'I want to learn more about Kannada literature'

Karsten Becker, a youngster from Germany, fell in love with Bangalore because of its vibrant and cosmopolitan appeal. 

He is working at Max Mueller Bhavan and says that he loves the people here for their helpful and approachable attitude. 

“This is my first trip to India and I spend a lot of time travelling around the City. Bangalore is a very nice place and the weather is perfect. I had been to Hampi a while back and it was extremely hot there. I like everything here — the people are nice, the food is delicious and the most intriguing part is that people here eat with their hands. This is something unique and extremely interesting,” explains Karsten.

Unlike many other expats, who prefer popular hotels and restaurants, he likes to have his meals at small, cheap eateries. 

“I love the thalis. They have a wide variety of dishes and I think they are sumptuous. I live in New Thippasandra with a family and they have been very helpful. Staying with them has also given me a chance to taste authentic South Indian cuisine. I have grown very fond of my friends and people here. I like my work and thanks to that, I have met some very good people,” he adds.

However, he also points out that he abhors the traffic in the City. 

“The traffic jams here are very tiring. The chaos and the noise are terrible. People honk frequently, even when it is not required. Bangaloreans can do without the horns,” he says.

Karsten is amazed by the fact that even a commoner on the roads of the City is dressed in such a colourful fashion. “I am astounded to see that people here are so colourful.

 They wear colourful clothes, jewellery and the ambience is even brighter on the outskirts. What makes me feel special is that everyone here shows a lot of interest in my work and my thesis on the German author Franz Kafka.

 I have met many people who know about him and have even read books written by him. I want to learn more about Kannada literature and currently, I am trying to learn the language,” he adds.

Karsten is an avid traveller and has seen much of the City. “I have been to popular public spaces like Cubbon Park and Lalbagh. Lalbagh is a very pretty place and the officials have done a great job in its upkeep and maintenance. But what bothered me the most were the stray dogs around the area. In fact, I have been chased and almost attacked by them at night while walking to the bus stand,” he says.

He hails from a small village called Regulshausen in Germany and says that this is his first experience of living in a big city. “The village I come from has around 1,000 inhabitants and the town where my college is located is not as vast as Bangalore.

 I have two brothers and a sister and my village is situated amid a lot of greenery. My mother still lives in the village and her 50th birthday is coming up. A present is on its way to Germany,” says Karsten with a smile.

Though he misses German beer, he is full of praises for some of pubs that he has visited here. We don’t have such great pubs back home. I was pleasantly surprised by the beer I was served at one of them.

It was amazing — they had their own brewery and I loved the beer there. I hang out with my friends quite often and we squeeze time out of our busy schedules to spend some time with each other,” he notes.

For now, he is all set to travel across the rest of the country and make the most of his time here. 

“I want to travel a bit more and see more of India, especially the North,” he sums up.