'People are very helpful here'

Expat zone

It was work that brought Hans-Guenter Loffler, Deputy Consul-General of Germany in Bangalore, to the City. Now, after spending over a year here, he has many pleasant things to say about the City.

Hans, who promotes relations between Germany and India, says Bangalore is the perfect place where such co-operation can happen, economically and culturally. For him, it is both the IT capital and the capital of contemporary dance. “Your culture, dances and way of living have been of great interest to many Germans who have come here. Even now, we can find many young Germans who want to come to the City for internship, education and to explore the City.”

The climate is one of the many things that he likes about this place. “The weather here is very pleasant which is not the same in Madrid, where I was working before coming here. It is very dry there and there are not many trees. In contrast, here, you have so many big trees. This is an incomparable treasure.”

But what he feels is the best asset of Bangalore is its people who are very friendly and helpful. He asserts, “A place can be judged from its people and this is one of the best things that Bangalore has. People are very helpful here. Whenever we are looking for some place, there is always somebody who is willing to help us find the place. This is very pleasant.” He says he has not faced any sort of problem in the City so far.

Which are the places he likes to visit very often? He says, “I mostly go to UB City because there are so many nice restaurants there. But what I love the most are the parks.

Indiranagar is another favourite place as it is full of trees and developed. I love shopping for handicraft and wooden carvings. You even get the best fabrics here,” he adds.

One concern which he has about the City is its growing population and the rapid developments that it has seen in the past few years. He compares this to what
happened in Berlin many years ago. Voicing his concern about  rapid urbanisation, he says, “The population here is going to multiply in a couple of years, and when I tell this to my friends in Germany, nobody believes it. It happened in Germany too. But the rate at which Bangalore is growing is not seen in any other country. Of course, it is a very big
challenge for town planners, politicians and even for the layman. There should be
infrastructure to match that growth.”

The Metro rail is something he is looking forward to. But is he disappointed by the delay? He replies, “The Metro work is very complex and hence it requires a lot more time. If they take a few more months, it is not a big deal as long it is safe to travel in it.”

According to him, Bangalore is an ideal place to live in, one of the reasons is its cosmopolitan nature.

He says, “This is another fascinating fact about Bangalore. People from all parts of the country come here for education and work. Colour, religion, caste do not matter here. I visited a few companies and institutions, and I noticed that this distinction just doesn’t exist.”