Easy on the mind, tough on the bones

PUNE, July 10: John Hagerty came down to Pune when F G Wilson Generators asked him to fly down to city as their UK delegate. It was unknown,...

PUNE, July 10: John Hagerty came down to Pune when F G Wilson Generators asked him to fly down to city as their UK delegate. It was unknown, uncharted territory for Hagerty but one year down the line, he has got accustomed to the ins and outs of living abroad.

“What I like about Pune is its temperate climate. It gets neither too hot nor too cold. The rainy season is the only time of the year that I dislike.” When he set eyes on Pune, it was the scenery that impressed him most. “I like the natural beauty of this place. Besides, Pune wears a cosy look. It’s not big like Delhi.”

Hagerty also finds it a safe place for women. Being a married man with a two-year-old daughter, this definitely meant a lot to him. “I was told by people that unlike Delhi, women here are safe and can move around freely. And this is true.”

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What Hagerty misses in Pune is the scope for shopping and the variety that stores back home offer. Says he, “Here there is no choice, especially if you are looking for European products. But this is slowly changing. Dorabjee and Company is now stocking stuff that we need.”

But what is probably the worst feature about Pune, according to Hagerty, is the roads. “They are appalling. And what is worse is the driving. There is no traffic discipline. I think the most dangerous thing in the world must be a drive on the Mumbai-Pune highway. If I can help it, I fly whenever I can to Mumbai. I even bought a house near the Lohegaon airport so that I could have easy access to flying.” So, in Hagerty’s case, he’s just taken the good with the bad.

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