JOIN USEmbracing a new culture
Work has brought many people to this charming city and that’s how Nitesh Godha from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, came here too. Working with an IT organisation as a principal member technical staff, Nitesh got married to Nidhi Shah, who is now the founder of N2Webtech.com, a City-based start-up, and they are happily settled here with their one-year-old son, Samyak.
Nitesh, who completed his basic education from Gwalior, moved to Vidisha, a city near Bhopal, to pursue engineering. After this, he did MTech from IIT-Kharagpur. “I came to Bengaluru on campus placement. The distance from home was a worry, but then the City welcomed me with its colourful culture,” he says. One of the worries that Nitesh had was that “North Indian food wouldn’t be readily available here”. He says, “But when I came here, the experience was different. I can vouch for the fact that all the good things in my life happened after I came to Bengaluru.”
Here, people are treated equally and Nitesh says that this accepting nature of the City, lures many. Also, “in cities like Delhi, most of our time goes travelling in traffic”. “The weather is also an added advantage in Bengaluru
comparing to any other city like Mumbai or Delhi,” adds Nidhi.
What impressed Nitesh about the City most is the different kinds of cuisines available here. “Be it Gandhi Bazaar, Yeshwanthpur or BTM Layout, the food differs accordingly. From North Indian food to dishes from across the world, everything is available here,” he says.
The culture of Bengaluru is very unique, observes Nitesh. “People back home aren’t aware of how much the world has grown, not just in the field of Information Technology but otherwise too. Opportunities are in abundance here. People who grow up in a City like Bengaluru, have a different thought process.” They “are more open-minded”, due to the exposure they get, vouches Nitesh.
He adds that “even the work-life balance is perfect here”, which helps in personal growth too.
“I was working here even before marriage and had fallen in love with the City back then itself. The safety and comfort factor of Bengaluru will always make me choose it over any other place. I wanted to settle down here and everything fell in place like I had hoped,” says Nidhi.
Compared to many other places, the night life is a safe possibility in the City, says Nitesh. “Even if I wish to go out at 11 pm, I can do it without any worry. People are very friendly and when something comes up, they are ready to extend a helping hand,” he says. He adds that they are genuinely loving and caring which the City a paradise to live in.
“The people make the ethos and the character of the City. Bengalureans are approachable. People here are not worried about getting into trouble, when they help others.” Nidhi adds that even when she is travelling in a bus, she has always been treated well and feels that respect for women is a top priority here.
Though the adjustment process included language problems, Nitesh’s friends advised him that he just needs to say “Kannada gothilla” and most people switch languages immediately.
“Most Bengalureans know English or Hindi, which has made our stay smooth here,” he says. Nitesh says that he was in fact surprised that most Bengalureans know or understand three to five languages. “I’ve also slowly learnt Kannada now,” he says with a smile.
When the family has some time to spare they go restaurant hopping. “I’m a foodie and thus trying different foods is my thing,” says Nitesh. The couple have also visited the Bannerghatta National Park, different museums and the ISKCON Temple. They proudly say that they rightly belong here.