Location
Dynamic change in an ancient culture
From the high-tech industries of Bangalore — India’s answer to Silicon Valley — to thousands of rural villages seemingly untouched by time, India encompasses both the dynamic forces of globalization and the deep-rooted traditions of an ancient culture.
The dichotomy is woven into everyday life in India — cows interrupt the streams of cars and trucks on the roads, and farmers work with hand tools in fields under the flight paths of jumbo jets.
India is also a nation marked by diversity, encompassing a multiplicity of religions, ethnicities, political states, languages and art forms. Its founding democratic principles continue to unfold and adapt amidst political, economic and social restructuring.
Tradition and modernity
A medium-sized city with a strong student life and culture, Pune is the quintessential university town. As a city of over three million, located in the state of Maharashtra, it offers students excellent resources for experience, exploration, and study. Pune has more universities and colleges than any other city in the world, which is how it received the nickname of "The Oxford of the East."
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.
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. Pune also enjoys a moderate climate, due to its location in the mountains, along with a green environment.
Pune is just a three-hour train ride from the beaches, colonial architecture, and Bollywood center of Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), India's largest city and chief commercial center.