JOIN USEclectic lifestyle. Lively conversations. Superb weather. Fantastic food options. These were some of the things that wooed Debapriya Chakraborty from Kolkata to Bengaluru in 2011. His wife Nilanjana Bose followed suit in 2014. It was then that their romance with the city began.
Debapriya works as Technical Safety Energy with Shell Technology Centre and Nilanjana works as Manager Scientific Affairs with Tenashi Life Sciences. The couple met when they were pursuing their studies at IIT Kharagpur, after which they got married in 2013.
“We had a common supervisor and used to work together in a laboratory. After Debapriya moved to Bengaluru, he would tell me how the city is a great cultural mix,” she says.
“Although the roads were much better when I moved in, they have gone for a toss now,” she says.
The couple feel blessed that they live in a gated community. “This helps us to meet people from across the world. We know that the locals are warm and helpful,” vouches Debapriya. They are also well-educated, believes Nilanjana. “I’ve really enjoyed conversations with people here as they are well-informed about everything. This includes the cab drivers as well. They are so courteous and accommodating.”
During the demonetisation period, says Debapriya, even small vendors switched to ‘Paytm’. “Even I wasn’t aware of such an option. It was nice to see people changing according to the need of the hour,” he says.
For Nilanjana, it has been all about learning new things. “I have a Tamilian maid, who cooks for different families in the complex. She prepares Bengali dishes as well as ‘Kerala parotta’ and Mangalorean fish items, which I’ve tried to learn. It would be hard to find someone like this elsewhere,” she says.
Debapriya also recollects how there used to be more trees around earlier. “Comparing to any other city, Bengaluru is still a better space. The parks and line of trees on streets come as a big relief,” he says.
The couple is also passionate about food and try to visit new restaurants every weekend.
“We love going to ‘TOIT’ and ‘Windmills Craftworks’. It is a delight to indulge in the umpteen options. We like Continental, Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine,” she details.
The duo also travels quite a bit. When they have a long weekend free, they take off to nearby places like Coorg, Ooty, Yercaud, Wayanad and Mysuru. “It’s a blessing to live here. There are so many places that are well-connected to the city,” says Nilanjana.
While the relaxed nature of the city helps one settle in, the positive vibes of the young people make one enthusiastic, says Debapriya. “According to statistics, the average age of people here is around 25 years.
This means that there are a lot of young couples and professionals staying in Bengaluru. This makes the city a vibrant place,” he adds.
Life in Bengaluru has always motivated the duo to explore themselves better, he says. “We are encouraged to push our boundaries and look for better career options,” he says. Nilanjana pitches in, “I’ve always been able to do whatever I wanted to do here as safety has never been an issue. We are in our comfort zone.”