'The city gave us everything'

The charming character of the city convinced Soumyajit Dasgupta and Arunima Ray from Kolkata to make Bengaluru their home. The couple fell in love with the city for umpteen reasons and they believe that they would not feel as comfortable anywhere else as they do here.

Soumyajit works as a senior manager with EXL Analytics while Arunima works as a business analyst with Fiserv Analytics. After his initial education back home, Soumyajit went on to pursue an MSc Statistics from IIT Kanpur, before he got a job placement in Bengaluru. “My journey since then, both on the professional and the personal front, has been very exciting,” he says.  

 Arunima’s first stint with Bengaluru was when she came to do a bio-tech engineering course from Acharya Institute of Technology, after which she moved back to her hometown. She enjoyed her time here so much that she wanted to get married to someone who was settled in the city. “I had a lot of friends here and I knew most of the streets and localities in Bengaluru. I don’t think I know my hometown as well as I know this city,” says Arunima.

She adds, “The people here made it a smooth transition for us. The city gave us everything. It has given me my job, a great experience with my better half, a lot of good friends and our peaceful home. We can’t ask for more.”

Arunima has many pleasant memories of Bengaluru to narrate. “I was always impressed by our landowner at our earlier residence. He made us feel comfortable and would invite us home for festival celebrations. Whenever we wanted to travel, he would guide us and when he wasn’t accessible, he would make sure to arrange everything for us,” she says.

She adds that the city also has friendly and approachable teachers in its educational institutions. “The teachers here are excellent. They are always ready to help a student or sit down for a discussion,” says Arunima.

The couple have some great friends at their workplace and their apartment complex. “Our complex keeps hosting festive celebrations. I learnt here that ‘pongal’ should be traditionally prepared outdoors and that even salt and chips are considered an integral part of the ‘Onasadya’,” she says.

The couple also like the travel options available from the city and its proximity to many places, be it the hills or the beaches. “The city is well-connected to places like Coorg, Wayanad, Sakleshpur and Goa, each of which provide different experiences,” says Soumyajit.

When the two have some time to spare, they like indulging in varied cuisines. “We love Continental food and like visiting ‘The Only Place’ and ‘Smokehouse Deli’,” says Arunima. Soumyajit enjoys Mughlai food and doesn’t miss a chance to visit ‘Lazeez’ or ‘Aalishan’.

“We also go to Bengali restaurants like ‘Oh! Calcutta’, mostly on special occasions,” adds Arunima. She is fond of South Indian food and likes indulging in ‘akki rotti’ and ‘kesari bath’ apart from ‘idli’ and ‘dosa’. “When we visit Coorg or Sakleshpur, I gorge on the local cuisine,” she says.

For shopping, the couple enjoy going to Commercial Street and Jayanagar 4th Block. There is a fine line between modernity and traditions in the city, believes Soumyajit. “While the place has a youthful spirit, the people here are very traditional. Be it during festivals or simple ‘pujas’, Bengalureans make sure that all the details from the attire to the customs are followed ardently,” he says.

They believe that they wouldn’t find such a perfect balance anywhere else. “We love the city for all its distinct features and we are not moving anywhere else. I miss Bengaluru when I go back to my hometown. That explains a lot,” says Arunima with a smile.