JOIN USIn sync with a culture
Like many others who came to the city with the hope of making it big, Raman Shukla from Kanpur and wife Richa Dixit from Lucknow too landed here four years back.
The couple moved to Bengaluru for professional reasons and have not looked back since Raman, who always wanted to start something of his own, is currently the founder and director of an online healthcare platform called ‘Medikoe’, along with his partner Sreevalsan Menon. Richa works with Tata Consultancy Services. The couple says that Bengaluru has given them the much-needed exposure and experience that they might not have got anywhere else.
“Bengaluru is different from my hometown in many ways. The opportunities that the city has blessed us with are tremendous. What keeps us going despite the traffic and long hours at work is the pleasant weather; the similar mindset of people although they hail from different regions and are working in different fields. This accepting nature of the people has made the city unique,” points out Raman.
Though the city has given them moments to cherish and plenty of friends, they do miss their hometown and their families there. The couple also admits to having fallen in love with the South Indian cuisine. “I have worked in cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Delhi but the kind of work culture that people follow here is something that I have never experienced before and I love it. They work hard and are committed to their work despite the fact that most people in the workspace are from outside the city. Everyone here speaks the same language of work and enjoyment. And there is a respect for different cultures and practices as every festival is celebrated with equal enthusiasm. There are hardly any biases in the workspace here,” says Raman.
They also love to explore new restaurants in the city, especially those in Koramangala, Indiranagar, HSR Layout and MG Road. “Whenever we get time, we either relish Andhra cuisine at ‘Nagarjuna’ or North-Indian food at ‘Punjabi Rasoi’ and ‘Helloo Delhi’,” says Richa.
So what does she like best about the city? “Food has to be the foremost thing. Until I came here, I did not know that there are so many varieties of ‘dosas’, ‘idlis’ and ‘chutneys’ to explore. It is amazing to see the different types of rice that we get here, I was unaware about this when I was in Lucknow,” she says. The second thing that she likes about the place is its people. “They are simple, straightforward and extremely helpful. Even the auto drivers and domestic helps try to communicate in the language one speaks which makes a person new to the city comfortable. I am blessed to have experienced so many different cultures in my life,” says Richa. With her hectic work schedule and Raman’s new venture, the couple gets only the weekend to themselves (precisely, two Sundays of a month). Hence they prefer to spend their time mostly indoors and catch up with each other’s past week.
Sometimes they also call their friends over for a meal or two or take a drive around the city. “We either watch a movie at home or try out a new restaurant. If it is a long weekend, we take part in different activities or visit places in and around the city — like Jayanagar for shopping, Mysuru Road for adventure sports and popular food joints. In the past four years, we have visited almost all the popular attractions, but there is a lot more left. Richa wants to visit the Lalbagh and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, so that is next on our list,” shares Raman.
Weekends for them are also about watching matches on television. “Since both of us like badminton, we have a lot of discussion on these games. My wife is also a great swimmer and a badminton player, so I play a game or two with her sometimes,” says Raman. Despite the hectic work schedules, the couple makes sure to divide their time for different things to do over the weekend yet spend quality time with each other.