A Week in Bangalore
The first city in India to get electricity, Bengaluru [Bangalore’s name in Kannada, the official language of the state of Karnataka] continues to blaze a trail in terms of the country’s quest for a modern identity. Once known as the Garden City, the country’s most pristine city evolved significantly when the high-tech revolution arrived and Bengaluru suddenly found itself at the center of the nation’s massive computer hardware and software industries, earning it new sobriquets such as Pensioner’s Paradise, and Silicon City. Its cosmopolitan spirit, fueled as much by its lively bar and café culture as by the influx of international businesspeople, gives India’s high-tech hub a high-energy buzz, yet it’s tangibly calmer and cleaner than most other places in the country, with far and away the best climate of any Indian city—no doubt one of the reasons the majority of upwardly mobile Indians rank it the number-one city in which to live.
So says Frommer’s India, 4th Edition, published in 2010, and the only book I read in preparation for our trip.
This trip was not our typical trip. Our typical trip is usually a trip to a new place to explore and hit most of the sights. This trip was different, because this is the first trip we’ve gone on to visit friends. And Bangalore was the perfect place for this kind of trip.
Unless you go in for café society or are keen to see India’s new moneyed elite flash their bling and wads of cash, you won’t find very many attractions in Bengaluru—perhaps a relief in a country that is so saturated with historic must-sees.
So this was a friends trip and a shopping trip, since, as I’ve probably mentioned before, you’re not going to find much that you want to buy in Manipur. I’m so grateful to our friends in Bangalore who helped us find everything we were looking for (vitamins, black sweatpants, measuring cups, etc.).
Our trip to Bangalore was my second trip outside Manipur. The first was a couple of days in Kolkata (or Calcutta, as it was known when I was growing up) on the way to the village several years ago. We strolled down Park Street and visited the Mother House of the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s convent. I don’t remember feeling too overwhelmed on that trip, maybe because it was so short.
By the end of our Bangalore trip, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed. This could be due, in some part, to having spent the previous five months in the village, which is calm and quiet. At the same time, our trip was a very welcome break from the calm and quiet.
Here’s my opinion of Bangalore in brief.
Bangalore is absolutely sprawling.
Garbage is everywhere.
Yes, there are actually cows in the road, doing whatever they please, which includes eating the garbage.
There is no uniformity to the buildings, houses, nothing. There also doesn't seem to be much concern for how things look.
The best thing about Bangalore? There are trees everywhere.
Here are a few things that caught my eye. Buildings and trees are always up first.
I saw these juice shops all over Bangalore. At this shop, fresh juice was 30 rupees (36 cents), while a milkshake (yes, the juice mixed with milk) was 40 rupees (48 cents).
We took the metro several times. It was clean, easy to navigate and cheap. Each train had a car for only women.
We also took quite a few auto rickshaw rides. The auto rickshaw is similar to a tuktuk, but is much more comfortable. You can actually see out of it without having to scooch way down in the seat. All of our auto rides were booked on Uber.
We didn’t do much walking in Bangalore as we didn’t need to, but I always have to take a few sidewalk shots.
We made sure to see MG Road, Bangalore’s “high street.” The lights were strung across the road just like those across Kolkata’s Park Street.
We went to two malls in Bangalore. The nicest mall we went to was Forum South Bengaluru, which wasn’t far from where we stayed. It was full of familiar stores like Zara, H&M and Nike/Adidas/Reebok. It also had a really nice grocery store called Lulu Daily with lots of freshly prepared food, like mutton rolls, chicken lasagna (again, no beef) and hummus. The village is a beautiful place, but there certainly isn’t much variety when it comes to food, so I enjoyed eating everything I could in Bangalore.
Forum South Bengaluru also had a Magnolia Bakery, the famous NYC bakery. I wanted everything, but I got only the peanut butter brownie, which was excellent and only $2. I’m sure it’s a lot more affordable in India than it is in the US!
We also went to Mantri Square Mall, mostly because I wanted to go to Marks and Spencer. I was surprised and very happy to see Taco Bell, though it doesn’t resemble Taco Bell in the US much. There’s no beef and they use cheese sauce instead of cheese, but it was still good (good enough that I ate there three times).
I was also surprised to see that McDonald’s has two different sundae sizes. That’s something unique about India — there is always a tiny version of everything, including 1-rupee shampoo packets that resemble ketchup packets.
While strolling through the mall, I noticed this beautiful homewares store called Portico New York. They had some really beautiful bedding that I didn’t need but wanted anyways!
The mall had a grocery store in the basement. Look how they sell rice, beans, lentils and chickpeas!
If we ever visit Bangalore again, I’d want to explore more of the city center. Our friends suggested visiting Commercial Street and Church Street, both major shopping streets. I’d also like to visit Vidhana Soudha, Karnataka’s state legislature, as well as Cubbon Park and Lalbagh Botanical Garden.
Thanks to our friends for such a wonderful trip to Bangalore!