On a Pune street.

Pune, a crossroads of tradition and modernity

A gathering place for artists and intellectuals as well as an industrial center, Pune is an ideal place to observe the interaction of tradition and modernity that characterizes India today.

With a population of over three million, the city's residents include leaders in the fields of art, music, dance, yoga, theatre, film, religion, politics, environmental science and social reform. Pune boasts a number of resources for independent research, including museums, educational institutions, government offices, political organizations, business and labor groups, and cultural and social welfare agencies.

Right and below: Street scenes in Pune.

Pune’s vibrant past is found in local historical sites and research archives that chronicle the city’s role as a center of Hindu resistance to British rule and as the summer headquarters for the colonial government of Bombay.

The state of Maharashtra is among the more prosperous and stable areas of India, embracing nearly all of the nation’s religious, social and ethnic variety. Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), India’s chief commercial center, is easily accessible to students by train.

Go to the map of India.

Right: Mumbai at night.