'The city taught us to co-exist'

It was in 2015 that Tamal Paul and wife Vedaprana Purkayasta, who hails from Guwahati, along with their daughter Aditri, made  Bengaluru their home.  Tamal works as a project manager with Infosys while Vedaprana is an entrepreneur.    

"The city has a magic of its own. You always love the city which  blesses you with lovely friends and happy stories," he says.

Vedaprana likes to call Bengaluru 'the cool city'. "Having lived in a two-tier city, moving to a much bigger one brings its own issues but it was really easy to adjust here," she says.    

"The city does not tie one down with communication problems or other cultural factors, thanks to its cosmopolitan nature," says Tamal. "Bengaluru has so much to offer in terms of cultural exchange and has taught us to co-exist," she says.  

 "Initially, when I was working in a college, I remember how my colleagues were curious to know where I was from and where I bought my cotton saris from.  They were also excited to share my lunch," she  recollects.    

The city offered Tamal the best on the professional front. "For anyone in the IT industry, this is  the place to be," he says. But that is not all. "The medical facilities here and the city's living standard are top notch. After living abroad for sometime, we could think of no other city  that could match international standards than Bengaluru," says Vedaprana.

The couple are equally impressed by the  places around the city like Kolar.  Travelling is one of their pastimes and they love visiting Yercaud and Wayanad which are not too far either. "The city also has so much to offer; it has great malls, delightful restaurants and attractive green spaces to relax at. We take Aditri to Lalbagh and Cubbon Park often as it is a welcome break from the busy day-to-day life,"  says Vedaprana.  

As far as food is concerned, Tamal likes to dig into North Indian food at 'Buff Buffet Buff', Koramangala or South Indian delicacies at A2B. "During our weekends, we go for breakfast options like 'Idli', 'Dosa' and 'Vada," he adds. Vedaprana picks out South Indian  meals as her favourite. "From curd rice to 'sambhar', I relish it all," she adds.    

The couple strongly believe that  Bengaluru has offered them "one of the best phases of their lives".

"These days, most of our weekends are spent in getting our new house, which is under construction, ready. We are at home and we would like to be here forever," says Tamal.