Life Beyond Bengaluru...

Its been almost 5 months since I have left Bengaluru. I loved being a part of the city which is a reflection of India's IT prowess.My stint there was however quite short, exact 1 year to be precise! I landed there on 29th October 2009 and bade good bye on 30th October 2010.Somtimes occassionally I do miss the city. It happens more often then not, that you miss the city you have been living in for quite sometime. When I was saying good bye to Mumbai, my heart was heavy because Mumbai is the city I had loved to be in and would always love. For me it is the best city in the country-a true mark of India's progress!


After the hustling bustling 3 years in Mumbai, Bengaluru was a welcome change, though initially I did have a tough time getting settled there.But gradually I got blend with the city and its culture.


After Bengaluru, it was the time to say Hi to Pune. I was happy that I am going back to Maharashtra and moreover near to my hometown. However, all the transition do not happen smoothly.I had my share of tough time getting settled here. Initially I stayed at my Uncle's place which is 30 kilometers from my office.Commuting was the biggest challenge that I faced initially. 30 kilometers in public transport in Pune-you really got to have guts for that. I had heard about the pathetic public transport in Pune from my friends, but after tasting the bitter medicine personally,I can emphasise that God only help you if have to commute by public transport for long distances.


For me,the things were even more difficult because I had to change over 4 times to travel those 30 kilometers.It took a whooping 2 hours daily one way for that!Sometimes used to question myself-what was the need to come to a city that is lacking in basic infrastructure?But then every black cloud has a silver lining and every situation a purpose.The poor public transport, actually made me to get a bike for myself. I always wanted to have a bike but the public transport in Mumbai and Bengaluru was so good that never got in to a situation that compelled me to purchase a one. I said to myself that finally my dream of owning a bike is going to materialize!


This post is primarily intended to showcase the transition from Bengaluru to Pune and may be to contrast the difference among the two cities and the problem a new comer face-


1. Initial Days: I spent initial couple of weeks at my Uncle's place. As already mentioned, my office was 30kms away from his home. I used to get sapped of energy when I used to come back from office.The public transport is very pathetic here in every literal sense of word!My initial days in Bangalore were quite smooth as I stayed at a friend's place and the office there was merely 10kms away. However the beauty was that the public transport was so strong that there was an AC bus every 5 minutes! Here if you miss a bus then it would only come after atleast 20 mins or may even more than that!


2.House Hunt:When you come to a new city, the first aim is to get a house and get settled quickly.Since my early days, its been my aim to always stay near to office. This literally saves the commuting time,and the precious energy which could be utilized for other good purpose.So the initial couple of weekends I roamed around the areas in the vicinity to office. The major problem that I faced was me being a "bachelor". Owners,housing socities etc were reluctant to rent out flats to bachelors as if bachelors are terrorists!This was the same problem that I faced in Mumbai and then in Bangalore.And I suppose this is prevalent in all the cities of India per se. However if you are in a city you are bound to get a home.And I was also lucky enough.Luckily got a semifurnished 2 BHK about 10kms from office. I shifted to new place amidst a big drama. The society people were creating problems but my owner fought and I got in! Initially lived 2 months alone in such a big house as was in a search of a matching room partner, which I got last month.


3.Food: Food is the next major problem.Its been 4 months since I am cooking on my own one time in weekdays and both time on weekends.And I take the pain to cook myself because of the craving for good food!And since my return to home from office is not fixed and my room mate has a 12 to 9 shift, we have not kept a cook yet. Anyway,you have to adjust as the situation demands.Cooking sometimes is tiring but the gratification you get after having a great meal is the best motivation to take the pain.



From my experience, if I compare Bengaluru and Pune, the transition to Bengaluru was much smoother because of the ease of availability of basic needs and good infrastrcuture.It was quite easy to get a gas connection, a cook or for that matter anything that mattered to ease out transition.


Having said that, I would also say that-no pain no gain!Though I faced problems initially, I am happy being a part of Maharashtra again!The transition from Idli-Dosa to Vada Paav, Misal Paav is a happy one.

God Bless!
Cheers!
Adi