Internship in Pune

Rinde

Hi, I am a Singaporean student who will be interning at Elephant Design in Pune for 2 months from march to may. This will be my first time in India and I'm looking forward to it. I have a few questions that I need help with and will really appreciate if you any suggestions to give.

-Accommodation
Any suggestions for an affordable apartment/flat with 2 bedrooms or hostels near Elephant Design (13 Kumar Srushti, Survey No. 1, Pashan - NDA Road, Bavdhan, Pune 411 021, India)?

ALso, I'm not familiar with the format of address used, so which exactly is the key word to use in the address when I look for accommodation nearest to the company? Like is it Bavdhan or Kumar Srushti? And what are some of the places/roads near to this company where I can possibly find an accommodation?

-Culture
Is there any taboos or any formalities to adhere to when I''m there?
Any places of interest or anything that I must not miss in Pune?

I'll be glad if you have any other advices or suggestions that I missed out. Thanks in advance.

the opoponax

i think the key bit of that address you provided is bavdhan, which if you've typed the address verbatim is probably the neighborhood or part of town or whatever. you should be looking for a place in or near bavdhan, wherever that is. google maps might be able to help you out, there - i found pune suprisingly google-able for general things like where a certain neighborhood or major street is in the city.

i found addresses in pune to be kind of weird. i went there looking for a friend, for whom i had two possible addresses (and no way to call and confirm). even though they seemed to my eye to be completely different streets, blocks, etc. they turned out to be next door to each other!

pune itself, in my few days' experience (with a caveat i'll get to in a second), seemed incredibly liberal and laid back. most young people wear very hip western clothes, there's a normal and non-sketchy bar/club scene, and the city itself is clearly geared toward young and upwardly mobile folks.

the only caveat there is that i spent my few days in pune with the abovementioned friend, who lives in koregaon park and mingles in a very hip and well-off crowd. while she was at work, i'd wander around the city, and obviously there is an "other half" aspect to it. just because the part of pune i mingled in was hip, young, wealthy, and liberal doesn't mean that'll be the case for the whole place. without knowing you, this firm, what kind of lifestyle you expect to live, etc. it's hard to say what you should expect.

there is some drama going on there right now between the "maharashtra for maharashtrians!" group and non-maharashtrian migrants, especially people from UP and Bihar. i'd guess this won't be much of an issue for you (there doesn't seem to be violence against international expats or anything like that), and i don't know how long it will go on, but it's something to be aware of.

as for must-sees: there's a big fort/palace thingy which is quite nice and seems to be a bit of a local makeout spot, which of course i've ALREADY forgot the name of. there's also a cool museum of marathi and gujurati handicrafts called the kelkar museum. you could also check out the osho ashram, which i didn't get to see but is apparently very interesting.

Rinde

Thanks for the information. I just went to read up more on what's happening in Pune.

I was wondering if its alright to apply for a tourist visa even though we going there for internship. Or are we supposed to do that originally?
And also to clarify, as we are going there as interns, do we have to apply for work permit? Will we be taxed when we are departing India?

If anyone has suggestions on accommodation, please keep it coming. Your help will be much appreciated!

the opoponax

Your visa questions are better asked in the visa section of the forum - I'm here as a tourist, so obviously the tourist visa was the obvious choice for me.

The firm hiring you for the internship should also be a good source of information. Especially because I would assume that a lot depends on the kind of paperwork they have to do on their end.

Oyar

Hi Rinde,

Unfortunately I do not know that area well. But you could get accomodation in aundh, baner road or pashan. These areas would all be close to your area of work.

Pune is as modern in its outlook as Mumbai & other big cities .. so nothing to be worried about (accept if your going to be sunbathing topless on your balcony in a housing society )

As a woman - you could find it a bit difficult to get accomodation at times. You would be better off looking for 'Paying guest' acomodations. (PG in short)

Places not to miss -

Well it all depends on what intrests you -
Nothing much really - You could check out the Singhgad fort which has an awsome view from there. Also makes a good trek if you decide to walk up.

Numerous hills stations in the vicinity - Khandala, lonavala (60km) Mhabaleshwar & Panchgani (120 & 100km)

There is a snake park you could visit. (Its attached to the zoo)

There is the Shaniwarwada fort inside Pune city.

Preferably do not venture to places out of Pune, alone.

I intend to go to Singapore soon .. so will count on info for you for that

the opoponax

Shaniwar Wada! That's the fort I couldn't remember the name of!

Tixx

Hi Oyar and opoponax,

Thank you very much for taking your time to reply our queries and sharing tips. I will be travelling with Rinde to Bavdhan, and I have a few questions to ask.

Generally, how safe is it to be renting a house in Bavdhan? Is there any cases of breaking in, or the owner breaking in?

Thanks in advance!

the opoponax

Having only been in Pune for a few days, as the guest of a friend, I have no idea how safe that particular area is.

I would guess that, like anywhere else in the world, unless the company you're interning for has something already set up for you, you should check any neighborhood out in person before making a long term agreement to live there.

The folks who work permanently for your firm, and thus already live in Pune, will probably be able to give you better advice about this sort of thing than some people on a website.

Shipnil

Hi,
You can easily find accomodation in Bavdhan. There are lots of housing societies in that area which will have 2 Bedroom, Kitchen, Hall flats. Don't worry about the safety. Nobody would break in. The problem you might face is, you are there only for 2 months. So it won't be easy find a landlord who would be giving his flat on rent just for 2 months. Normally agreements are for 11 months. Rent in that area would be around Rs. 8,000. But the flat would be unfurnished. Just lights and fans. You might find furnished flats as well but they would be around Rs. 10,000. In a normal 11 months contract people charge security deposit.
About places, other members have covered quite a bit. But most of the forts and hill stations would be pretty dry. No greenery during these two months. If you like to visit archeological sites, then on a weekend you may visit Aurangabad to cover Ajanta and Elora caves. Or you could visit Kalra and Bhaja caves which at 1 hrs drive from Pune.

Tixx

Hi opoponax and shipnil, thanks for the info you've provided. We'll check with the company regarding our lodging, it's the safest way.

Oyar

Coincidently ... i stayed the weekend with a friend .. very close to bavdhan.

i asked around .. & apparently ... bavdhan is safe... nothing to worry about really. besdies .. u must take basic precautions.

have fun & good luck

amyl

Be careful with the auto drivers and specially their fares. DO ask if they are going by meters. At some areas they do not go by it and have their own exorbitant rates. Also do take extra precautions on the safety part.

And do not travel in PMT. If the ppl inside do not 'break' on you the bus will surely break down somewhere. . On serious note. They are too crowded which eventually makes you(a foreigner) more vulnerable to some incidents. Of course you will see girls traveling in it but then they are used to it and know what to take care of and what to avoid.

Lotsa things to do/see around Pune....depends on your interest.

__________________
a'mar kono chinta nei

the opoponax

I found it very easy to just tell the rickshaw driver to turn on the meter (sometimes via sign language like tapping or pointing at the meter), if he didn't do it automatically. Though obviously you should find out if your area isn't subject to metered rates, or something. This is yet another area where your coworkers-to-be can obviously give you the best advice.

My only problem in this department was that virtually no rickshaw drivers speak even the most basic level of English (as many do in more tourism-oriented parts of the country). I also had a few cases of rickshaw drivers getting lost or not understanding where I wanted to go, though this may have been a 'lost in translation' issue and not to do with their sense of direction.

It might be helpful to carry a phrasebook with plenty of rickshaw-appropriate material, and SERIOUSLY brush up on your Hindi pronunciation.

Tixx

It's a shame that I'm visiting India yet I can't speak basic Hindi. I guess communicating with the local may be a problem. I hope I can use sign language as an alternative? Does shops and vendors speak basic English?

Apart from places of interests, are there any shopping centres to hang out? How much would a typical meal cost in Pune?

The bus would be crowded throughout the day? Since I'm visiting India for the first time, I would certainly like to experience everything I could, including riding on the buses there. :P

Thanks a lot for contributing so much to this thread! Haha, all the information helped us to picture the place better.

By the way, our employers are working on our lodging already, waiting for their response now.

the opoponax

The only time I had trouble was with rickshaw drivers.

I don't really speak any Hindi, either, and I got around just fine for the most part. No brushes with death or anything, just the occasional scenic route or Lost In Translation moment. If you try to learn a survival-level of rickshaw Hindi, you'll be fine.