A date with the South

Bengaluru has proven to be a great place for learning life lessons,” says Tanusree Mondal, from Purulia, West Bengal, who made the city her home during her graduation days.

Tanusree and husband Arindam Roy, who is from Midnapore, feel Bengaluru has everything that makes it a perfect home.

Tanusree works as a manager (CDM) with Quintiles IMS and Arindam is an entrepreneur.

Arindam says, “My father had a transferable job so we moved around a lot. It was always easy for me to adjust to new places. The accepting nature of Bengaluru made it easy for us to go with the flow.”

“The city has an alluring feel to it. Coming from a technical background, Bengaluru was the best place to grow professionally,” he says.

His official visits earlier made him get a better feel of the city.

“This is probably the only place in South India where people from other parts of the country don’t have a problem adjusting. There are no language barriers here and the people interact freely without any inhibition,” he says.

Tanusree agrees to this, “It’s a perfect potpourri of cultures. We have learnt so much about different cultures and have been exposed to the celebrations. We live in an apartment complex that houses people from across the country. Most festivals turn into a
big carnival-like atmosphere.”

Arindam says, “From day one, colleagues and friends have gone out of the way to help us. Bengalureans have a heart of gold.”  Tanusree also has many pleasant tales to narrate.

“During my graduation course, my friends and I were staying in a hostel and we were suddenly asked to vacate. I was scared that I wouldn’t get a place to stay. My friend’s mother invited me to stay with them till I found another place. I was so relieved. To open one’s doors to a stranger and be so welcoming is a big thing. I still get a smile on my face when I think about it.”

And that’s not all. They have more stories about good Samaritans in the city. The couple were getting their apartment redesigned and didn’t want to hire an interior designer.

“We had collected many things over the years and wanted to be part of the decor. So we went shopping for the wood work. Imagine our delight when the shopkeepers guided us to different shops where we could find exactly what we were looking for,” says Tanushree. 

Arindam says that the people here are thorough professionals. “They are very serious about their work apart from being diligent and dedicated.” When it’s not just work, the couple like to chill out at restaurants. “I love the ‘dosas’ at ‘A2B’. I also love ‘paddu’ and ‘khara pongal’. The ‘kesari bath’ is another favourite of mine,” says Tanusree.

Another advantage, they feel, is that it is well connected to scenic places. “Coonoor, Bandipur, Chikkaballapur and Goa - we’ve visited all these places during our long weekends,” says Arindam. “We have faced no issues here in the city and we are sure it will stay that way. Touchwood!” sums up Arindam.