Bengaluru has received many with open arms and welcomed them into its green surroundings and pleasant weather. Pramod Kala who grew up in Dimapur, Nagaland and has roots in Rajasthan, lives here with his wife Suman, who grew up in Ranchi, and kids Priyanshu and Suhani. They proudly call themselves Bengalureans and say this is home for them.
Pramod is the proprietor of Carkemp, a car accessories showroom and Kala-G, a car seat cover manufacturing unit. “I chose to move because of the work opportunity here. I wanted to set up a business and Bengaluru being a developing City, was perfect for it,” says Pramod.
He adds that it was easy to settle down because of the City’s accepting nature. “We were never treated like outsiders. They have always been very welcoming.” There is a lot of distress back in Nagaland and “it is a blessing to be in a calm place” like Bengaluru, he says. “A lot of people have migrated from there as the law and order situation there is terrible.”
Though hailing from Nagaland, Pramod did his senior school education in Chennai and his graduation from Rajasthan. “Since, I had moved around a bit, adjusting to Bengaluru was easy. The best part here is that when people know that I am from the North or that I talk in Hindi, they try to adjust accordingly. There is no compulsion to fit in. Most people know different languages and they communicate accordingly,” says Pramod. He adds that the people here are very friendly. “Even if you ask an autorickshaw driver for directions or some help, they are always ready to go the extra mile.”
Some of Pramod’s family members who had visited Bengaluru, suggested the City to him as an option to settle down. “They told me about how the City is a perfect cosmopolitan setup and how it is a place of opportunities.” He does miss his family who are still in Dimapur, but says that he has a large circle of friends now. “We also have a lot of friends here,” say Priyanshu and Suhani.
“Safety is a concern for everyone and Bengaluru is known to be safe. We have not faced any untoward incidents here,” says Suman. She adds that in Ranchi, women face eve-teasing, and she feels like she is in a free country now. “People here have a broader mindset and they respect women,” she says.
Of the many things they love about the City, the weather tops the list. Suman says, “Summers are terrible elsewhere and one wouldn’t want to step out of home. But I love the summers here.” Often friends and colleagues would ask Pramod where he was from and it was amusing to hear their responses.
“They would often ask if Nagaland was in India. Most of them thought that it was another country. Some have even asked if one has to take a ship to reach the place. But people are more informed now,” he says. When asked if the family misses anything, when they are kilometres away from home, Pramod says, “We have settled in well and Bengaluru is a big part of us.” Suman
says that she misses some of the typical North Indian specialities and that many North Indian dishes here have a South Indian twist. “But we love South-Indian food,” she sums up.
