I am still in love ...

... with Bangalore weather.

I was in love in with Bangalore weather. And just few days before I was about to announce my break-up with it, officially, on my blog. Because it was becoming too too hot over here. It was becoming unbearable for me to continue staying in love with it. But no. Bangalore weather seems a true love of mine. It did not betrayed me. It has rained here !! Yes, it had rained !!! And as it happens with Bengalooru, it looks like heaven when it rains. Sometimes even I doubt weather an emperor Jahangir was in Bangalore when he had said a very famous quote about a jannat being on earth and being it here, here, here. It was like an oven a day before and now it feels like a heaven.

Bengalooru weather has never betrayed me. Not even a single time. Does not that look hypothetical? How can somebody's love be so much faithful ?? But believe me, you all jealous gals/guys. Bengalooru weather here, since last evening is too too cooool. Just a day before I was really frustrated because of this rising temperature in Bangalore. Since last 3 years (a time since when I am here) it has never been so hot here. Forget about my experience. In fact, yesterday had recorded a highest temperature at Bengalooru in last 25 years !!! Twitter and buzz was full of frustration about Bengalooru weather. I was included in those team of frustrated ones. And so I was about to declare my break-up with my love Bangalore on this blog itself. But no. Bengaloory did not make me do that. Instead, now, it has made me propose her !! So, here I go for it. I bent on my knees. With a flower in my hand and saying:

Bengalooru, I love you.

IT has changed everything

Bangalore. IT hub of India. Silicon valley of India. I don't know when IT had come in Bangalore but one thing I am sure is, from whenever IT has come here everything has been changed here. Yes, everything.

Bangalore (bengalooru in local language kannad) was known as a city for retired people, few decades back !! It was heaven for retired people !! It was garden city !! But now those days are gone. Now Bangalore is more popularly known as IT hub of India, silicon valley of India etc.. IT has changed the face of Bangalore drastically. For example, the way transportation used to work here back in 70's is not same as todays transportation where Volvo buses is medium of city transport !! Transportation has changed and so the name of bus stops. Read below few of the bus stop names:

- Philips building, Ulsoor

- IBM campus, Nagwara

- iGate, Whitefield

- Intel, Airport road

- Accenture, Outer ring road

And this is why I say, "IT happens only in Bangalore". Name of stops from name of companies :-). If bus conductor speaks Hebbala (name of an area) nobody will board the bus. But if bus conductor speaks IBM campus Hebbala, people will start rushing for it. And god knows how far IT will still change Bangalore. But one things is certain, IT has changed everything.

My love ...

... Bangalore weather.

Since last few weeks I was planning post this blog on my love, Bangalore weather. Not because I was happy with it but because I was NOT happy with it. It was hot here since last 2-3 weeks. Yes dear, I am writing about Bangalore only so without re-reading back, read ahead. Everyday I was thinking, "Yaar this is not typical Bengalooru weather, at least it was not like this before some 2 years, I will blog about this". etc etc

As very well said, "tough time never lasts, tough people do". This tough time of facing hot bangalooru did not last long for me (a tough guy :-)) because since last 3-4 days it is raining here !! Rain has made weather over her quite quite good. Well, rain may be coming for sure in each and every part of country. But Bengalooru rain is a bit different. Rain over here is like "your girlfriend pampering you". While in other parts like Ahmedabad it is like "your khalli-equivalent friend is beating you ramdomly".

Today also it rained here and so from my unability to resist myself from blogging, this post emerged :-). But please don't start thinking that life in Bangalore in very cool when it rains.you will have to pay the price for rain -power cut !! Yes, power cut and that is too in Bengalooru. So called IT hub or silicon valley or what not of India. This is as much unbelievable as much it is to believe that it is hot here in Bangalore. At lest regarding power cut I hate bengalooru. Reason is quite obvious because I have stayed at place who has a record of having least number of hours of down time in a year-Ahmedabad.

Anyways, so having said these, its time to get back to enjoy weather again. Ok see ya. Bbye. Have a nice life ahead.

I am in love .....

.. with Bangalore weather.

I like Bangalore weather. As with life with weather also, extremes are intolerable & best is in balance. And weather here is always in balance. Till now I have never seen too much of rain, too much of heat or too much of chill. Today only while coming back to room it started drizzling. And I was enjoying the breeze. To tell you the truth, I was lost in that atmosphere. And this is not first time I had experienced it. Many times a month I have experiences it regardless of month/season.

I'm lovin' it.

In Bangalore

I have observed some things in Bangalore which are new for me. Let me list it down.

- Tea is here served in aluminum glass & bowl instead of cup.
- City Bus has half of the seats reserved for womens.
- Names with 'a' added at the end or 'h' added in between. For example, Ashoka, Santhi.
- Auto rickshow drivers always asking for some 20-30 rupees extra than meter rates.
- "Rangoli" outside home every morning.
- Rain in all of the three season.
- People with asian paints black colour.
- Brave initiative by Karnatka State of putting Volvo buses as a city buses !!! I doubt anywhere else in India Volvo can be afforded as a city bus.
- Really cool environment whole year.
- Dhosa, Idli & Vada as a morning breakfast.
- Only south Indian movie posters on walls. Only south indian music in shops.
- Blood-sucking traffic at all the time.
- City Buses in which Driver himself will issue tickets. Hats-off to these drivers who manages to give tickets in while driving in heavy bangalore traffic.

Banglore - Digitally devided global village

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Bangalore is digitally divided global village.

Reason behind saying it digitally divided is very clear and that is, you will see abrupt change when you go into any of the company campus. Outside company campus and inside company campus life is noticeably different. It is like another devision of city working on digital front.
Reason behind saying it global is simple. You will see people from all over the world and state and city here. Bangalore is celebrating Navaratri , Ganesha Chturthi, Xmas, Onam and all. Some occasion may be celebrated at low level but I don't think that any other city is celebrating as many number of festival as Banglorians are.
Reason behind calling it as village is, other half part of Bangalore which is there on lighter side is very much similar to any of the village. You will have same feeling while roaming in streets of Bangalore as you could had while roaming in your home town's.

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When I came to Bangalore in January'07, I had picture of this IT hub of India in my mind. I had imagined how this city will look like. I had many expectations with this city. Most of them were met but some were not. Putting most and some words in measurable parameter, 80% is met but 20% are not.

My life started in Bangalore in street called Thippasandara (My friend has described this street very well here). If I summarize about this street, this street is as good (or say as bad) as small, narrow street found in any of the village of India (I have never been outside India and so I don't know other countries have this kind of street in their villages. Only because of my lack of information I have written that any village of India other than that I am patriotic.). Roaming in this street You will never get a feeling that you are in Bangalore, in IT hub of India, a metro city.

Initially I had felt that it is improper to judge about whole Bangalore based on Thippasandra street, based on place where I got accommodation. So I kept quite. My company was in ulsoor. Very near to Ulsoor lake which is so called one of the main attractions of the holiday goers in the city. After coming to know that Ulsoor is one the main attraction, my expectation about that place went very high. I was expecting Ulsoor to be posh area. But my expectation was not met. i was unable to rate Ulsoor as one of the main attraction of city. Worst thing was bus route from Thippasandra to Ulsoor. I had thought that this route will be having 4-lane wide road but most of the part of route was very narrow.

As i came here from Ahemdabad, I will always compare Banglore with Ahemdabad. I was seeing wide spread roads, huge and spacious malls, huge circles at cross road, greenery, smooth roads etc in Ahemdabad. While here I am seeing nothing among any of the things mentioned above. No wide spread 2 to 4-lane roads with divider having greenery planted on it and sign board of Hutch or Idea or Airtel, no malls advertising with huge hoardings, no cross road circles having fountains projecting a fountain with different coloured lights, no maintained greenery and rough roads. You can say me that this is more of my expectation problem not problem of city Banglore. But i will not agree with you. Is it justifiable to expect things which is there in Ahemdabad, in any city which is rated as IT hub of India, macca of software Engineer.

Now I will come to the worst part of Bangalore - traffic (which no one will and can deny). You will find traffic police managing traffic over here at most of the cross roads. I was expecting an automated traffic lights, timer showing that red lights will be on for how much seconds. But at most of the cross roads, I found traffic police only. You can argue that because I have not seen full Bangalore I am saying this. But that is also not a fact. Even before taj hotel cross roads no traffic signals and timers are found!! Traffic is managed by police only.

Till now I have described about the part of Bangalore on one side of digital divide. Now I am going to describe about other side (and brightest side) of digital divide.

After entering into any of the IT related company campus, you will feel like you are in heaven. You name any of the leading company, Bangalore has development centre of it. To name a few, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Great Google (ya ya this is Google only there is no company like Great Google. But as being a fan of Google services, I have written great Google), Yahoo!, Nokia..... This list can go on and on. These companies campuses are amazing. You will never see buildings like this in all over India (to be honest this is just a guess). You will no where see this much intelligent people. Average IQ of people here will be equal to some in between number of best & above average IQ of other city. Great leaders, managers can never be found else where than Bangalore. Bangalore is more like global village. You will see people from all around the world and states here in software companies. Looking at other side of digital divide, Bangalore is truly deserves a status of macca for software engineer.

In Bangalore there are lots of tech parks, an electronic city. While in ahemdabad no tech parks, no electronic city. In this tech park and electronic city you will see huge and spacious buildings of giant companies, small lakes, clean and smooth roads, greenery with fountains.