I love Pune

Every day on this subreddit I see people saying things like "WHAT IS HAPPENING TO PUNE??", "PUNE HAS GONE TO THE DOGS", "WHAT HAS THIS CITY COME TO???!!!?" Pune is a highly populated city, so these individual instances of people being mean or commiting crimes or whatever are NOT necessarily representative of the city as a whole, so maybe you could stop lambasting all of Pune over someone being rude to you on a bus. I currently live in California, and I'm moving back to Pune soon after almost 9 years in the US. The US gave me a lot: some savings, social skills, a large friend circle, an open mind, and a job that I love. I'm still choosing to move back to Pune because every time I'm back in Pune, it's just so wonderful. I spent the first 22 years of my life in Pune, and going back now I can see how much it's changed. I like some of the changes (metro, more options for food and activities, breweries), and I dislike some (increased pollution, fewer trees). But through it all, the one consistent thing has been the people. Friendly, genuine, and funny! Be it the rickshawwallas I chat with or random people on the street or friends of friends at a bar: I love talking and interacting with everyone. The whole city feels like my home and every person in it feels like family. Yeah sure, once in a while someone's not nice, but that's hardly unique to Pune. Where there are people, there will always be some bad people. I'm leaving behind a fantastic job, a group of friends that I love and trust, clean air, and many other things just to live in Pune. And I couldn't be happier. As I say to my friends here in the US, Pune is by FAR the best city in the world. So the next time you find yourself typing about how terrible Pune has become, step outside, enjoy the nice weather, have a vada pav (or sushi, whatever floats your boat), grab a beer at NIPR, enjoy some peace at the Pune-Okayama Friendship Garden, and be grateful that you're not sweating balls in Mumbai or freezing your ass off in New York.