Food, fun and frolic

Life's a picnic

A checked bedsheet, a cane basket filled with sandwiches, snacks and drinks, a frisbee, football or  badminton rackets — just few of the things one would take if they are going on a picnic. With the busy lifestyle that one leads these days, it’s almost impossible to recreate those days.

As years have gone by, the culture of going on picnics is also diminishing. On the occasion of International Picnic Day, Bengalureans talk about recreating these memories and have fun with their friends.

Sinoi Daniel Mathai, a consultant, loves planning picnics with his friends. He says, “It was important to me that the picnic took place in Cubbon Park. I go running there every Sunday and it’s absolutely beautiful. It was difficult to bring my friends together, but we had a wonderful time with lots of food, drinks and games. The weather was lovely too.”

There’s also Denver

D’Souza, a sales manager, who enjoys going to Cubbon Park for picnics. He says, “We usually go on Sundays when there are other activities like dog clubs, laughter clubs, and other group meetings taking place. We would plan a day out with lots of food, couple games and maybe even participate in the activities of the clubs that are meeting.”

Though Cubbon Park is the standard destination for picnics, Neha, the creative director of ‘Tile Italia Pebbles’, tried to go to Lalbagh for a day out. Unfortunately, one isn’t allowed to bring outside food and stay as long as they want, like in Cubbon Park. She says, “When I was young, I remember my parents taking us to Cubbon Park, Lalbagh and even the zoo for a picnic. It was so much fun because we’d have this colourful bedsheet and delicious food. Recently, my girlfriends and I went to Cubbon Park to recreate that. We brought our own food and made a wonderful day out of it.”

Even though Bengaluru is known as the Garden City, it does not offer everything one needs for a picnic: a barbecue grill and parks, for example. “The concept of picnics is dead to the younger generation as they are always glued to their gadgets. And for those who do come to the park, they buy food from the stalls, walk around for a bit and leave quickly. That’s not really what one would call a picnic,” says Denver.

Alysha Lobo, a marketing manager, agrees. She says, “There’s no place to actually go out and have a picnic in the city anymore. My friend, Tarun and I, stumbled upon Hesaraghatta Lake and Devarayanadurga (both short drives from the city) to spend a day out. My friends and I went with my dogs to these locations with food and drinks.” For Alysha, picnics were the best when she was in Goa.

“Though there aren’t any parks there, we would spend all day at the beach, play games, eat lots of food, get sunburnt and come back home with smiles on our faces. Picnics to the younger generation today is only when they see ‘Yogi bear’ go out with his checked bedsheet and picnic basket.”

Even with the diminishing practice of going out for a peaceful day out, those who are aware of it try to make the best of what they can.

As Sinoi says, “Parks are the lungs of the city, it’s where you get to relax and breathe some fresh air. When we are so busy during the weekdays, a few hours in the weekend at the park is just what we all need to unwind. A picnic is just the way to do it.”