Craft workshops in Pune

The Tambat coppersmiths, of the Twashta Kasar community, came to Pune from the Konkan in the 18th century, in the Peshwa era, to make coins and weaponry for the Peshwas' state. Their lane, Tambat Ali in Kasba Peth, has worked copper for some three hundred years. The signature technique is mathar kaam: rhythmic hammering that hardens the copper and covers it in small, even dimples, the beaten finish Pune copper is known for.

Walking the lane is free; follow the sound of hammers. A hands-on session at the bench is arranged in advance through INTACH Pune and quoted per group, with no published fee. Workshops are hot and loud, the lanes are very narrow with high doorsteps, and you should ask before entering a karkhana (workshop) or photographing anyone at work. Brass and copperware are sold in Tulshibaug Market nearby.

INTACH Pune, the local chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage set up in 1986, lists these workshops under its Warsaa heritage programme. All are booked by writing in advance; prices and group sizes are not published.

If one session is not enough, INTACH's heritage walks read the old city with a guide. The Kasba Peth route covers old wadas (courtyard mansions), craft precincts and public buildings; the walk from Shaniwar Wada to Vishrambaug Wada passes through the market and craft precincts, including the copper and bamboo lanes. Walks run in the mornings on request, with open monthly walks, and are booked by email. More routes in walking tours in Pune.

In a private home in Aundh, north-west Pune, a host teaches you to grind the masala, temper the tadka and cook a full thali, then you sit down and eat what you made. The host cooks mainly Mangalorean food and also Maharashtrian dishes, so say which you want when booking. Sessions take about three hours, lunch or dinner, by arrangement on most days, in small groups; vegetarian and Jain versions are usually possible if requested. The booking platform lists roughly US$34–66 a person, and hosts confirm individually, so allow several days. For eating rather than cooking, see food tours in Pune.

• Kapse Paithani, on Kumthekar Road in Sadashiv Peth and on Prabhat Road: the Kapse family have woven Paithani silk for generations in Yeola, the craft's home town, and the staff explain the motifs (peacock, lotus, the asawali vine) and the grades of weaving.
• Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum: one collector's archive of Indian craft and daily life, from brass vessels and painted wooden windows to combs, nutcrackers and oil lamps.
• Dhol-tasha pathaks, Pune's volunteer drum troupes, rehearse on open grounds from roughly mid-July to mid-August before Ganeshotsav (4–14 September 2027). Watching costs nothing; joining as a player means committing to the whole rehearsal season. The sound is extremely loud, so ear protection is sensible and essential for children.