I have written so many things that I have come to like about Bangalore that I feel I need to also write about stuff that I don't, just to balance it out. No this is not one of those days when I feel nostalgic about Delhi. It's quite strange but I hardly think of the city that I was born and brought up in. I am ultra comfortable in Bangalore now. There was a time I used to wonder how any one can live outside Delhi. Now I know the answer. My friends in Delhi who were not very happy about my relocation to Bangalore would constantly find fault with this city that I now live in and would make fun of it. I have to say to them - yes the samosas are BAD but they are not made in coconut oil and don't have curry leaves.
That brings me to the first serious issue I have with Bangalore. There are not enough food joints to please the north indian palate. No great sweet shops, no haldiram n biknerwala kind of outlets for chaat cravings. The nukkad ka halwai in every mohalla of Delhi serves better jalebis than you can hope to get anywhere in Bangalore. I have developed a lot of respect for the chain of Agarwal (or is it Aggarwal) sweet shops found in every nook and corner of NCR since I moved to Bangalore. There was a time I wouldn't give them a second look. There is no place here that serves butter chicken even a millionth fraction as good as Swagath (Chandigarh) butter chicken used to be; and the best dal makhni this city serves would not find even a passing mention in Delhi Times food guide. The best quality Paneer in Bangalore is chewy and no self respecting ex-delhite would touch that thing. There are a few outlets in Bangalore that do claim to sell paneer sourced from Delhi. I love the idea of a 787 size cargo plane full of delicious soft paneer from Delhi landing in Bangalore. Or even a cargo plane full of besan or boondi laddoos... Sweet dreams are made of this... Sigh! But I can't even dream of ever finding the kind of Mutton Kebabs that Qureshis (a small outlet in Gurgaon with footpath seating option) would serve, in the best eating joints of Bangalore. With absolute foodies as my closest friends, all my happy Gurgaon memories are about all of us eating out. I miss my friends and I miss having some amazing food with them. The next time anyone is coming to Bangalore from Delhi, please get me some samosas and laddoos. I shall be indebted for life.
The second issue I have with Bangalore is that it has killed my passion to drive. It's not just that I miss the feel of driving on NH8 in the middle of the night - the speed, the thrill. It's also the sheer pleasure of driving on a weekend through Akbar Road, Aurangzeb Road, Lodhi Road-Khan Market, Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, Rajpath, Nelson Mandela Marg and the likes. Delhi kept my love for driving alive despite the long traffic jams. I crave for a drive as beautiful, and roads as good and smooth. I miss racing my diesel Verna with the Metro from Mayur Vihar 1 till Akshardham station while on my way to office. I miss watching airplanes from NH8, flying over my car and landing at the airport. Driving to Greater Noida on the expressway on a weekend afternoon was so much fun - 23 kilometers of driving bliss. But Bangalore roads are disastrous. It's not that I don't put my new li'l doll of a baby car into fifth gear but I do have to wait till I reach Inner Ring Road for the 1.5 km stretch between Ejipura and Domlur. It's no surprise that this is a favorite spot for speed challans. Shouldn't the Karnataka govt, as a good will gesture, welcome Bangalore residents to use the top gear of their cars on at least one 1.5 km stretch within city limits? I remember how my friends used to make fun of Bangalore roads cause they have their names basis how wide the road is - 100ft road, 80ft road and even a 60ft road! And if you thought parking is an issue in Delhi, Bangalore has surprises in store for you.
Of the 10 - 12 odd FM music channels in Delhi you would mostly end up with at least one song at any given point of time that you like. Unless you like Kannada music, you will not get that lucky in Bengaluru. With one English and just two Hindi FM channels, your dependence on the USB key increases manifold and so does the need to update it on a regular basis. I am completely clued out of new hindi film music scene cause FM channels have been a big disappointment. But the flip side to this is the fact that no matter how low you are feeling, just ten minutes of red fm or radio mirchi in kannada is enough to restore your spirits.
So what makes me love the city so much... North Indian food doesn't compare, but the coffee experience is amazing in Bangalore. The joy of coffee in an open air cafe with signature Bangalore cool breeze can get competition only from sipping coffee in McLeodganj. Some seriously good Andhra food gets served along with amazing Thai and Italian. Be it the roadside south Indian food joints and vada pao outlets, the joy of cutting or kulladh chai and pakodas at the very popular, floor seating tea-cafe called Chaipatty, the best of breads and sandwiches at popular bakeries like Cake Walk and French Loaf, all day breakfast options on the lines of American Diner and the one of its kind UB City, Bangalore makes up for what it does not offer. On three occasions I saw motorists make way for an ambulance despite heavy traffic. Bangalore traffic police is more efficient than what I have seen of their counterparts in Delhi. And there is not the kind of mad honking of horn that happens every time a traffic signal turns green in Delhi. There are not too many cars with loud music on the road (mine always has the munni/sheila variety on full blast - I have the responsibility, after all, to represent the brash criminal-minded Bihari Delhite North Indian nightmare that the very respected Raj Thacekrey is trying to fight!). And I am beginning to like the way radio jockeys say.. Call maadi or SMS maadi to... whatever number on Radio. The only way Bangalore doesn't compare and never will - I can never have friends and company as good as what I left behind in Delhi. I won't name them but they know so damn well who they are. I miss you all. God bless you!
That brings me to the first serious issue I have with Bangalore. There are not enough food joints to please the north indian palate. No great sweet shops, no haldiram n biknerwala kind of outlets for chaat cravings. The nukkad ka halwai in every mohalla of Delhi serves better jalebis than you can hope to get anywhere in Bangalore. I have developed a lot of respect for the chain of Agarwal (or is it Aggarwal) sweet shops found in every nook and corner of NCR since I moved to Bangalore. There was a time I wouldn't give them a second look. There is no place here that serves butter chicken even a millionth fraction as good as Swagath (Chandigarh) butter chicken used to be; and the best dal makhni this city serves would not find even a passing mention in Delhi Times food guide. The best quality Paneer in Bangalore is chewy and no self respecting ex-delhite would touch that thing. There are a few outlets in Bangalore that do claim to sell paneer sourced from Delhi. I love the idea of a 787 size cargo plane full of delicious soft paneer from Delhi landing in Bangalore. Or even a cargo plane full of besan or boondi laddoos... Sweet dreams are made of this... Sigh! But I can't even dream of ever finding the kind of Mutton Kebabs that Qureshis (a small outlet in Gurgaon with footpath seating option) would serve, in the best eating joints of Bangalore. With absolute foodies as my closest friends, all my happy Gurgaon memories are about all of us eating out. I miss my friends and I miss having some amazing food with them. The next time anyone is coming to Bangalore from Delhi, please get me some samosas and laddoos. I shall be indebted for life.
The second issue I have with Bangalore is that it has killed my passion to drive. It's not just that I miss the feel of driving on NH8 in the middle of the night - the speed, the thrill. It's also the sheer pleasure of driving on a weekend through Akbar Road, Aurangzeb Road, Lodhi Road-Khan Market, Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri, Rajpath, Nelson Mandela Marg and the likes. Delhi kept my love for driving alive despite the long traffic jams. I crave for a drive as beautiful, and roads as good and smooth. I miss racing my diesel Verna with the Metro from Mayur Vihar 1 till Akshardham station while on my way to office. I miss watching airplanes from NH8, flying over my car and landing at the airport. Driving to Greater Noida on the expressway on a weekend afternoon was so much fun - 23 kilometers of driving bliss. But Bangalore roads are disastrous. It's not that I don't put my new li'l doll of a baby car into fifth gear but I do have to wait till I reach Inner Ring Road for the 1.5 km stretch between Ejipura and Domlur. It's no surprise that this is a favorite spot for speed challans. Shouldn't the Karnataka govt, as a good will gesture, welcome Bangalore residents to use the top gear of their cars on at least one 1.5 km stretch within city limits? I remember how my friends used to make fun of Bangalore roads cause they have their names basis how wide the road is - 100ft road, 80ft road and even a 60ft road! And if you thought parking is an issue in Delhi, Bangalore has surprises in store for you.
Of the 10 - 12 odd FM music channels in Delhi you would mostly end up with at least one song at any given point of time that you like. Unless you like Kannada music, you will not get that lucky in Bengaluru. With one English and just two Hindi FM channels, your dependence on the USB key increases manifold and so does the need to update it on a regular basis. I am completely clued out of new hindi film music scene cause FM channels have been a big disappointment. But the flip side to this is the fact that no matter how low you are feeling, just ten minutes of red fm or radio mirchi in kannada is enough to restore your spirits.
So what makes me love the city so much... North Indian food doesn't compare, but the coffee experience is amazing in Bangalore. The joy of coffee in an open air cafe with signature Bangalore cool breeze can get competition only from sipping coffee in McLeodganj. Some seriously good Andhra food gets served along with amazing Thai and Italian. Be it the roadside south Indian food joints and vada pao outlets, the joy of cutting or kulladh chai and pakodas at the very popular, floor seating tea-cafe called Chaipatty, the best of breads and sandwiches at popular bakeries like Cake Walk and French Loaf, all day breakfast options on the lines of American Diner and the one of its kind UB City, Bangalore makes up for what it does not offer. On three occasions I saw motorists make way for an ambulance despite heavy traffic. Bangalore traffic police is more efficient than what I have seen of their counterparts in Delhi. And there is not the kind of mad honking of horn that happens every time a traffic signal turns green in Delhi. There are not too many cars with loud music on the road (mine always has the munni/sheila variety on full blast - I have the responsibility, after all, to represent the brash criminal-minded Bihari Delhite North Indian nightmare that the very respected Raj Thacekrey is trying to fight!). And I am beginning to like the way radio jockeys say.. Call maadi or SMS maadi to... whatever number on Radio. The only way Bangalore doesn't compare and never will - I can never have friends and company as good as what I left behind in Delhi. I won't name them but they know so damn well who they are. I miss you all. God bless you!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteFinally see a different side to a customer cum FB friend. Thanks for mentioning Chaipatty in your set of favorites from the city. Would love to sit and chat the next time you are around :)
Thanks,
Chirag
Was introduced to Chaipatty by a friend who was intent on making me like Bangalore when I came to this city about 10 months back and it was an instant hit. In Delhi we would visit coffee shops more for the air-conditioning. The factory produced sandwiches of international chains can't get lazy people like me to venture out. However, Chaipatty instantly transports you to the university and MBA days where the best memories were created at canteens having egg maggi and chai. Koramangala has been my fav weekend afternoon destination. Eagerly waiting for the new & improved Indiranagar cafe. Pictures look promising. Shall definitely see you next time I am there. The chai is on me :)
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