Bangalore or Bengaluru had been
by karma-bhoomi for a year. Prior to moving in, I knew Bangalore as ‘The IT
Capital of India’, ‘Garden City’, ‘Pensioners Paradise’, ‘The Pub Capital of
India’ etc. There were a lot of experiences, observations during my stay in
Bangalore. Here are some of them:
- No. of trees > Human Population. This is the best part about Bangalore. Never, I have seen people being so possessive and protective about their trees. It’s amazing to see such a large green cover over a metropolitan.
- You are pampered by lovely weather for almost entire year. Though the summers are getting worse they say, yet it is much better and bearable. Get used to the gentle breeze that keeps running throughout the city due to its high altitude
- People from remote corners of the country live here peacefully without being bothered, bullied, discriminated or ignored. Bangalore provides roof to all. Although original bangaloreans might whine about this influx, still largely it’s the outsiders that make this city what it is now.
- A pakka bangalorean can speak at least 5 languages.
- You get amazing Filter Coffee or Kaapi in every nook and corner of the city through the stand-n-eat restaurants called Darshinis. By-two Coffee is the most consumed beverage here and not beer as is the popular presumption
- Your home address will sound something like 4322, XYZ layout, 3rd Stage, 6th Main, 15th C Cross
- North Indians come to know, not every south-indian is a ‘madarasi’ after coming here
- ‘Change’ or ‘Chillar’ or ‘Chhutta’ is a rare thing to find. Even ATM dispenses only 1000 Rs Notes.
- Street-Food starts with Idli-Dosa or Tiffins as they call it here and ends there. They are amazing! But Bangaloreans are deprived of Good Chaats and other Non-South Indian Street Food.
- People pull out their winter clothers for anything below 25 degrees.
- Strategizing how to ask out to avoid rejection – is more difficult for an autorickshaw waala than asking for a date.
- An autorickshaw thinks it’s his birthright to – 1. Reject passengers 2. Give back change 3. Charge double after 12 am 4.Charge 10 times if it Rains 5. Harass passengers for no reason at all
- The road which you travelled in the morning can be a no-entry by evening. There are roads where you drive on the right. One-Ways are dynamic, keeps changing with time.
- “maadi” is one of the first kannada words you learn. And you keep adding it as suffix to every damn thing you do…”Add Maadi”, “Chill Maadi”, “Switch-on Maadi”
- After you come home from Bangalore, you feel like Mumbai Autoricshaw Waalas are Gods!
- After you return from a trip to Mumbai, you feel life is running in slow motion.
- Beyond 11 pm, finding food is like finding treasure.
- Watching movie is a pocket emptying process. Insanely expensive tickets.
- Footpaths become make-shift roads for bikers when the Roads are full of vehicles The city has certain charm that keeps attracting people all around the country. They come here, fall in love with the city, despise a lot of things about it and yet stay back. Though I didn’t stay back, but I can say I loved my short stint with the city. I think whenever I will hear good things about the city, it will put a smile on my face with my mind saying “Namma Bengaluru!”
