In the company of friends

The idiot box may be everyone’s bane but it isn’t easy to live without it. However, young couple Anand and Bela, who moved to Bengaluru from Nasik, Maharashtra, seven years ago, have consciously not bought themselves a television. They reason that they would rather spend their spare time exploring the City and interacting with their close circuit of friends rather than plonking themselves before the television.

 Anand landed in Bengaluru in 2008 when the IT industry was at its peak. He worked with Infosys for a while before he decided to move onto Computer Sciences Corporation. His wife Bela is an interior designer who ran her own firm in Nasik and hopes to start something similar here. After the birth of their son Ishan two and a half years ago, Bela took some time off.

  Recollecting his initial years in the City, Anand says, “After working in manufacturing and banking industries, I chose to try my luck in the IT world so, Bengaluru to me happened purely because of the opportunity to work with a global brand like Infosys.” Bela pitches in, saying, “The move was a lot easier for me. I had couple of close friends working in the field of interior designing here. So, I didn’t really have to give it a second thought. I had my own firm in Nasik and I am quite keen to continue it here.”

Anand feels that Bengaluru houses some of the most talented people who are not only well-informed in their respective professions but have also had the best exposure from across the world. The first challenge for any newcomer is to fit into this pool of talent. You have to either prove yourself or just be left out, feels Anand. “The only challenge that one may face is to match the talent requirement. For a company like Infosys, which was then known for its stringent hiring norms, I was lucky enough to get through in the first shot,” he says. Bela adds that it took her sometime to understand the local market.

The couple has managed to strike the perfect balance between work and personal interests, and travel tops their list of holiday plans.

They find the slightest of excuse to pack their bags and head out to explore places in and around the City. The weekends are reserved for the family, says Anand. The couple either spends their weekend watching movies, exploring new eating joints or shopping.

“Long weekends are meant for packing the bags to head out to a new attraction outside the City. But now, we spend most of our time in our apartment, thanks to its scenic and peaceful location and a good company of friends,” narrates Anand. Bela has been busy since the baby arrived but she makes sure she takes time off with the little one just strolling around the malls, parks or simply going on a long drive.

It’s the vibrancy of the City and its people that has impressed the couple. They also point out that Bengaluru has a plethora of North Indian food joints, but very few offer the authentic taste.

“I haven’t found a single joint so far that offers authentic Maharashtrian dishes like ‘misal pav’ and ‘poha’. But I relish other cuisines too — right from South Indian to Italian, Mexican and Vietnamese. No matter which part of the country I am in, breakfast has moved from ‘parathas’ and ‘pohas’ to ‘dosas’ and ‘idlis’,” beams Anand.

Mention traffic and the couple say that they too have had their taste of traffic jams in Bengaluru. “The City lacks a well-connected public transport system,” observes Anand. Bela adds, “The bus, auto and cab drivers are the worst when it comes to driving. If educated and literate people like us do not care for the traffic rules, what can you expect from the others.” She feels a change in the mindset could help improve the traffic situation.

While Bela enjoys the rains in the City, Anand feels it is the warm and accommodating nature of people living here that attracts people from different parts of the country and world almost everyday.