We are a statistic, one of thousands, who in the past few years, have decided to move to Pune for various reasons. Pune has in recent times become one of the sought-after new destinations in India, with its growing IT hub offering innumerable employment opportunities with attractive remunerations. A laid back lifestyle for those desirous of having one, exceptional educational facilities promising the youth a better, more successful tomorrow, good climate, and a serene environment for those hailing from congested cement jungles, add to its attractions.
Builders have professed that 40% of Pune is under green cover. This and similar claims extolling Pune’s natural beauty have done much to enhance its overall appeal, especially to those starved of any kind of interaction with nature. The numerous apartment complexes mushrooming all over Pune, offering luxurious, aesthetically designed homes set amidst verdant landscaping, have also added to its appeal. We are among those who have moved here seeking a better environment and a good education. Like all the others we have enjoyed good things and faced trials. The following is a personal account of what led us to Pune and the many bitter sweet experiences, trials, skirmishes and ensuing victories that I have gone through in the past year.
For years we had thought of finally settling in Mumbai, but its attractions had begun to fade severely because of its impossible traffic that had trebled the time it took to travel from point A to point B. Moreover, the humidity was killing, and some years back when we had arrived to find a place to buy, the roads were in a terrible state of disrepair. The closely built towering concrete structures, offering pigeonhole sized living quarters for exorbitant sums of money, suffocated me and lessened its desirability in every way. Pune in comparison seemed a more attractive proposition.
In 2003 Pune was a random choice for us. A place we knew little about in the beginning, but that lack of knowledge was soon rectified by a few days of browsing on the net. Our growing knowledge of the ‘Queen of the Deccan’ only convinced us of its suitability for our future needs. The very sobriquet of ‘Oxford of the East’ implied countless educational opportunities for our children. Tree lined avenues, proximity to places like Panchgani, Khandala, even the Konkan, added to its charm. Mumbai was a short distance away, and the expressway a dream to travel upon. We would not be ensconced right in the lap of the family, yet would be close enough to spend weekends with them. Its centralized location made Pune seem like the perfect spot from which paths diverged to innumerable exciting destinations. Visions of adventures and discoveries began dancing before our eyes. After living in the Mid-East for over twenty years the munificence of nature abounding here was especially enticing.
When we arrived, the roads were not in shambles, there were fewer buildings. The area we had zeroed in on was flanked on one side by a sleepy suburb with small villas and gardens and an equally sleepy village with all its idiosyncrasies, on the other. The apartment complex we chose was beautiful and built very well; my breath though was well and truly taken away by the sugarcane fields on either side. It was the teeming butterflies and birdlife, and last of all a kingfisher on a power line, that finally helped to clinch the deal.
The next three years were spent in a dreamlike state of anticipation. Ignoring detractors, I was filled by many unrealistic expectations where nothing could go wrong. Anticipating troubles is always a bad idea anyway, because troubles never come in the ways they are expected, but always find new means to manifest themselves. We also had no real way of knowing what troubles we would face. Difficulties also result directly from a lack of knowledge, and there is no way one can arm oneself with all the required knowledge. This only grows through time, a constant quest and through the daily exposure to the various sides and moods of a place.
In April 2005, with rose coloured glasses firmly in place, we arrived by road, from Mumbai, to Pune. Even through the pink tint of our glasses the initial shocks began imprinting themselves on our consciousness. Turning left from the Expressway into Pune, we were confronted with the potholes all the way till our home. We wondered what had become of the roads since we had last been here. In 2003 we had compared them favourably with Mumbai roads, but now we could not compare them favourably even with a bullock cart track, in the remotest village in India. I will leave that here, for enough has been written on the state of the roads and I am glad that many have now improved considerably, though no doubt countless backbones have paid for their previous neglect. Our second shock was the metamorphosis of our sleepy area, which had now turned into a throbbing glass and concrete IT hub. Any major metropolis would be proud of this blooming suburb with its state of the art complexes, malls and multiplexes. In vain I sought the quaint charm I had last witnessed.
Our little place too had become part of the outsourcing world. The once unending fields besides our complex now proudly sported a brand new call centre, with another on the way as well as a colossal apartment complex coming up a little distance away. We were told we should celebrate, the price of our property had more than doubled, but I only felt sad, as the greenery was the major inducement for this move.
I am sure that it is the same for a great many people who have come here seeking a life close to nature, and if the developers and government do not realize this quickly and plan better, Pune will lose all its charm and will become just another highly polluted, ugly, grey metro. Ironically proximity to nature is, even today a major incentive while advertising a new complex. What nobody says is that the nature is only there till another complex comes up, and then if you are lucky the people right outside your window might have some attractive potted plants on their balcony to make up for your loss. Wake up people, its time you realized that a cement jungle isn’t the kind of forest we envisaged when we moved here.
While the above were shocks, the problems were different. One of the first we faced was admissions. Newspapers while extolling the education opportunities in Pune never write about how difficult it can be to gain admissions. In almost every school we visited, it was impossible to meet the principal. Often we were turned away from the gate itself by the security. This was doubly disappointing as in those days we used to live in Mumbai and the rejection was really hard to take after traveling half the morning. There was no sympathy for the fact that we had traveled such a long way or that we were trying to resettle in our own country. I began to strongly suspect that the media was actually over hyping and selling Pune for some financial inducements other than the advertisements. Everyone who had promised to help us either seemed to be unavailable on their phones, or else permanently out of the city. This taught me that people here tended to make promises they either had no intention of fulfilling, or then no real way of keeping. It was always better to have other options and an alternate plan of action ready.
There were offers of admissions, on the payment of bribes to certain key people. People suggested there were those who could easily procure the necessary admissions for us on the payment of large sums of money. The idea of bribes was repugnant to me. There were suggestions and rumours of certain principals of schools also not being above accepting money, if the sum was substantial. I shuddered to think what morals and ethics such principals would help to inculcate in my children. These rumours, though unconfirmed and unsubstantiated could still not be ignored. It saddened me to think that in today’s India, the influence of the picture of the ‘Great Mahatma’ on the currency notes was great, while the influence of his life and teaching totally non-existent. Did they not feel ashamed when they looked at him, as they accepted the notes with his picture as bribe? How could we have begun from such lofty heights and ended in this ignominious place? Perhaps as we were at the highest point once there was no other place for us to go but down.
I though, was adamant that I would not buy a seat for either of my children. They had been brought up in a corruption free environment, and abetting bribery was not going to be their first experience or lesson in their home country. The other alternative was an international school. This seemed ironical as I had always been an advocate of Indian education in Kuwait. Here in India though, among all the ICSE schools I had no option left but to choose one of the newly mushrooming crop of international schools offering a Cambridge Certificate. The school I chose was new and they welcomed admissions. Each class was going to be limited to only twenty seats which assured personal attention from all the teachers. The counselor spent a long time with me, allaying my doubts and showing me all the certificates of recognition that the school had received, both from Cambridge and the Indian universities. In a way it was a moral victory too because though the fees were high, I was paying them by cheque for services offered, and not as a slimy, underhand bribe. As a word of warning to others, I have since then learnt that there are many touts who promise seats in educational institutions and desperate parents are only too happy to pay, sadly losing their money, so do beware.
The second problem we faced was also of admissions, and this time though we were offered in many colleges there was a problem of a delayed transfer certificate. Unfortunately, the transfer certificate arrived after many colleges had closed their admissions. Once again some people offered to get us admission in the college closest to us for the payment of a certain sum of money. Luckily for us, during our quest for a college we met a wonderful person, a professor in a reputable college where the admissions had already closed, who guided us to a newly opened college, where my daughter was sure to get admission. Here once again she was able to get individual attention and the lecturers were very helpful. Also the students here are much closer to their traditions and culture and so she too is able to learn much about it and about a way of living different from what she was used to. This pleases me immensely, especially when I see how fast this same culture is disappearing from many among us.
Once the admissions were confirmed we moved to our new home one afternoon with nothing more than a mattress, a couple of pillows and a few suitcases. Most of our things had arrived from Kuwait by ship till Chennai, and from there by road to Pune. The tin trunks and even the factory packed fridge, washing machine and stove took quite a beating. The house had no furniture and was still being painted so I was unable to open anything to check the state of their contents. This was a mistake as I could not claim the insurance. As the first rains had fallen on the very evening the goods were delivered, and the tin trunks had arrived damaged; this resulted in water seeping into the trunks and spoiling many of the books, clothes and other items in them. We had tried to pack them the best way we knew, using a lot of newspaper and tape yet we had been careless and perhaps even stupid. My advice to anyone who is shipping their goods is crate as many things as possible. Spend freely on bubble wrap and thermacol and see to it that your parcels are waterproofed. In the end the little expense and trouble will save a great deal. After I had buried my prized china and some other items lovingly cherished for years, I began the salvage operation. The fridge had a leak and all its gas was lost. The filter of the washing machine was totally punched in. The stove luckily had escaped without much trauma. I was lucky to find repairmen who were familiar with many of the latest models available abroad. They were also extremely scrupulous, professional and reasonable. All my household items are now in a working condition thanks to them.
Getting a gas connection was another problem. Wherever I went I was told that the company was not giving new connections for the next six months. They gave me a number, said they would be in touch and whispered under their breath that I should not hold mine. For a while we used a camp stove. Then one day I was directed to a lady in the village close by who had taken an agency for Pushpa gas. A very enterprising young lady, she is extremely meticulous and her favourite phrase is ‘no problem’. So far I have had none.
I faced many problems simply because I did not know where to buy things from. For months I was unable to do a simple thing like getting curtains stitched as most shops refused to stitch cloth that had not been bought from them. Finding a choice of hardware and lights etc was also very hard. Since then I have discovered places like Laxmi Road and Bori Ali which offer almost everything a person needs and at much reduced prices than Camp. Exploring the many lanes and by lanes here can help in considerably reducing the cost of many items needed while setting up house.
I think that the worst among my problems was not any of ones I have mentioned before but the auto rickshaw wallahs here. Their rudeness and unreasonable demands made life hell in the beginning. They cottoned on right at the start that we new little about the place. Many simply said they did not have a tariff card so we had to pay whatever they asked. Once, on returning after a week-end in Mumbai, we were conned by a rick guy who showed me a card, saying the tariffs had increased two days back. It was only later I realized that I had only looked at the amount he had shown with his finger and not at the card, which actually was a Mumbai card. Getting out of the house became a problem as we had to walk a long way before we got a rick. Returning home became a major problem too as the complex we had chosen to live in was a little away from the main road; they refused to come there without being paid at least 30 - 40 rupees extra. Often it was nearly impossible to find a rick even then. Many times I stood out for over an hour, often in the rain but no rick would have the decency to stop. I caught on very fast that they never had change, even if their pockets were bursting with it. They had no scruples about pocketing the difference if you were unlucky enough not to carry change. Evenings out became impossible as the mental stress generated by the rickshaw wallahs dissipated any pleasure we might have got out of a movie or dining out. Planning simple outings or trips became a nightmare. I know there are others out there who have had similar experiences, and will not think I exaggerate when I say that if I hated living in Pune in those first months, it was mainly because of the rickshaw guys. I sorted out the rickshaw problem by taking the cell numbers of every driver with a cell, who was good enough to drop us home without asking for extra money, or fighting half the way. Before that I had to take one to the police station, and threaten another with dire consequences, though I had no idea what they would have been. Fortunately he was unaware of my ignorance. Finally I have a list of decent men on my cell phone, who come to our building and do not put down the meter, till I am actually in the rick.
There is also a maid mafia in our complex and they control the rates and the hours. If one maid works for longer hours for less money she is soon dissuaded by the others. They never give one house more than two to three hours, often running from house to house leaving half the work undone. Many have ingenious ways of relieving the kitchens of extra rations. Our complex has many young, working couples who have no options but to give in to their demands. This makes it really difficult for others on a lower income, who have no choice but to comply with their unreasonable demands. The maids knowing they have full control take as many days off as they like. There are others who operate differently, making the women of the house totally dependent on them and then asking for loans regularly, which the latter then find difficult or often impossible to refuse. For the time being I am lucky with my maid but I really have not found a workable solution to this. I think only if whole neighborhoods united can this and the auto problem be solved. It is not easy to find such a collective will.
Another bad experience I have had has been with home tuitions. The agencies offering tutor services ask for complete payment in advance. This puts the parents completely in their hands. When one makes an enquiry they are promised the moon, two hours of tuitions five days a week, completion of portion and revision, and one free class, so you can try out the tutor. Of course once the money is in their hands then so are you. The timings are erratic; the five days become four and change so often that one loses track completely. The portion is too is completed at the speed of light and two days before the exam the tutor says that no revision was promised.
Home tuitions offer a great service and a very necessary one, as school teachers are not allowed to coach their students, so a few words of advice. Get it all in writing with the signature of the owner of the agency (you have no idea how fast staff changes here) and the tutor. If they refuse, dangle the carrot of needing tuitions all year long or tell them you have had a terrible experience with another agency before, and need to do this. Do not pay the money before you have that in writing and if possible break the amounts into two or three payments. They might insist on a complete initial payment but you can still try. Follow your child’s progress. See what lessons are required to be done, and see to it that the tutor explains slowly and properly, and that the child follows the explanations. Do not accept the tutor’s words for it. Ask him to give homework and to correct it. Make sure that the portion is completed and so is the revision. I seriously think that some kind of law should be made to regulate these people.
Another piece of advice I can offer based on my experiences here is information. Read the papers, browse the net, talk to people, and gather as much information as possible. When you file all this information make a mental note that at least 50% of it is doubtful or not to be wholly depended upon. Many of my problems only occurred because I took the words of others to be the Gospel truth. The only truth here is that we all have different and varying experiences and what might be right for others might not be right for you. Spend some time getting to know the city; it is a huge sprawling place so it will occupy many hours, but it will be worth it in the end. Compile a list of telephone numbers, if a workman comes to your house to do some work, save his mobile number on your cell as well as write it down in a phone book. Take telephone numbers of shops you go to. Most grocery stores deliver and this can save time and hassle. While reading the ads in the paper, write down numbers you come across, someone offering cable connection or the net or even a taxi to Mumbai or anything. You never know when you will need that number at a click. Keep your eyes open as you travel. Simply observing what you pass can teach you much, and that information can be really useful later on. Make a list of things you need to do and plan your route in such a way that you can do as much as possible without taking detours. This way you save time and money. When I go to pay my electricity bill, I also buy my fruits and vegetables and groceries as they all are in the same place. If I have to go to Kondwa I also do all that I have to in Camp. Simple things often simplify life.
It has now been a few months since we arrived here; it has been an uphill climb with some bad experiences being unique only to us. There has also been some unrest and a few incidences, since we have been here. One day was especially harrowing when my child was in school and a few people decided to stone the school’s buses. Today though, I think we have ironed out much and settled down to a relatively wrinkle free existence. Pune offers many pleasures and we have enjoyed some of them. We have also enjoyed the different seasons and the flora and fauna. Though we have not made many friends, we know many people.
I would have preferred a cleaner, less polluted Pune, with more landscaping on the roads but overall, it has been extremely pleasant. Learning about places, cultures, people, has been an enriching experience. We have discovered good places to shop and some pleasant gardens. Each day we learn some more and we live some more.
No place is perfect, but most places can with a little trying, be made to fit our needs. Pune is no exception.
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