Surviving the change

But along with the big dreams that the City promises, one has to watch out for the minor pitfalls faced by many who relocate to the City. They are in this race to make it big in an environment that is entirely new to them. It is the survival of the fittest.

Meghana, a first year student of MBA in Christ College  who hails from Mangalore, says, “The difference in mindset and opinion is very evident. When I came here first, I realised you can’t be soft-spoken and mild in your attitude and behaviour. If you want to have an edge over others, you ought to change the way you deal with people.” Being from a small town where people were much more calm and reticent, she says she took her time to get adjusted to the life and people here.

“In the first few months, a few of us used to feel sidelined by the people who have lived here all their life. They seemed to have an upper hand over us in terms of exposure to various facilities. But now I have managed to cope with the competition. In order to survive, one has to be bold and outspoken,” she added.

While moving to Bangalore some face a culture shock of sorts as there is a sea-change in the way people live and do things. But many find the restriction-free life it promises appealing as it gives them a chance to be independent. Nishita, working with IBM India, shifted base from Shillong to Bangalore six months back and during this time, she adjusted well to what Bangalore has to offer. She says, “The main difference I  felt was that Bangaloreans are more open-minded and there are no restrictions. And most importantly, I like the nightlife here, which is non-existent in Shillong.”

But it takes a while for the big city life to seep into the lifestyle of many. Coming from a conservative city like Mangalore, Vardha who studies in Jain University says, “It was very difficult for me to adapt to the new lifestyle but it has been a learning phase of sorts.” But she says you learn to live here the hard way. “You need to be street smart or else people will take you for a ride. You cannot trust anyone here in Bangalore,” she says.

 Though these girls have blended well with the Bangalorean style of living, there are a handful of them who get carried away by all the luxuries that come their way.

As Nikhil, who has been living here for 21 years, says, “The City is very liberal. You have a lot of pubs, discotheques, music and parties and people who have not experienced these before seem to go overboard with it and that shows Bangalore in a bad light.”

But to say the least, the City teaches us a lot in its own way and living life in the fast lane has become a necessity.