!
f.Aundh- For random shopping and low budget eating

4.)Location- Pune is located on the other side of the Konkan and the Sahyadris and is close enough to all the major and minor tourist spots of the region viz.,
a.Harihareshwar and Diveagar beaches
b.Shirdi
c.Aurangabad, Ajanta and Ellora
d.Bhimashankar
e.GanpatiPule
f.Raigad
g.Mahabaleshwar
h.Matheran

5.)People- Pune is what it is thanks to its people… Indeed it is a microcosm of India… From the nouveau affluent IT professionals in their swank offices to the aajis and maushis in the streets. From the auto wallahs to the cab drivers…Pune is indeed made much more hospitable thanks to Puneites…

All in all… A great city to live in and a place that will be missed forever and ever more… “Sniff, Sniff”!!!