Thursday, August 04, 2005

Life in Bangalore: Why I Love It

There are a lot of things to gripe about in Bangalore - the lack of infrastructure, indiscriminate construction and expansion, the interminable rush hour, the schools, the dust and pollution, etc. But there are an equal number of reasons, if not more, why I love living in this city, my hometown, again. Here are some of them:
  • The old familiar places bring back a flood of memories: not from the recent past, but of childhood days; of days spent discovering the city with friends; of me and my brother going off with my dad on Sundays, hopping on the first bus we saw and going wherever it took us; of going on precious dates with V as I hoped nobody that knew my parents would recongnize me.
  • The smell of Bangalore's earth after drenching rains is like nowhere else in the world (V's words, and I agree).
  • The city makes up for a lot of its shortcomings by nurturing its fantastic treescape and gardens. The old parts of the city are particularly beautiful, with wide tree-lined roads and "lung spaces" (rectangular parks that have walking paths).
  • Bangalore may be bursting at its seams and may be growing haphazardly, but if you want your quiet neighborhoods in the middle of all the action (shopping, clubbing, restaurants) there are plenty to choose from.
  • N is finally spending time with both sets of grandparents and they are actually watching him grow rather than just hearing about it over the phone.
  • After 12 years, I am someone's daughter again, someone's niece, someone's sister, someone to be taken care of (it's just not the same over the phone or on short visits).

11 comments:

Michael Higgins said...

Hi Sujatha
Definitely, there's no substitute for having family around. Luckily, my parents are able to visit often. But my wife's parents only come once in five years. Its a long trip for them. And we have been bad about visiting them, we haven't been to India in 10 years.

Anyway, we are going there in December. Maybe we will visit my wife's aunt in Bangalore. Can you tell be what things there are to see there?

Anonymous said...

Very well said Sujatha. Our kids out here in the U.S miss a lot on the stuff we grew up with.
I remember what my father once said "at this age your children don't need you, your grand children are the only ones who make you feel wanted in this world".
And some of us take that away too.

Sourin Rao said...

Suj
Nice one. Now u are making me think again. Arggggggg.....
Sourin

Anonymous said...

suj

nice...yea..u have hit the nail rite on the head...
all agree with the city's shortcomings..but....he greenery...the neighborhoods...the smell of the ground after rains..[tat one is very addictive..]...

makes many people love this city

cheers,
tEHCJ

Sujatha Bagal said...

Michael: You should definitely visit Bangalore. The city is an awesome amalgamation of the old and the new. There's a palace here that belongs to the Maharaja of Mysore. There are innumerable gardens, but the one you should not miss is Lalbagh, a treasure trove of exotic plants and trees.

Bangalore is a nice hub to branch out from - to go to places like Coorg (where you can see coffee and tea plantations and stay at one), and to Mysore, the official residence of the maharaja.

Plus, it's the other Silicon Valley. How can you pass up the opportunity to see it and experience it? :)

Let me know when your plans firm up. I'll direct you to some info on this.

Rajeshwari: I know what you mean. N's grandparents are cherishing this time with him.

Sourin: Glad to hear it!!

tECHJ:

"makes many people love this city"
and most of them don't leave! But that's the charm of this city though. Thoroughly cosmopolitan.

DesiGirl said...

You are so right - the positives of living in your hometown far outweigh the negatives. I live in the UK now and I can't wait for the day when I go back to Chennai for good.
'After 12 years, I am someone's daughter again, someone's niece, someone's sister, someone to be taken care of ' -- that statement touched me to the core!
You go girl!

angada said...

The last point was the clincher!

Anonymous said...

You're making me miss Bangalore:)

Shivanna said...

Yawn, freaking hypocrites.

Akaash said...

I am a North Indian But First time i came to Bangalore,simply fell in love with this beautiful city and nice people...Stayed here for 4 years.
Have visited almost all parts of India and really Bangalore is Unique..I simply Miss it..and yea..i will be back...!!

Unknown said...

:) Feeling the extra love for bangalore right now ! :)