Pune Culture, Maharashtra

Pune is rightly called the cultural capital of Maharashtra.The city is a wonderful mirror of the the Marathi culture and the traditional Maharashtrian values.It is the homeland of famous poets, sensitive artists , revolutionary leaders who contributed in making this friendly city culturally rich.Poet-saint Tukaram, Janeshvara, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Jayant Narlikar are the proud sons of this land. Festivals, dance and music are an integral part of the city. Festival here is more of a socio-cultural affair than a religious one. The way in which the famous Ganesh Festival is celebrated here speaks volume about the mindset of the people dwelling in this city. The Ganesh Festival is not just celebrated by the Hindu. People belonging to various caste, creed and religion take part in this grand affair with equal enthusiasm. Pune is the seat of North Indian Classical music. Savai-Gandharva, a three nightlong cultural program of vocal and instrumental classical music is organized every year and speaks a lot about the inclination of the punekars towards dance and music.

Another interesting part of the culture of this wonderful city is the fact that the dwellers have a big heart and the city welcomes people belonging to different communities and from every nook and corner of the world with open arms thereby giving a face- lift to this place. Today Pune boasts of having a cosmopolitan crowd- an awesome combination of Parsis, Bengalis, Gujratis,South Indians and foreign nationals. The Osho International Commune and the mushrooming growth of several IT companies in and around the city reflects the fact that the punekars know how to embrace modernization without compromising on traditional values.

Religion

The religious identity of the city of Pune has undergone a sea change over the last few years. The mushrooming growth of various educational institutions and IT companies have increased the influx of people belonging to various communities and religion as a result of which the city does not associate itself with any particular religion. If the Ganesh festival here is celebrated with great enthusiasm then one will be surprized to see the excitement during Christmas, Durga Puja, Lohri, Baisakhi, Navratri.

Though Hinduism is one of the major religions that is followed by the people but some of the other prominent religions followed by the people are Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism. No wonder it has several mosques, gurudwaras, synagogue, churches and temples to boast of. Thus, it will not be incorrect to say that Pune has no religious identity. It is liberal, secular and cosmopolitan in its religious identity.