Beyond the boundaries

Melting pot

Many people consider Bengaluru to be a place with good education and career prospects. This is why they like to settle down here.

Bhavik Shah, who works as a Solutions Architect with IBM, moved from Ahmedabad to Bengaluru for his education and stayed on to build a steady career.  His wife, Shreya, who is also from his hometown and daughters Chiranshi and Dhruvi, love the City for its vibrant and welcoming nature.

“It has been more than a decade since I came here. I came to pursue my PUC and then did my engineering course at MVJ College of Engineering, Whitefield. After this, I got placed in IBM and simultaneously completed MTech from Bangalore Institute of Technology.

It has been a great learning experience,” says Bhavik. He adds that it wasn’t a hard decision to move here as his mother was brought up in Bengaluru and he had family here. “Since I knew the background of the City, I was convinced.”

The couple say that they have never felt like outsiders here. “People have always been very welcoming. Be it in our apartment complex or elsewhere, they are always ready to help,” she says. Bhavik recollects his college days and how his friends helped him adapt to the City. “The people of Bengaluru are so loving and accommodating,” he says.

Initially, many people at work would curiously ask him many things about the Gujarati culture. “People would ask me why Gujarati food is always so sweet. And I would quickly reply, ‘That’s because Gujarati people are very sweet’,” he laughs.

The food hasn’t been a big adjustment for Bhavik. “I love the varieties of rice here. The different ‘dosas’ you get here are lip-smacking too. There is probably no place in the country that has better ‘dosas’ than the ones available here,” he says.

 Shreya adds with a smile that it is saddening how sometimes ‘idli’ and ‘dosa’ are the only food one can order and get fast at an eatery. “I still love them though,” she says.

He adds that the weather is another advantage of staying in the City. The couple love the greenery here too. “There are many parks and places one can visit. I also love the lakes here,” says Bhavik.

They say that they miss the grand celebrations that one can see back home during ‘Navaratri’. “Though people do celebrate ‘Deepavali’ well here, other festivals like ‘Holi’ are not that big,” Bhavik points out. He adds that the nightlife also was disappointing till last year. “There was a lot missing. But now I’m glad that we have a longer deadline,” he says.

The language barrier was a problem earlier but Bhavik clarifies that now, he can speak and understand the language. “I can’t write or read still but I can manage,” he says. “The people are very adjusting,” he adds.

Shreya says that among the many reasons that the family chose to stay in Bengaluru, one is the high quality of education. “For kids, this is the best place,” she adds. “I have everything that I need in the City and we are so comfortable that we have never thought of going back,” Bhavik sums up with a smile.