Embracing the goodness

Bengaluru has always welcomed people who come here to pursue their goals, be it their education or career. The story of Mintoo and Sangeeta Kakati, who hails from Guwahati, is no different.

It was a change in job that  made Mintoo, who now works with an e-commerce company, to shift to Bengaluru along with his family in 2013. The couple has a 3-year-old daughter Aarhi.

“The crowd in Bengaluru is young and forward-looking with a global mindset. There are settlers here from around the world. Most of the work  generated here are through these young minds,” says Mintoo. “The good thing about Bengaluru is that it has a cosmopolitan outlook and people  keep themselves up-to-date with global trends in every area,” he adds.

The family also enjoys the weather here.  Mintoo says, “I had opportunities to work in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Kolkata but the weather here is the best. May be that is one of the reasons that many companies are shifting their offices here and so are people settling down in the city,” he adds.

Ask how Bengaluru is different from Guwahati and  Sangeeta says, “Guwahati has  mainly three large communities — Assamese, Marwadis and Bengalis. However, in Bengaluru, one can see a diverse range of communities and cultures. Meeting new people from various walks of life and cultures offers a different kind of exposure.”

 “But as the saying goes — ‘home is where the heart is’ — Guwahati has its own charm. While Guwahati is gifted with a lot of natural resources like oil and tea, and the beautiful landscapes, Bengaluru, on the other hand, is a hub of opportunities,” she adds.

The couple miss the food cooked back home and festivals like ‘Bihu’, ‘Holi’ and ‘Durga Puja’. Ask how they manage their traditional food here? “We are die hard rice lovers, and cannot do without it. Though my wife cooks amazing food at home, but there are days when we crave for a mouthful of the traditional meal. On those days, we trust our Assamese friends to invite us over for food,” Mintoo laughs. 

Here in Bengaluru, they do mall-hopping or go for long drives during the weekends to escape the traffic. They also enjoy the food at roadside ‘dhabas’ whenever they can.

“Our weekends are usually about spending time with family. It could be either eating out or throwing house parties for our friends,” he adds. “‘Gam’s Delicacy’ is our favourite Assamese restaurant and we often go there. Other than this, if we are in the mood for pure vegetarian food, we visit ‘Sattvam’ and ‘Rajdhani’ and binge on the ‘thali’. ‘Smoke House Deli’ and ‘Chili’s’ are other joints we frequently visit,” says Sangeeta.

Throwing light on how the food of both the cities is poles apart, Sangeeta says, “If we look at the authentic South Indian food, the whole preparation is different. Right from the oil they use to the spices and seasonings, like the curry leaves, everything is absolutely different. In Assamese cuisine, we purely use mustard oil for cooking and even the food itself is less spicy than the food we experience here. Moreover, when it comes to the presentation of a dish, the food is traditionally served in ‘kah’ (bell metal utensil) in Assam, which is replaced by the banana leaf and steel utensils here.”

Talk of holiday and they take off to Goa and have a good time playing with the sand and surf. Aarhi also loves being there as she can run around freely. “Coorg, Mysuru, Nagarahalli and Bandipur are some of our favourite spots. We enjoy being in the lap of nature,” says Sangeeta.