JOIN USYoung couple, Jayasmita Dutta and John Choudhury, started their journey in the IT city a few years back. Jayasmita had heard pleasant stories from John about how dynamic the city was and she wanted to explore better educational opportunities. Thus, the couple, who hail from Silchar, Assam, made Bengaluru their home.
John works as a senior manager of bank alliances with an e-commerce website while Jayasmita works with GSK as a business excellence lead. They live here with their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Anokhi.
John chose to continue his studies in Bengaluru, after finishing schooling in his hometown, because of the weather which really suited his health. “The doctor advised me that Bengaluru would suit me well. I also got admission to the engineering course that I was looking for,” he says.
After his MBA, he got a job placement here after which he got married. Jayasmita, who came to Bengaluru to pursue her postgraduate degree, loved the city and felt it was the perfect place to settle in. “People back home look forward to moving here. From superior medical facilities to better educational and job opportunities, there’s a lot that makes this city the first choice for everyone,” she says.
Having lived in Silchar, Bengal and Pune (for graduation), moving to Bengaluru wasn’t a cultural shock for her. “In fact, there were beautiful surprises in store. The people here are free-spirited. I have always felt that I am not just living here but also thriving here. I have discovered many more things about life and myself in this city. It has helped me grow manifold,” she adds.
Jayasmita remembers many episodes which made her feel that there is a fine mix of modernity and traditions here. “The people here hold on to their culture and values strongly. However, I also became more fluent in English here,” she says.
John recollects some of the many incidents that convinced him about Bengaluru being the place he wanted to settle in. “I was looking for a house and a broker took me around and showed me a few houses. I wasn’t able to decide which one to go ahead with, so I told him that I would get back to him and he immediately told me that I could just go to the house owners directly and fix the deal. I asked him then how he was involved and he said that he wasn’t and that he just wanted to help me. This is how loving and warm the people here are,” he says.
The city helps in broadening one’s perspective towards life. “I love meeting new people but I wasn’t very fond of partying earlier. I learnt to step out of my comfort zone and interact more with people after coming to this city,” says Jayasmita. Though the couple hail from Assam, they do not hang out only with people from their community. John says, “We have friends from all over. This is the fun part about Bengaluru — it introduces one to many different cultures and people of different races.”
Of the things the couple had to adapt to, food was a challenge initially. John says, “But we have synced in so well that after our recent 10-day trip to Thailand, the first thing we wanted to do was have some ‘anna sambhar’. From rice and fish to ‘rajma chawal’, we have moved on to having ‘dosa’, ‘idli’ and ‘puliogare’ regularly now.”
Jayasmita adds that ‘curd rice’ is her comfort food now. “We have become used to having ‘vangi bath’ and other South Indian dishes as well. We like visiting the ‘darshinis’ here,” she adds.
Apart from restaurants like ‘Shivaji Military Hotel’ in Banashankari and ‘Rahhams’ in Fraser Town, the couple like visiting ‘Toit’ and other eateries in Indiranagar. They prefer visiting child-friendly places now though. “Thankfully, the city has umpteen options for that. We also enjoy the lung spaces in the city. We like visiting Bannerghatta National Park and strolling in Cubbon Park and all the other parks and playgrounds. Anokhi loves visiting parks and spending time outdoors,” says John. Jayasmita adds that she loves going to Commercial Street to shop.
John loves the city for the fact that it has helped shape his life. “I started my career here. Also, Jayasmita and I have lived here and we had our child here. The city has only gifted us beautiful memories to savour,” he adds.
They want to be in the city forever. “We have bought a house here now and there is no going back. The city has been so accepting that we wish to be loyal to it always,” says Jayasmita with a smile.