Latest revision as of 17:55, 7 July 2025

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

[edit] Talegaon

Town in the Chandur taluk of Amraoti District, Berar, situated in 20° 41' N. and 78° 8' E. Population (1901), 6,220. It was formerly the head-quarters of the present Chandur taluk, but the tahsildar's courthouse was removed to Chandur on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway. The town is known, to distinguish it from other towns and villages of the same name, as Talegaon-Dashasahasra (vulgo, Dashasar), or ' Talegaon of the ten thousand.' The story goes that the wife of the jagirdar and the wife of a wealthy merchant entered into competition in the weekly market for a fine pumpkin. The contest between wealth and dignity ended in the vegetable being knocked down to the merchant's wife for ten thousand rupees. But a more credible legend connects the epithet with the former population of the town.

[edit] Korean expatriates

[edit] 2025

Priya Kothari, June 22, 2025: The Times of India

The first signboards crop up as you exit the Pune-Mumbai expressway near Talegaon toll booth, around 40km from Pune, and start heading towards the MIDC area. The lettering is large and bold, but don’t be surprised if you cannot read any of them. Most of those are in Korean.


If your interest is piqued, you could use the translate feature on your smartphone — or ask a passerby what they mean. These signboards are all for hotels, guesthouses and restaurants. The text is Korean because you have just stepped into ‘mini Korea’, which houses a thriving community of at least 1,000 South Korean expats, employed with the Indian arms of Seoul-headquartered behemoths Hyundai, Lotte, Sungwoo Hitech and LG.


‘Cow, Moon, Naan’


One of the hoardings is of the SooMooNan hotel, a literal translation of which would be “Cow, Moon, Naan” — the three things that its owner, Cho Sanjik, thinks encapsulates India. 
Sanjik proudly vouches for the authenticity of the food — stuff like fragrant bibimbap, spicy tteokbokki and a complexly umami kimchi, among many others. “Indian and Nepalese cooks have been trained to prepare these in our traditional way.” 


The 100-room facility was carved out of a residential complex about two years ago. “Many of its occupants work with Hyundai, which has its office about 5km from here,” he says. He moved from Seoul eight years ago to set up a guest house for company staffers in Chennai.


A three-minute drive takes you to an upmarket restaurant, Gung The Palace. It has an extensive menu of authentic Korean food — from potato pancakes to kimchi to jangeo deopbap (grilled eel served over rice). 


Its head chef, Ganesh S, says only a handful of their guests are Indians. “And I have passed on my culinary skills to several budding talents,” says the man from Uttarakhand.


In Talegaon’s mini Korea, the most frequented are supermarkets, like Seoul Store and K Mart, which claim to sell made-in-Korea items, such as miso paste, Korean candy, corn icecreams and rice vinegar.


Resident Hae Su Jong makes one weekend trip to one of these stores to stock up on daily essentials. “The oil and sauces make a big difference to the taste. Of course, it is more expensive than back home, since it is all imported,” he says. 
Sensing the market, even local kirana stores have started selling K-stuff, such as choco pie and Korean noodles. 
Special ingredients, sauces and vegetables are sourced from importers in Mumbai, says Sun Kyeong Kim, who runs the GoRaeDeung restaurant. “We opened six months ago. Close to 80% of our customers are Koreans, and 20% of them live in Chakan (around 30km from Talegaon).” Urse


' Culture Connect ‘ 


Years of living together have given rise to an unusual bonhomie between the expats and locals, spilling on to festivities.


“My experience in India has been quite good very different from what I had expected,” says So Young Hong, who has made Talegaon his second home for the last two years. “I have developed a fondness for roti, naan, pani puri, tandoori chicken, paneer and chicken tikka,” he readily admits. 
In the evening, the expats hang out at Hangang Resort, on the banks of the Indrayani river, which doubles up as an entertainment joint. Playing a game of Jokgu (volleyball using legs and heads, instead of hands), topped up with a few glasses of soju, is enough to blow off steam for many, as others prefer to watch pet ducks Rosy and henry waddle on the riverbank.


Culturally rich Korean families blend in with the vibe and flavours of the city. “I relocated here about three years ago, when my father was transferred to Talegaon,” says Eun Ji, a 23-yearold college student from Baner. “I have made some good friends and also found my spots for boba tea and ramen,” he adds.


It’s not that there are adjustment issues. “We usually use beef and pork in our food,” says a Korean resident in Kharadi, who does not want to be named. “But since beef is not available here, we have been managing with buffalo meat. Neighbours often complain about the smell of the cooking, so we exercise caution when taking a house on rent.”


Expats from far-off Baner, Hinjewadi and Pimple Nilakh — all neighbourhoods in Pune — commute to Talegaon every day for either business or pleasure.


K-Commerce


Satish Kadam, who manages the counter at Seelamart, a supermarket at Vishal Nagar in Baner, has picked up a smattering of Korean, mainly salutations, and even rehearses every day — mostly on his customers, 30% of whom speak the language. “Ramen, corn tea, Korean ginseng tea, rice cake and prawn crackers are high in demand,” he says. 


Away from this industrial hub, there are many supermarkets in Pune selling Korean merchandise and groceries.


Dorabjee & Co supermarket at Camp is one of them. You’ll definitely hear Korean chatter echoing along its aisles on a quiet Sunday afternoon. “A lot of women come here to shop for Asian sauces, Korean noodles and vegetables like Chinese cabbage and spring onion,” says store manager Nazim Bashir Solkar.


Even quick commerce has adapted to the needs of this community in Pune. “In noodles, we have observed a strong preference for Samyang and Nongshim. On the beauty products side, the standout brands are Axis-Y, Beauty of Joseon, and Laneige,” says Devendra Meel, CBO of Zepto. 
BigBasket has seen a 50% year-on-year compound annual growth rate for Korean products — both made in India and imported — in the last three years. “The trend began four years ago. We have about 130 stock-keeping units,” says Seshu Kumar Tirumala, chief buying and merchandising officer, BigBasket.