ABOUT PUNE CITY

A small village inhibited by Kolis and Musicians during 6th and 7th Century, Punnyapattanam (City of auspicious deeds) grew into today's metropolitan city of Pune. Like it's geographical location at the banks of nearly 5 rivers, the city has been influenced from many cultures. Nestled in the picturesque Sahyadris (the Western Ghats), just 160 km southeast of Mumbai, Pune is a superb blend of history and modernism. Base of the Great Maratha Emperor, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the Peshwas, the city has been a cultural capital of Maharashtra for centuries. Pune is considered as the Oxford of India with its many educational and research institutions apart from other institutions for sports, yoga, ayurveda, culture and social services. As though if this was not sufficient, Pune is also one of the most advanced industrial belts of the country and fast emerging into the second Silicon Valley of India with the presence of IT giants like Satyam Computers, Mahindra-British Telecom and Infosys to take a few names.

Transport
City Buses : Pune Municipal Transport (PMT) buses reach every part of the city, 'to and from' MIT Campus.

Local Transport : Auto rickshaws, six-seaters, municipal and private buses, rental cars and bicycles are available.

Local Trains : Local Electric trains (locomotives) run between Pune-Lonavala, Pune-Daund and Pune - Talegaon

Distances :
MIT- Lohgaon Airport - 20km, MIT-Pune Railway Station & Bus Stand: 10km, MIT-Shivajinagar Railway Station & Bus Stand: 5km and nearest International airport (Mumbai) : 180km.

How to Reach :
Pune is one of the Deccan's most important railway stations. All Express and Mail trains stop here. Pune is well connected to Mumbai and other parts of the country.

Buses: Pune has 3 bus stations, located at Railway station, Shivajinagar and Swargate. Buses ply to all major towns and cities in Maharashtra. A deluxe service called Asiad is available between Pune and Mumbai. The first bus departs at 0530 hrs and there after the frequency is every 15 minutes till 0030 hrs.

Air: Both Indian Airlines and AIR-INDIA have offices at Pune - Mumbai road. opposite R.T.O., near Sangam Bridge and Ambedkar road respectively.

Religion
Pune is a cosmopolitan city with people from all religions living harmoniously. A number of temples, Gurudwaras, Churches and Mosques are located across the city.

Eating and Accommodation
Pune has the very best facilities in dining and accommodation. Right from five star, three star hotels, the city is also the home to some of the biggest International names which include McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Domino's Pizza and many more. Speciality and budget restaurants serving the best of Indian and International food are located all over the city. Private daily / monthly mess, as also accommodation for students is easily available near the MIT campus.

Shopping
Though shopping malls are spouting all over the city, Deccan and Camp are quite popular amongst shoppers. It is due to value for money shopping and the presence of major National and International brands.

Events
Pune Festival: While Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated all over India, the festival is most extravagant in Pune. The climax of the Ganesh festival is the very popular, 11 yrs old 'Pune Festival'. Classical dance and music concerts, folk dance, wrestling and International Marathon are the major highlights of Pune Festival.

Living in Pune
Pune is the Headquarter of southern command. A low crime rate and an overall pleasant climate makes it the ideal place to story. Though the local language is Marathi, Pune has an excellent cosmopolitan population. It also is the home to the largest number of outstation students in India in a single city.

Entertainment and Culture
Pune being the cultural capital of Maharashtra, there is no limit to the cultural happenings in the city. It also boosts of Multiplexes, theaters, museums etc. There are many cultural activities for college students. 'Verve' and 'Purushattam Karandak' are quite popular with the students.

University of Pune (UOP)
MAEER's MIT is affiliated to the UOP, which has more than 50 yrs. of excellent tradition and performance record. It houses research organizations like IUCAA, the prime astronomy and astrophysics research Institute and C-DAC- the developer of Indian's first and only Supercomputer.