'Indian food is very healthy'

Expat zone

It was more than 30 years ago that Adrian Cavinder from England fell in love with India. Much later, he decided to settle down in Bangalore. Since then, there has been no looking back for this Englishman and he loves every moment that he has spent here.

Now an educationist, he is the vice-principal of Asia Pacific World School.

“I first came to India in the eighties with some of my friends from the UK. Back then, I had the same image that any tourist would have of India. I landed in Mumbai and then we came to Mysore. I was spellbound with the beauty and grandeur of the place. I saw the palace and Nandi Hills. That is when I fell head over heels in love with India. In 1983, I visited Chennai where I met my wife Tina, who is from Goa.

It was love at first sight and within two weeks, we decided to marry each other,” he recounts.

His association with Bangalore started when he used to come down from Mysore for shopping.

After that, he shifted to Hyderabad and Chennai and spent some years there. Eventually, he decided to make Bangalore his home.

“I have six children — two of them are married and live abroad. The other four live here and all of them love Bangalore. We have lived in Jayanagar, Koramangala and now, we are in HSR Layout. When we lived in Koramangala, it was considered to be a satellite town of Bangalore and now, it has a huge population,” he says.

His children Joseph, Benjamin, Richard, Atlanta, Amanda and Preston have grown up in the City and the family often comes together for holidays.

He prefers being with youngsters. “I was always interested in education and have always taught kids. I put my daughter in this school and offered my services soon after. I love teaching children and would like nothing better. Apart from that, I also enjoy hanging out with my friends. I have quite a few in the City and we visit each other often,” he says.
He adds, “We are not avid restaurateurs but my family and I relish all types of cuisines. I am not too keen on spicy food but we do try a blend of East and West. I like Punjabi food and since we are members of the HSR Club, we go there pretty often. Indian food is very healthy and we eat

different varieties of food. I also like eating biryani,” he notes. Tina adds, “We have tried out many hotels and restaurants here. The City has a good variety of food.”

The couple like visiting friends and trying out new things.

“We would rather have a couple of friends at home, whether Indian or expat. I also have a small biking club and enjoy riding with my friends,” he adds.

Adrian explains that Bangalore has its positives and negatives like any other City but he would rather look at the brighter side.

“The grass is always greener on the other side — everything in the City can improve. One can be critical about the garbage and potholes but I would like to think that things are improving and the City has a lot of potential. Education, for instance, can be simplified and instead of having so many boards of education, there should be one board to simplify things. I feel that it is important to address the issue and not just find faults.”

“Bangalore has improved by leaps and bounds and people now have a better lifestyle. There is a decent rise in the middle class and it is concentrating on education. The other day, when I was passing through Koramangala, I saw some civilians and army officers cleaning the roads. I was highly impressed and feel that these kind of efforts should be expanded to other areas. There is no reason why Bangalore cannot become ‘the’ city of the country. It has excellent weather and a very cosmopolitan ambience. I have visited several places like Yercaud, Kodaikanal and Goa and simply love them,” he notes.