Essential Marathi phrases

The Marathi greeting, palms together. Marathi identity is strong in Pune — stronger in some ways than in Mumbai — and using it is noticed.

How are you? in Marathi. English works professionally and Hindi widely, but Marathi is the local language and a little goes a long way.

The Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park north-west of the city, where a large share of Pune's IT employment sits — and the source of the city's most notorious traffic.

The old walled quarters of central Pune — Sadashiv Peth, Narayan Peth and others. Dense, historic, Marathi-speaking and a different city from the IT corridors.

The old cantonment area, with its colonial-era street grid, Main Street shopping and a distinct character from both the Peths and the IT corridors.

Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation — the separate industrial city to the north-west, home to much of the automotive manufacturing base.

A fiery sprouted-lentil curry with bread, and Pune's signature dish. Ordering it 'kam teekha' — less spicy — is permitted but noted.

Ganesh Chaturthi, celebrated more intensely in Pune than almost anywhere — the modern public festival was organised here in the 1890s, and the city effectively stops for ten days.

Pune's long-standing nickname, earned by an unusual density of universities and colleges. The student population genuinely shapes the city's rents, food and nightlife.

The local weekend institution — hiking the Sahyadri forts in the rain, when the plateau turns green. Rajmachi, Lohagad and Sinhagad are the classics.

A mountain pass — the Western Ghats begin an hour west, and the drive down to Mumbai through the ghats is one of India's great road journeys.

112 is the national emergency number. 100 for police and 101 for fire still work and are more widely known.