But as one drives out of Pune past its gleaming shopping malls and information technology parks, the reality of rural and semi-urban Maharashtra, large parts of which have been hit badly by drought, starts emerging.

Up the Dive ghat, as the car winds past bald, barren hills, emerges the first sign of what lies ahead.

Water tankers have become an integral part of life in rural swathes of Pune district. Poor rains for two consecutive years have devastated villages, forcing people to head for cities to look for employment, or to Employment Guarantee Scheme work sites, where they earn Rs 40 a day.