'Life has been a merry ride'

It was Plabon Roy’s school principal who encouraged him to explore Bengaluru and advised him about the different opportunities that awaited him in the city. This eventually led Plabon, who hails from Raniganj, West Bengal, to move to the city to pursue his graduation here.

He says that this was one of the best decisions that he had taken. He also found the love of his life here. Plabon works as a senior manager (sales) with Velocis Systems Private Limited now. He met his wife Aditi Som from Vasco da Gama, Goa here in 2009 when she was visiting her family and friends. She moved to the city in 2010 and there started their romance with the city.

“Everything about Bengaluru is just right. The people, the ethos of the city, the variety of activities and food one can indulge in; everything together adds to the experience,” says Plabon.

Aditi, who works as a communication professional with IBM, says that she knew Bengaluru was where she would settle down. “My brother lives here too which made settling in here easier. I was sure that I would grow here professionally and personally,” she says. 

Plabon found people here more accepting compared to others parts of the country. “The nature of the people in the city adds to the charm of the city,” he says. “It’s easy to meet people from varied backgrounds here. Being a Bengali who was raised in Goa, I always knew about mixed cultures. Bengaluru’s charm makes one appreciate cultural differences better,” adds Aditi.

From helpful co-passengers to random strangers on the road, the couple vouch that they have only come across warm-hearted people in Bengaluru. Plabon says, “I remember an autowallah, who gave discounts to handicapped passengers and also had a phone installed inside the auto to help people. This was quite heartening.”

Among many other things, Plabon points out that the concept of ‘work hard, party harder’ stands true here. “One has the option of visiting a lot of places,” he says. Being a passionate photographer, travel excites him. “We often visit places like Antaragange, Bandipur, Ooty, Kodaikanal, Masinagudi, Mahabalipuram, Puducherry, Kovalam and Kanyakumari, when we have a long weekend for ourselves,” he details.

During weekends, they also head out to Nandi Hills or chill with family and friends. “We visit the Pheonix MarketCity often. I am a percussionist and I love going to the ‘Drum Jam’ at Rangoli - Metro Art Center regularly,” he says.

Though the duo are worried about the diminishing green spaces in the city, they thoroughly enjoy the parks here and visit Lalbagh frequently.

The plethora of food options excites the duo like nothing else. Plabon says, “We don’t restrict ourselves. Be it Tex-Mex, Continental, South Indian or Mughlai, we love exploring everything. I’m not a fussy eater but my regular diet constitutes simple home food like ‘roti sabji’. ‘Dosa’, ‘idli’, ‘bisi bele bath’, ‘pongal’ and ‘vada’ are an intrinsic part of our diet now.”

When the duo miss Chinese food, they head to ‘Bangalore Mandarin’ and for Goan cuisine, they go to ‘Carnival de Goa’. “We try not to go to the same place often. ‘The Fat Chef’ and ‘Esplanade - Kitchen & Bar’ are some of our other favourite restaurants,” she says. 

Though adjusting to Bengaluru’s pace was challenging for Aditi, she says that she has learnt to go with the flow and now appreciates things better. “Life has been a merry ride. What more does one need?” asks Plabon.