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I will be going on business to India and I have the choice of either going to work in Pune or Chennai for a month. I work in IT.

After that I am planning to take 2 weeks holiday to travel around India, specifically Delhi, Kashmir, Ladakh, Goa, Kerala.

I have made some basic research about both cities.

Pune

  • Nearest international airport is Mumbai
  • Milder climate due to high altitude
  • New city

Chennai (Madras)

  • Has it's own international airport
  • Very hot and humid weather now
  • Older city, colonial culture
  • Nice big beach!

However some aspects which I am most interested in are:

  • How easy it is to travel from onto other locations e.g. Kashmir, Delhi
  • Natural beauty and scenery
  • General fun of either city

I have tried to make the question as objective as possible with the aforementioned criteria.

Any other info is welcome!

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I would pick Pune for a few reasons:

  • A smaller version of Mumbai- this means that it has bustling IT and BPO sectors (Hinjawadi IT park). I know that you already have a job but it's always nice to have the opportunity to attend events and seminars where you could meet like minded people. Additionally, you are a 30 minute flight or a 4-5 hour drive away from Mumbai
  • You stated that the nearest international airport is Mumbai but this is not the case. Pune does have a military airport (PNQ) that allows international flights at certain times of the day (for example, to Dubai)
  • If you are interested in night life, Pune has it decent. There are some good bars and clubs in the city
  • A number of hill stations in the region for weekend retreats (for example, Khandala)
  • And, as you have already found out, the heat is not as extreme in Pune as it is further south. The effect of heat is worse when compounded with pollution so this weighs heavily on my mind when making a decision
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  • Thanks for the answer, looks like I will be working in both locations. :)
    – tomaytotomato
    Commented Jun 14, 2014 at 9:51
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I have actually spent 1 year in both Pune and Chennai working for an IT company and i hope my experience would be helpful to you

Chennai is city which has over the past few years become more cosmopolitan than it was a decade ago. But still if you are not aware of South Indian languages such as Tamil, Telegu etc. you will have a hard time communicating in Chennai. Although most of the people will speak English so you should manage to get around and communicate with the help of few hand language and broken simple English conversations.

Pune on the other hand has been more close to Mumbai and hence you would find very easy to communicate in English and you get around easily. As it is close to Mumbai - you should not have much problems in travelling to kashmir, Delhi etc. which are closer, cheaper and have more options to travel when compared to Chennai.

My advice to you would be to make Pune as the base location and travel to Chennai, Pondicherry, Mahabalipuram for diversity of culture and do visit ECR highway (East Coast Road) for its scenic beauty.

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I would recommend Pune as I am from Pune. You said you are coming for work so Pune is the best option you have instead of Chennai. And who said Pune don't have it's own airport but it is not International Airport but Mumbai is just 2 and half hour away from Pune. Pune is Hub for IT and Education. All over and some abroad people comes to Pune for education and for business as well. You were right, the weather is just awesome here. DO come in winter season.

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