More about Telephone Calls

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  U.S. telephone prefixes:  Mumbai 011-91-22, Pune 011-91-212, Nagar 011-91-241

Notes: The structure of telephone numbers is as follows: 011 (U.S. International Operator), 91 (country code for India), 241 (Ahmednagar), 24563 (Pilgrim Centre). For those dialing from other countries, substitute for 011 the appropriate prefix for international calls. 

To dial an area code within India, you must use three digits. For calls within India to Mumbai (area code 22), you use a leading zero and dial 022, but when calling from outside India, you dial 22 and do not use it. For example, to reach the Ambassador Hotel in Mumbai from Pune or Ahmednagar, you dial 022-204-1131, but to reach it from the U.S., you dial (including the country code) 011-91-22-204-1131.  

Some telephone numbers in this section may be out of date.  Double-check with a local source before placing a call. 

West to India

Direct dialing to India

  Pilgrim Centre (residential):  Nagar 011-91-241-24563

Note: Reservations for the Pilgrim Centre cannot be made by telephone.  They may be made only by a letter or telegram to Pilgrim Centre Reservations. The Pilgrim Centre phone number may only be used to telephone pilgrims. 

Direct dialing to India from overseas has improved. However, it may sometimes still be difficult to reach Ahmednagar by telephone from the West. Calls may still be placed station-to-station or person-to-person through International Operator. When dialing direct from the U.S., rates between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. are almost half the regular day rates. Check with the International Operator for exact charges.  

India to the West

S.T.D.- direct dial telephone facilities in India

There are direct dial telephone facilities in almost all cities in India, which are called S.T.D. These services are available at the telegraph offices of each city, as well as in private facilities. Usually it is more efficient to use a private S.T.D. service than the Telegraph Department, however, private S.T.D. services do not always have booths to make your phone calls private. The cost is about Rs. 1.00 per second to U.S.A.

You are responsible for the cost of the phone call regardless of who answers the telephone or regardless of the quality of the connection. Just because one S.T.D. telephone doesn't work, doesn't mean another will not work.

Caution: Try to time your own phone calls, and double check the bill you get.

Direct dial Telephone facilities, Ahmednagar There are direct dial facilities in Ahmednagar. One facility is located in the Telegraph Office, behind the Post Office. The others are as follows:

Ratna Jyoti Tours & Travels Ratna Jyoti Restaurant Opp. Market Year, Station Road, Phone 25755, 26738 Closed Sundays (on the corner near Buddhist Wheel)

Poonam State Agency 2215/16 Ramchandra Adatbazaar Phone 27662 (One block down past Meher Tailor, near Ashok Photo Studio)

AT&T USA Direct is now available in India. Dial 000-117 from any telephone in India and you will get an AT&T Operator. You can use this service even if the telephone you use does not have direct dialing facilities such as the telephone at the Pilgrim Centre. Even if you do not have an AT&T credit card number you can charge your international call to your home telephone number or place a collect call.

Operator-assisted calls from India to the West

Making an international telephone call from India to the West is more complicated. Calls from a hotel in Mumbai or Pune can be made with the assistance of the hotel operator. In Ahmednagar, place your call through the local "trunk booking" operator. Tell the operator the number you are dialing from, the telephone number and name of the party you want to reach in the West, and then your name and the type of call (collect, for example). The operator will give you a ticket number that identifies your call. Use the ticket number to check up on the booking and later to find out the time and charges. (Please note: Person-to-person calls, known by Indian telephone operators as "PP," are charged the same as station-to-station calls.) The time for a call to go through may be anywhere from two hours to two days. While you're waiting, be sure to leave word where you can be reached. When the operator has placed the call, he will ring back. If the call is collect, be sure to reconfirm this fact with the operator. After the call is over, notify the operator that you have finished. Then dial the trunk booking inquiry operator to get the time and charges.

Within India 

Direct dialing within India  

Telephone calls between Pune and Mumbai may be dialed directly, but calls between Ahmednagar and either of these cities must be booked through an operator. There are two main types of service - "trunk" calls and "demand" (or "no delay") service. Trunk calls are booked just like international calls, but you have several classes of service to choose from. The difference is the cost and how quickly the call goes through: Ordinary - one to six hours, low cost Urgent - less than an hour, medium cost Lightning - instantaneous, high cost In addition, trunk calls may also be booked on a "PP" or "particular person" basis, similar to person-to-person service in the U.S. The only extra cost is a charge of a few rupees if the party you're calling isn't there. Demand, or no-delay calls can only be made between Ahmednagar, Pune, and Mumbai. The call goes through in a few minutes to whoever answers the phone. If you don't reach the number, the call is not kept pending. The cost is about the same as an urgent trunk call. Procedures for booking trunk calls are similar to those for international calls. Book the call through an operator, make a note of the ticket number, and call Trunk Inquiry when the call is finished for the time and charges. Demand service calls have separate booking and inquiry numbers. Calls made within most cities, including Ahmednagar, may be dialed directly.

If you are using a pay phone, dial the number, wait for someone to answer, and then insert your coin (a Rs. 1.00 coin).

Steps to book a call 

  1. When booking a call, first confirm that you have the correct operator. ("Trunk booking? I want to place a call...")
  2. Next, identify the number you are calling from. Numbers with double or triple digits, like 3666, are read "three six double six," not "three six six six." Keep saying your number until the operator repeats it correctly.
  3. Then tell the operator the number you want to call.("I want to call Mumbai two double six three one.") Keep saying the number until the operator repeats it correctly.
  4. Next, tell the operator the type of call you want to make ("Urgent PP call to Mr. Rustom Dastoor.")
  5. Get the ticket number for future reference.("Ticket number English three four two? Thank you.") The operator may use a phonetic code to spell out letters, which is explained below.
  6. When the call is over, press the switch hook up and down to get the operator. This tells him that the call is over and helps to ensure that you are not overcharged for it.("Operator, this call is finished. What are the time and charges?") If the operator can't give you the time and charges, call the inquiry number that corresponds to the type of call you've made.
  7. Also call the inquiry operator if you want to cancel a call or find out if the call is still booked. ("This is three six double six.Urgent PP Mumbai number two double six three one. My ticket number is English three four two. Do you have my call?...) If you cancel a call other than a demand or no-delay call, be sure and get the cancellation number from the operator. 

Numbers for telephone operators:

Fax facilities

There are fax facilities available at most cities in India at the Telegraph Departments as well as at private facilities in Pune and Mumbai.