IT, Automobile Hub, No Major Airport: Guess This Indian City From Its 1928 Photo
it, automobile hub, no major airport: guess this indian city from its 1928 photo
A 1928 aerial photograph of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD’s) Simla Office has resurfaced from the archives. Posted on X by Indian History Pics, the image carries the following description: “IT Hub, Automobile Hub But Still No Proper Airport”. Based on the information, can you guess the name of the city?
The term “IT hub” is widely associated with Bengaluru throughout the subcontinent. The city, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, is home to about 80% – and some of the biggest – technology companies globally, including Indian organisations like ISRO, Infosys, Wipro, and HAL.
In 2017, Bengaluru had over 1.5 million IT professionals, and by 2020, that number was expected to double to 8 million.
However, the southern metropolis is far from an auto-manufacturing hub.
Hyderabad is also considered one of the fastest-growing Information Technology havens in the country, with over 9,00,000 employees working in the IT/ITES sector across more than 1,500 companies.
In 2022–2023, the city’s IT exports were valued at ₹2,41,275 crore ($32 billion), which was the second largest in India and accounted for 50% of exports from Telangana.
But Hyderabad isn’t an established automotive centre either.
Additionally, two of India’s busiest airports are in Bengaluru (Kempegowda International Airport) and Hyderabad (Rajiv Gandhi International Airport), which further rules them from consideration.
So, what is the city in question? Well, it’s Pune.
It is the eight largest city in India, one of its most important IT hubs and doubles as a major destination for automobile manufacturing. As for Pune Airport, it's primarily an Air Force base with limited commercial flights.
As a social media user pointed out, "Pune, the city hosts the Indian Meteorological Department building (Shown in the picture), which also houses the supercomputers Mihir and Pratyush."
Another added: "Meteorological Office, Pune is located on University Road, Shivajinagar, Pune. Also known as Simla Office."
This further begs the question of why the facility is named after the capital of Himachal Pradesh? Actually, the IMD originally had its headquarters in Shimla (spelled Simla back then) in the early 1900s. In 1928, it was relocated to Pune on based on several climatic and geographical considerations.
The picture was taken by the Royal Air Force mid-flight over Bhamburda, now known as Shivajinagar.