Maharashtra / pune life, culture, business etc

Maharashtra a state located in the western part of India. The word Maharashtra comes from the words Maha meaning Great and Rashtra meaning Nation. Bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and Gujarat to the northwest. The Marathas rose under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji against the MughalsThe Western Ghats better known as Sahyadri, are a hilly range running parallel to the coast. Capital of Maharashtra is Mumbai previously known as Bombay. Mumbai is known as the commercial capital of India, as well as the entertainment capital to. Mumbai is known as the entertainment capital to. All the head offices of all the entertainment channels as well as production house are in Mumbai. Other cities in Maharashtra are Nasik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, pune etc. Pune is one of the most happening city all together. Surrounded with all student and new age crowd, and is very near to a lot of hill stations. Pune is developing on a very fast track. It is known for its educational facilities, having more than a hundred educational institutions and nine universities. Pune has a growing industrial hinterland, with many information technology and automotive companies setting up factories in Pune district. Pune is known for various cultural activities like classical music, spirituality, drama, sports, and literature. These activities and job opportunities attract migrants and

students from all over India and abroad, which makes for a city of many communities and cultures. Pune is emerging as a prominent location for IT and manufacturing companies to expand. Pune has the sixth largest metropolitan economy and the second highest per capita income in the country. The automotive sector is prominent in Pune. It is home to the Automotive Research Association of India, which is responsible for the homologation of all vehicles available in India. All sectors of the automotive industry are represented, from two-wheelers and auto rickshaws to cars, tractors, tempos, excavators and trucks. Automotive companies like Tata Motors, Mercedes Benz, and Force Motors have set up in Pune. Automotive companies including General Motors, Volkswagen, and Fiat have set up Greenfield facilities near Pune, leading The Independent to cite Pune as India's "Motor City".[32] Several automotive component manufacturers like Saint-Gobain Sekurit, TATA Auto comp Systems Limited, Robert Bosch GmbH, Visteon, and Continental Corporation are located here. The Hinjawadi IT Park (officially called the Rajeev Gandhi IT Park) is a project being started by MIDC to house the IT sector in Pune. When completed, the Hinjawadi IT Park is expected to have an area of about 2,800 acres. Major software companies in Pune include Infosys, Capgemini, Wipro, Satyam, TCS, Cognizant, Symantec, Tech Mahindra, Syntel, Oracle and IBM global. Software giant Microsoft intends to set up project in Hinjewadi. Pune Food Cluster development project is an initiative funded by the

World Bank. It is being implemented with the help of SIDBI, Cluster Craft to facilitate the development of the fruit and vegetable processing industries in and around Pune.