Leaving the hills behind

Bangalore has always embraced people from other States who come here in pursuit of a better life. Those from diverse linguistic backgrounds, who are settled here, share their unique culture and talk about their experiences in this city.

 Far away from the beautiful hills and rivers of Assam, Dhiraj Talukdar has adjusted to the skyscrapers and malls of Bangalore. Dhiraj, who has been in the City for seven years now, describes Bangalore as a ‘home away from home’.

Dhiraj came here in 2006 to study Masters in Computer Applications at CMRIMS. “The climate here is just like that of Assam — Extremely pleasant and welcoming. The City is very warm and friendly to people from other states. It is safe for women and has opportunities for employment.”

He also compares Bangalore to his hometown, Barama in terms of scope for growth. “Most of the facilities in Assam are owned by the government. Hence, the state is high on social indicators like health and education, which is not a good sign always. Qualified and educated youth from Assam go to other states in search of work.”

He enjoys the work culture here but like any other resident, Dhiraj finds the traffic chaotic due to the large population and commuting difficult because of lack of proper connectivity of the Metro system and feeder buses. He adds that he doesn’t face any sort of discrimination.

“I like Bangalore because of the crowd. The people here are very welcoming, well-informed. The City is also quite happening because of the young crowd,” says Tapashi, his fiance.

She adds that though she misses her home, Guwahati, she wants to be here for her career as she feels Bangalore has a lot of opportunities. Dhiraj is also a part of the Assam Society in Bangalore, which promotes the growth of Assamese culture and celebrates festivals like ‘Bihu’ and ‘Durga Puja’ with the rest of the members of the community. He is currently developing a website to promote tourism in Assam.

He  Tapashi, usually take trips outside the City for vacations. “In Bangalore, there are only malls and shopping centres as weekend getaways so we usually go to places like Commercial Street or Phoenix MarketCity. Outside the City, we go to places like Nandi Hills or the Art of Living Centre, off Kanakapura Road.”

He also feels that more Assamese restaurants should come up here as there is only one here. So the couple mainly go to Punjabi and Bengali restaurants. He adds that for the development in Assam, the tourism and corporate sector should grow as it is what everyone looks for in a globalised economy.

 “Universities are developing there which is a positive factor but what I miss most is my home. However, I can’t complain. I have grown a lot in the City over seven years and coming here is a turning point. It has changed my perspective as I have learnt a lot here. Bangalore is my second home,” he sums up.