Pune city, India
Have you heard of this place (pronounced “Poona”)? If not, you’ve probably heard of the game called badminton, invented in Pune by expatriate British Army officers. Originally the game was called Battledore. The name of the game was then changed to Shuttlecock. Later, the name changed to the name of a large house of one of those officials (Badminton House), where the social events of the resident family always included games in their gardens. Today, the people of Pune have distanced their city from its British, Portuguese and Martha colonial history. The seventh most populous city in India, Pune’s sizable manufacturing base and institutions of higher learning define its character and future.
Located inland from the bustling port of Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) and well connected by road, rail and airports, Pune’s geography ideally supports trade and cultural exchanges with Southwest Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The city ranks seventh on the list of cities billionaires call home, and Pune comes in annually as a strong contender for India’s major city with the most startups.
Yet Pune has not escaped India’s plague of overpopulation and the air and water pollution that comes with it. Population growth outpaces the development of the necessary infrastructure. Without proper infrastructure, the people of Pune, especially the poor, have to cope with a number of problems on their own, without the help of their city government. There is a shortage in the food supply, poor drinking water, an inadequate sewage system, which has directly led to the pollution of the rivers. Insufficient medical care has led to a lower birth rate and premature death.
The city cannot accommodate everyone who wants to enter the university system. Thus the poor, in large numbers, cannot improve themselves through education. Higher-paying jobs remain out of reach. Entire families cannot advance their status in society.
Just as the potato famines created food shortages in Ireland that led generations of poor Irish to flee their country, poverty and few opportunities lead the poor of Pune to join the poor of other urban centers in India in becoming in expatriate workers in other parts of the world, especially in the oil-blessed Arab states.
But, like the Irish immigrants, those who migrate from Pune bring with them their history, their culture and the goodness of their morality. Wherever they land, they are ambassadors for India and are the city’s best opportunity to make a connection with others that could lead to the revitalization of Pune.
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