Before zealots reversed the name from Bangalore to Bengaluru which literally means “Benda- Kul- Urru” or town of boiled beans ,it was “Vira Gallu” literally meaning, hero stone. Personally I would like to live in a city called Hero Stone than boiled beans, but who’s asking me. A favourite with expats and foreigners, whether it is the NRI who wants to quit his six figure salary and make a difference or invest in a startup, to the ambitious techie, or a bootstrapped entrepreneur. If every person you meet in LA or Bombay is an aspiring actress. Every other person in Bangalore is an aspiring entrepreneur or an intellectual in their own right. With dignity of labor extending from the cabbies to the auto walla who will tell you “Parwah Nahin” ( I don’t care) when you offer him double the fare so he takes you to his destination. It becomes quite apparent to anyone new to Bangalore that everyone values other things apart from riches. While the typical north indian will be accustomed to saying “Nakhré” . The auto walla’s rejection to take you to your destination is more indicative of a deeper Bangalorean culture, I have come to know and love.
Yes, there are many reasons a non-native loves about Bangalore, there is the famed weather, the plethora of jobs and the spirit of entrepreneurship in the silicon valley of India. But there is much more than that. Its practicality, the down to earth society , freedom from judgment and the air possibilities. A blend akin to the spirit of the American Dream and the pragmatic Dutch.
Shiros to Koshy
Practicality & Purpose
The stereotypical Bangalorean if there was one does not contain and limit her experiences. You may meet someone in a sundress dressed to the tee in clothes that would have tongues wagging in Delhi at a Shiro’s Sunday brunch, and bump into the same person in Bangalore’s Chandi Chowk equivalent commercial street, for an authentic bite at the famed South Indian restaurant Woodys. People don’t wear their money. Yes there are fair shares of Lamborghinis and Jaguars are dime and dozen, just drive past Lavelle on a Saturday night, one of the few areas without the potholes where you can take your sports car for a spin and bask in the European reminiscent UB city. But here’s what different about Bangalore, the same person driving a jaguar will also take an auto to beat the traffic when the rains hit. This is a phenomena that’s peculiar and contained to the south. Perhaps its because there is a lot of “new money” or self made millionaires in Bangalore compared to it’s northern counterparts where the typical millionaire is feudal, rich on rising rents or ancestral money, or maybe its the Aryan genetic disposition.
A friend from Delhi got in a mini brawl in the ladies room on independence day. Cant say the south Indian stranger didn’t have the panache to handle it well, and quipped “Yes yes you’re an Aryan, And I am a barbarian” While I was in tears laughing, trying to control my friends raging temper at some apparent diss at Delhi and Delhi dwellers, I couldn’t help notice how nonchalantly the Bangalorean took the insult to her city, while smoothly breaking the ice. This calm and tolerance extends to other domains, whether it is with minorities, or north Indians like myself, or the huge Muslim population that has conveniently provided me with a solution for my North Indian cravings for meats, specially during Ramadan.
Dating, Divorcing & Moving On
Friends and acquaintances seamlessly socialise with people other than their core social groups, be it from a different social income bracket or someone with completely different ideologies. One of my Bangalorean friends was instrumental member of BJP ( for an AAP enthusiast like me), whereas in the North it would be difficult for me to get to know such a person on a personal level only because of segregations that exist socially. It is difficult to live in Bangalore and not become tolerant. If there are troubles, communication is direct.
A few months back I had a friend visiting from Delhi, she was baffled by an acquaintance’s habit to be at every party but often without their spouse. “I always see him out without his wife, is their marriage ok????”. Every city has it’s fair share of affairs, unhappy marriages or single woes. And yes, Bangalore at the surface level seems to sustain a higher number of derangements, but further examination reveals that there is instead a culture of openness of not hiding things and brushing them under the carpet as is customary to our modest culture. As summed up by a friend from the North best “ I told a friend I was sorry to hear about her divorce, and she corrected me, are you crazy, say congratulations”. People in Bangalore don’t value status and material goods, “Gaadi, Bangla, Zameen…” . There are no laurels in the appearances of things. No culture of an unhappy marriage , but at least I’m married, an unfulfilling career but at least I’m not unemployed. Instead self worth seems to be channeled to the more important things in life, that we are all taught in kindergarten but culturally conditioned to forget.
Bangalore Not all Unicorns & Rainbows
Every rose has its thorns and my love affair with Bangalore, too, comes with difficulties. For instance, the famed tolerance that allows minorities to live peacefully in Bangalore, for the sake of commerce if nothing else, translates also to an indifference and tolerance for garbage, traffic and dilapidating homes. With the ongoing cases preventing the building of metros, the roads are still narrow and the city growing as one of the fastest in the world, the Bangalorean will complain but will come to accept. Waiting for a disgruntled North Indian to shake up the accepting Bangaloreans and deal with the garbage and traffic.
And not just that, the North Indian accustomed to the manicured gardens of Chandigarh or central Delhi, might also never get used to the filtered coffee and prefer her adrak Chai in the foggy cold of the North than sipping coconut water in the temperate Bangalore. But Bangalore has given enough to this north Indian and the perennial nomad to put down her roots. This piece was originally written to manipulate a friend to move to Bangalore.
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