Feeling safe and at home

The City’s warm-natured people and lovely climate has made many people explore work opportunities and make it their home. It was this accepting nature of the people here that won Kaushik Bose and wife Ananya over.

Kaushik, who works as a team leader with the R&D department of Nokia Networks, and wife Ananya, who works as a contract analyst with Quintiles, are both from West Bengal. Kaushik is from Hamiltonganj, Jalpaiguri and Ananya is from Dum Dum Park.

Kaushik says that working here has been a great experience. “I have worked in Delhi and Kolkata, but I wanted to move to R&D. This is why I chose to come here. People are more career-oriented here.” He adds that in Kolkata, most of the time, there would often be no strict work timings unlike here. Ananya too loves her work environment.

“My company is very employee-friendly. People are very professional in their outlook. Things are a bit casual in Kolkata. Also I have more opportunities to work here in the field I am from,” she says.

Ananya came to the City after her marriage to Kaushik. “I was in Kolkata before this and when I came to Bengaluru, I realised that the City is hassle-free. People are very politically inclined in Kolkata and some or the other issues keep raking up. Bengaluru is a calm and peaceful place,” she says.

She feels that people concentrate more on their own lives and careers here.  “The weather also is so pleasant here. In Kolkata, it is so humid and one feels very uneasy. It’s so nice and beautiful here,” she adds.

They say that the people here are from various backgrounds, which makes them more accepting. “They speak Hindi or English, unlike other places, which has worked well for us. They are always ready to mingle with others,” says Ananya.

“In Kolkata, one would mostly find Bengalis working in your company, but there are people from different places here. My colleagues often share stories of their homes and hometowns, which has expanded our view of the world.”

However, he says that not many people in Bengaluru know about the North and the North-East. “People might know cities like Delhi and Kolkata but not beyond that. Most people don’t know that there are many other states in the North and North-East,” he says with a smile.

During the festive seasons, the couple try to go home. But there have been time when they have celebrated festivals with the Bengali Association here. “It is a grand affair here but I do miss my family and the sweets,” he says. Talking more about food, he says that the ‘chaats’ available here are quite different. “They aren’t as nice or tasty as in the North.”

Kaushik isn’t impressed with the autowallahs here either.  “In other cities, there are share auto services, but here this is not a possibility. But the bus transport system is fine,” he says.
 
The couple usually hang out at the malls, when they have some time to spare. “Bengaluru has great malls. We go to Total Mall or Phoenix MarketCity when we just want to spend some time outside,” says Ananya.

Safety has always been a concern wherever you stay. “I have never felt threatened in the City. It is safe compared to most cities. People don’t mess with women here. They are generally more respectful,” Ananya sums up.