A rendezvous with the city

Melting pot

Tara likes to call Bengaluru her ‘comfort zone’. And her family echoes the sentiment. Even though they originally hail from Punjab, the family has formed a deep bond with Bengaluru and cannot think of settling down anywhere else.

“The city makes me feel comfortable,” says Tara, a microbiologist. “We have stayed in other places before but nothing calms me as much as coming back to Bengaluru. And I have been here for a few years now. In fact, I know the routes here better than the Uber drivers.”

Their migration to the city has taken place in phases. Says Bikram Seth, Tara’s father, “I spent 6 months of my college life in this city and that is when I fell in love with this place.

Then I joined the army and was posted in different parts of the country for quite a few years. Soon after that, my in-laws moved to this city and settled down here. We would keep visiting them from time to time and I sort of rediscovered the charm of Bengaluru then. I was posted here for 2 years in between too. Little by little, the city grew on us and when we had to finally settle down somewhere, my family’s unanimous choice was Bengaluru.” Bikram took voluntary retirement from the Special Forces (Army) as a Colonel and now works in a US-based MNC.

It has been quite a few years since then. But some things about their hometown do tug at their heartstrings every now and then.

“I miss talking and hearing Punjabi. We only speak it at our home here,” says Vinita, Tara’s mother. Tara agrees with this while Bikram says he misses his family and friends back home.

 “One would like to spend more time with one’s near and dear ones as age catches up. There are many functions happening back home that we are unable to attend because of the distance factor. But we have adjusted to this fact now,” he expresses.

Weekends are usually reserved for meeting up with friends and relatives in the city.

Says Tara, “I have a lot of friends here. Weekends are for catching up with them as well as for spending time with the family. And I try and make sure that all my activities are centered in or around Koramangala. I love that place — it is my favourite part of Bengaluru.”

For Tara’s sister, Tanvi, weekends are about trying her hand at cooking or catching up on her reading.

 “I am a big bookworm. You can either find me at Blossom Book House or at one of the coffee shops on Cunningham Road or Brigade Road. I also hang out with my friends occasionally,” states Tanvi.

For Vinita and Bikram too, the weekends are a time to meet up with old friends. “My husband has many friends from his Army days here,” says Vinita.

“There are so many places to visit here that one can never get bored. We also like exploring food joints for Punjabi food. Though we have tried out many places in the city so far, our favourite is ‘The Yellow Chilli’ on Church Street. It is one place we always keep going back to,” adds Vinita.

Their reasons for loving this city are many. “I find this place amazing. From the weather to the people to the many places to visit here — everything is wonderful,” says Tanvi.

“The people here are very gentle and accommodating. We had no problems while settling down. Bengaluru has always made us feel very welcome,” says Vinita.