Kannda Gothella!

-




Sorry, I have neglected you for quite a while now and there is no reason good enough to explain or even justify it. I will try to not take such a long break. Well, my life has been in an upheaval, I was randomly asked to move to Bangalore one fine day in August, that's it! And since then I have been trying to find my balance here. This place is very new to me, nothing like what I had imagined. It's the farthest I have been from home. Goa was far too but here things are quite different from where I come from. First of all and the most major thing is that I do not know the local language at all.

Image result for bangalore milestone

 About four years ago I had written a blog along the same lines as I am about to ramble on today. Well four years ago, it was a period of change for me, a transition. I had moved from my parent's house into a college on the other side of the Tropic of Cancer. I was living in a hostel with complete strangers. It was the first time I was out of the house and into the world on my own. I have been a pretty pampered child and my parents have been very protective of me. So it took me a little while to get adjusted to that life! But gradually I did. And if you remember my earlier post, I say there that life has brought me to a stage where I am okay with not seeing my parents, the two most important people in my life, every day. And this made me scared.

This time, it is another cyclone, that uprooted me from the place I had begun to think as home and had also managed to find friends that were just like family. This cyclone left me in a completely new place. This time, my journey starts in Bangalore or as I should call it now, Bengaluru. 
Bangalore! Ohh I had heard so much about this place, the "Startup Hub" of India! Any company worth their salt had an office in Bangalore. I had imagined it as a corporate city, which was pretty ignorant of me. Also, I did not have much time, I was told two days before that I am being shifted to Bangalore and will have to start my internship asap. Before I had time to come to terms with it, I was standing at "Kempegowda International Airport" with the cold wind thrashing me. Coming from Delhi, August was pretty warm and summery, but Bangalore was different. And this wasn't a one-day thing, the weather here is always like that!

Image result for moustache cartoon
Bangalore was nothing like I had imagined! It was far from what I had imagined. It was old, there was nothing hi-tech about this place. Okay, the next statement is going to be very racist, please pardon me. Walking on the streets of Bangalore for the first time, I felt like I had stepped into a Rajnikanth movie! My god never had I have seen so many mustaches on a single road! It was all very different to me.


It has been two months now and I am much more settled that before, but not completely comfortable. This place is very different from my hometown, the people, the language, the culture, almost everything. But I'm hoping this will be a great chapter in my life. And also the only Kannada I have learned in the last two months is "Kanna Gothella"! I should get a move on that!  

Comments

Post a Comment

All time highs

Where are the "Friends" now?

-
Image
It's been 11 years since Monica and Chandler moved out of the apartment. That was one big moment for the group, after which they all really did grow up. Their lives went into six different directions, but they still try to keep in touch. The keeping in touch does not go very well with their busy lives. But they try to meet at least once a month at the coffee house, and swap stories like old times. This has now become a tradition. Also they always always go to Monica's place for thanksgiving where she cooks them a delicious meal and the kids run around and have fun! Monica and Chandler moved to the suburbs with the twins, who are now 11 years old. Monica is not only a chef at one of the best restaurants in NY but has published two cookbooks as well. Chandler who started on a new career path is now booming in that field, He is working at a great advertising firm, but he prefers to work from home (at least half the time) and stay with the kids. They have a perfect littl
Read more

The Blockchain of Trust

-
Image
I have been working in the technology space for over a year now. And it has significantly shaped my thought process and decision-making. I find myself seeking logic in every aspect of my life, to the point that I have started annoying people around me! One fine day when I was driving back home, it hit me. Trust is the foundation of how we operate. Certain people are closer to us than others because we trust them more. We believe in them. This trust is an underlying component of every friendship and relationship. Actually, let me rephrase that, it is a quintessential ingredient, without which your recipe is going to be incomplete and your friendship bland.  We all have our network of trusted friends, the individuals closest to us in this world. We would want these relationships to continue for as long as possible, and if something happens to even one of them it would be devastating. So there I am in my car, listening to Coldplay, pondering if there was a foolproof way to optimize this
Read more

Old Manali - Alternate realities

-
Image
As I sit down to write this, I have too many things going on in my head. Too many Manali stories, too many ideas, a lot of great places to visit if you ever happen to go down there and maybe somethings that made me think. Let me start by saying, that this short vacation to Old Manali, was by far the most chill 4 odd days I have had in I don't even know how long! It was a lot of French fries, every board game ever, sitting by the river and listening to the gushing sound of the water, smoking up to the point of indescribable chill, talking endlessly and enjoying silences, walking along the street with no purpose and trying to take one decent picture on the bridge. This was my trip. Though the best part was trekking to the waterfalls, sitting down along the water with Magoo (the doggo who led us there), eating Maggi, listening to soft music, glancing at my Malcolm Gladwell, laughing at strangers as they were attempting to get a candid profile picture just right with the girl wh
Read more

Is ignorance really bliss?

-
Image
So there is something that I have been thinking for a while now. Our lifestyles today, the independence, the freedom, the lack of any restrictions etc are all very good and is the kind of life we all have aspired to have since we were kids. Since we were able to play house, we have been dreaming of actually living that life for real. But now that I am here, I don't really see what the fuss was all about. Yeah I mean total financial independence is sort of a plus point. But then it comes with its own set of asterisks. Young adults today have far more liberty than our previous generations at that age. With lesser responsibility and more freedom, our lifestyles have somewhat gone haywire. Maybe we aren't ready for the independence that has been given at such an early stage in our lives. A person in his 20s, is already burdened with a massive change in his lifestyle, i.e. the transition from the carefree college life to that of a responsible full time employee. This in itself is
Read more

An amazing course!

-
This semester I took a course called "Introduction to western music" with two of my friends and today was our last class. I wasn't required to but it seemed interesting and easy, plus I had already done music earlier so I assumed I would pretty much know most of the things and would get a head start. Within the first few classes only I realized, that I did not have much of an advantage because western and hindustani are completely different. The first few weeks were fun, we sang and danced in the class and I really had a good time. That was one class I would always look forward to and I tried never to miss. Things were all fine and then we were given the assignment to perform a musical in a group of 23 or so people. This was a huge turning point in the course. We performed the musical called "Mamma Mia" and somehow I ended up with the role of the main character.  While preparing for the musical me and friends had some disagreements which turned into a
Read more

Exam times!

-
Image
Normally, we find ourselves constantly postponing tasks, whether they be our daily chores or other planned activities. After all, procrastination tends to be ingrained in our nature. However, there comes a specific period, usually lasting 15-20 days, in every student's life when suddenly nothing can be delayed any longer. Everything must be accomplished immediately and with perfection. I believe you all can relate to what I'm referring to—the exam period! During this time, students will go to great lengths to avoid studying. Even those of us who typically neglect cleanliness may suddenly feel an irresistible urge to tidy up our rooms and make them spotless. The rest of the year, it might look as if a hurricane just passed through, but during these crucial 15 days, everything needs to be in perfect order. People suddenly realize they need to lose weight, buy groceries, or reach out to that aunt who called two months ago! For some of us, we attempt to broaden our creative hor
Read more

Book Review | She Said : Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey | A Feminist Triumph

-
Image
Bite-sized review: After months of anticipation, I finally read "She Said" by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, driven by my feminist perspective. It's a compelling and eye-opening exploration of the challenges women face when confronting harassment, even if they're prominent figures. This book is a must-read for all, prompting reflection on the urgent need for systemic change, particularly in the context of sexual harassment. It also sparked my interest in Indian sexual harassment laws, potentially leading to a future blog post. Full book review: I have been wanting to read the book “She Said” by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for a long time now. It had been on my list for about 6 months. But it was only recently that I picked it up and finished it pretty quickly. Being a feminist, I knew I had to be in the right frame of mind to be able to read the book, hence the delay. The book is a riveting read from the very first page. It kept me engrossed throughout. Hence
Read more

30 days of my Notice Period

-
Image
I know a lot my posts have been a bit morbid to say in the slightest.  Apologies for all the ranting, preaching and the poems! (I might not be done yet) But somehow the sun has managed to finally wake himself up from his cozy slumber and managed to throw some light my way, putting a crack in the dense clouds hovering over. Too much imagery eh? As I am writing this, I am imagining a dark mark hovering in the sky. But yeah, getting back to the tiny bit of light I have in my life. I have been giving interview after interview for this firm for about 1.5 months now, and finally, they have decided to stop throwing case studies and guesstimates my way and graciously extend me an offer! Yay! I put in my resignation yesterday and I already feel extremely free. I have to serve one month of notice period here, where I will be extremely free, hopefully. It's barely been one day and I am already bored. So I have decided to take up one of those 30-day challenges. I have picked the one below
Read more

Discovering Serenity: A Digital Detox in the Tranquil Embrace of Shimla

-
I have been in Shimla for almost a full week now. Despite my phone usually having full bars, here it struggles to catch even one or two. The internet on my phone is practically non-existent, and the wifi makes me feel like I'm 10 years old again. Life here is a stark contrast to Bangalore, where I have been residing for about two years. Bangalore is the epicenter of start-ups and technology, and my daily life is intricately intertwined with various tech applications. From the moment I wake up until I try to fall asleep using my white noise app, there is always some app assisting me. If I were to count, there would be easily over 100 apps on my phone. These aren't dormant apps that I use occasionally; these are tools I rely on regularly. Despite numerous attempts to declutter and eliminate unnecessary apps, I always seem to hover around the 100-mark. In Bangalore, my phone dictates my daily routine – from office tasks to meals, ordering groceries, managing expenses, staying
Read more

India is Akbar Birbal and Tenali Rama: हमने कभी फर्क नहीं किया

-
Image
A lot has been happening in our country over the last few weeks. There has been a lot of talk about it in every form of media available. I myself have been giving a lot of thought to the processions happening all over the country. It is a very complex and complicated issue. On the one hand, I cannot even begin to understand and comprehend the emotions of hundreds of millions of people across the world, who have their emotions invested in this and their joy on the 22nd of January and Ram Mandir. And my love to all of them. It has been a long battle, and they finally got what they had always wanted.  In a serendipitous moment last night, while engrossed in reading Walter Isaacson's "Elon Musk," I came across a chapter about Twitter, talking about Elon Musk and Parag Agarwal. This prompted a train of thought in my mind about the millions of Indians relocating to the USA annually. I imagined a future where, perhaps, a century or two from now, people of Indian origin would con
Read more