Far from the madding crowd

Bangaloreans are always looking for a holiday thanks to the busy lives that they lead. Ganesha Chaturthi, that falls on a Friday this year, has offered them the much-needed break.

Most professionals are heading out for the three-day holiday to places in and around the City like Mysore, Bandipur and Coorg.

Reeve Passanna, a student of St Joseph’s College of Business Administration, is looking forward to spending time with his family in his hometown, Mangalore. “It has been a while since I went home. So I am quite excited. I will be hitting the spas and relaxing on the beach,” he exclaims. “I want to feel rejuvenated and relish some home food. I may even go to Malpe, which is the party hub of that area,” he adds.

For the working crowd, it’s an excuse to spend time with family. Giri Chittur and wife Roshni Venkatesan, both corporate professionals, are driving down to Mysore with Giri’s parents and brother. The family will be taking a trip around the majestic city and its equally beautiful neighbour Srirangapatna.

“We are planning to visit the usual tourist places in Mysore like Mysore Palace, KRS, zoo and Chamundi Hills. On the way back, we will explore Srirangapatna and Ranganthittu Bird Sanctuary,” says Giri. They will be staying at one of the clubs in Mysore.

The IT crowd, in search of a longer holiday, is travelling across the country. Vineet Angadi Hiremath, who works in Bosch, is all set to go to Kashmir and Leh. “I am going with an adventure group. We plan to visit places in Kashmir first like Srinagar and Kargil before heading to Leh. We will be staying in tents over there. We will be doing the camel safari and white water rafting,” he says.

Nithyananda, a businessman who runs a water treatment company, is all set to take a break from his routine and head to the forests.

 “We are heading to Sathyamangalam forest and will also drop in at the Kari Sports Track in Coimbatore for a quick drag racing competition with my friends before we head back,” says Nithyananda. Vishal, another professional, is more than looking forward to his 900km long drive.

“We will camp in the forest at night. That in itself is an experience and we never end our trip without a round of Ambur ‘biryani’,” says Vishal. Hotels are completely booked for the season.

 Says Ashok, Front Office Manager, Hotel Pai Vista, Mysore, “The occupancy is currently 80 per cent. We got a lot of bookings last minute. Most of our customers come from Bangalore only.”