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Soaking in the city's mood

Melting pot
Last Updated 18 October 2016, 18:32 IST

A Narayan and family made this city their home five years back and is happy about the choice they made.

Although they are Tamilians, they were living in Jamshedpur before coming to Bengaluru.

My elder brother, Kartick, was already settled in Bengaluru with his wife Nivedita, who was born and brought up here,” says Lakshmi, the youngest of the three children (their sister Bhavani is doing her PhD in Japan).

“When my father retired from Tata Steel, we decided to relocate to this city so that we could all be together,” she says.

“Initially, we were staying in Whitefield. Once we shifted to Malleswaram, we slowly started building a small circle of friends. We go to the temple regularly and met people there. We also go for ‘bhajans’ and ‘kacheris’. My interest in music has developed and I have even started learning Carnatic music now,” says Narayan, laughing.

Shyamala Narayan also loves going to the temple with her husband.  Her other interests include cooking and reading.

    “It is a bit difficult to get Hindi books here though. But we subscribe to ‘Rajasthan Patrika’ and I devour it daily,” she smiles.

Initially, language was a bit of a barrier they faced. “Socialising also became a problem for my parents because this city is mostly known for its younger crowd and they didn’t really meet many people their age,” she says.

The topic of food elicits mixed responses from everyone, with the common thought being that while the cuisine available here is indeed delicious, they would love an occasional bite of the delicacies from back home.

“There are certain items I really miss,” says Lakshmi. “So what is called ‘samosa’ here is called ‘singhada’ in Jamshedpur and it tastes very different. And the ‘samosa chaat’ is also made very differently there. Then there is ‘litti chokha’, a snack made from ‘sattu’ (toasted gram flour) which is famous in Bihar and ‘thekua’, a biscuit kind of sweet made from flour which has a very unique taste.”

“Also, the price factor came as a surprise to us. Back there, we could have a filling meal any time of the day for Rs 10. Here, even Rs 50 is not enough for a proper breakfast,” he says.

But Shyamala Narayan has devised a way to keep everyone happy. “I make ‘masala subzi’ at night to satisfy everyone’s desire for North Indian food and make ‘idli sambar’ in the morning to honour our South Indian roots,” she explains, laughing.
However, experiments with food are not limited to home.

“While my brother takes our parents to social gatherings, it is my job to get them to try all the authentic restaurants in town,” says Lakshmi. “I took them to ‘Gramin’ in Koramangala and they loved it.  Other than eateries, we have also been to ‘Snow City’ and ‘Wonderla’. We are also big fans of movies. I am planning to take them all to watch ‘M S Dhoni’ soon. Since it is based in Jharkhand, I am sure my parents will identify with it more,” she adds.

Outside Bengaluru, the family has been to Mysuru and Hampi. “We usually spend weekends at home though. It is a time for the family to spend with each other,” says Shyamala. The decision to spend weekends at home is also influenced by the traffic here.  It is said that home is something that your feet may leave but your heart never will.

It was the same for this family. “There was hardly any traffic in Jamshedpur,” says Lakshmi. “You would take a maximum of half-an-hour to reach any place and auto was the preferred mode of transport. So it was a different experience for us to see the wide roads and the large number of cars. A ride in the Metro rail was one of the most exciting moments of our initial stay in the city” she adds.

“One of the main attractions of the city is undoubtedly its pleasant weather,” says Narayan. “A walk in the malls is a great way to spend your weekends and we also like to take walks along the wide, leafy expanses of Malleswaram when we need to take a break,” he adds.

It may be a slow process but the unmistakeable charm of Bengaluru is slowly getting to them.

The family says that even though they have visited Jamshedpur a couple of times after shifting here, they still like coming back to the city.
“It is like having two homes,” smiles Lakshmi.


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(Published 18 October 2016, 15:54 IST)

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