Where’s the real Pune? Where’s the city centre?

Pune City Center / CentreWith cities like Mumbai where an overwhelming majority of citizens travel south for work but stay up north, it’s quite obvious where the city centre is. However it’s intriguing how city centre means different things to different people in Pune. A friend was recently telling me how his company located in Kalyani Nagar refuses to give bus transport to employees stating that the company was located in the city and so bus transport need not be provided. Considering that he stays in Kothrud and believes that the old city and the Deccan area is the real Pune, he found the company’s suggestion that Kalyani Nagar was ‘in’ the city quite ludicrous.

San Francisco Days – Experiences @ Oracle Technology Conference

Oracle OpenWorld In San Francisco USA - Lessons for Pune cityI am writing this column from the Oracle OpenWorld conference in San Francisco on an Internet connection that’s as fast as the Internet speed of half of Pune put together. It’s strange how fast Internet connections always put me in a good mood. Anyway, talking of OpenWorld, it’s an annual event that has over 40,000 people coming to San Francisco from over a 100 countries. It’s amazing that the city can pull off such a mammoth event fairly easily and the infrastructure doesn’t collapse under the load.

The city administration seems to go the extra mile to ensure that delegates have an enjoyable and safe visit to the city. Although OpenWorld is the biggest, it is just one of the many events that happen all year round at the Moscone Center. Each event not only gets people to San Francisco and works as a great public relations exercise for the city but also pumps millions of dollars into the economy of San Francisco.

Creating a competing and city friendly ganesh festival

With the new format, the city would benefit in many ways other than the obvious traffic benefit. The police would have a far easier time securing a few grounds. Adequate security will also get families and women actively participating in the event. Citizens can choose to be a part of the festival and not have the festival forced on them. Mandals will have to be creative to be able to stand out and shine. The city could generate employment and revenues in many direct and indirect forms. Some portion of revenues should be ploughed back into improvement of infrastructure at the grounds that are used. The event could become a major tourist highlight not just for Maharashtra but for India.

Call For Speakers For The IndicThreads.com Conference On Java Technology Closes Tomorrow

IndicThreads.com invites submissions for the IndicThreads.com Conference On Java Technology 2007 to be held on 26th and 27th October 2007 at the Symbiosis Infotech Campus, Hinjewadi IT Park, Pune, India. The conference is the premier independent conference on Java technology in Asia and is the place to be, to learn the latest in the Java world while meeting with like-minded individuals from across the industry. You can find details of last year’s conference at http://conference.indicthreads.com