Pune

The city famous for its famous colleges, Osho slippers and Shrewsbury biscuits. Where a deeply conservative Maharashtrian population coexists with the deliciously (in)famous 'German Bakery'. Where students are what you see everywhere, nipping about on their bikes and scooters, piling into clubs, hanging out at street corners.

Pune inspires extreme feelings in most people and there is no middle ground. Some find it too small-town, cramped, even rural. Most love it for its great weather, the leafy avenues and the laid back, exuberant ambience that comes from the mingling of students from all over India, even the world.

The best thing about Pune is that it's a friendly city. From small kiosks on corners serving cold coffees and ice creams eaten on the pavements to high end theme bars, Pune accommodates all. The prices are low here, but the comforts all metros-like. With the recent rise in IT companies, Pune is the city for the young. It's the quintessential big-city with a small-town feel.

Visit Pune for the Osho Ashram. Set in beautiful leafy surroundings at Koregaon Park, you will see people moving about here, dressed in maroon robes. Visit the famous German Bakery for delicious desserts or buy Osho slippers in all colours possible from the pavement stalls. On the outskirts, there are also the ruins of the Maratha Empire, sturdy forts littered in beautiful expanses of green.