Namma Bengaluru

Nine years ago, when I arrived in Bangalore, I myself was a ‘visitor’ and an ‘outsider’, having lived in Bombay all my life. After I overcame the initial unsettling months, the city & I got to know each other. I watched as Bangalore ‘developed’, I discovered its secrets, learnt Kannada by myself and sent locals into giggling fits, lamented the indiscriminate felling of trees, signed petitions, sighed as local favourites moved or shut down, unable to cope with ‘globalisation’, and, watched old buildings with character being swept away by nondescript glass blocks. Now, after Bombay, there’s no other city I’d rather live in than here.

My first post this year is about fulfilling a promise I made to myself – to write about the city I now call home. Bangalore holds the promise of many stories; however, this once, I’m not sharing stories but some information about the city. An advisor on online travel communities, I realised that there is a dearth of information about Bangalore. I want to chip in with my favourites and my tips, something not found in guide-books; an insider's perspective.

If you’re worried about travel, stay or other information, go straight to what your guide-book may not tell you. To know what you can do in & around Bangalore, see this post. And last but not the least, read this to see what Bangalore offers those who want to wine & dine.