Seated in one of the front rows at Wipro Sarjapur auditorium, the day distinctly clear in my head, rambling and cracking jokes about the days that lie ahead. Little did we know then that we’d make such beautiful memories in just 2 months’ time span. Venturing out every weekend, fridays through sundays have been pensive at times, a cheerful blur at others, and meandering fun the most.
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| A lot sure can happen over coffee! |
Life at Bangalore has been just as ‘diverse’ as my days at the office researching about ‘Diversity’. The initial weekends commenced with gusto, exploring the nooks and corners of MG Road, Brigade Road and Commercial Street (thanks to a shopaholic friend). A brief stop at an antiques shop by the corner almost fetched us a job as a part-time arts curator (wish the 9-5s were as fancy!). Dancing the night away at Sotally Tober, grabbing a more than wholesome meal at Truffles, and singing along at Boozy Griffin set the tempo for the initial weekends. The weekdays were packed too – with work, learnings, some amount of travel (and a hole in the pocket of course), but again replete with countless memories. Some came by along CCD hangouts, while others were made at SIBM campus, some with in-house folks, others with friends sneaked in from the next door (well, almost! :P) Uniworld campus.
With lessons in beating peak-hour traffic and fares, and implementing the same each time with an Ola or Uber booking, we were gradually nearing the champs hallmark at becoming Bangloreans. You know you’re in B’lore when the travel costs more than the food and the drinks combined.
Nonetheless, transversing an entire city to grab pancakes at Cafe Nation, and be the fellow shopping spectator to a friend had its own charm.The later days with merry making at Prost, Gilly’s, and Big Brewsky with bigger and better gangs (fellow interns from different B-schools) ensured that we were high on laughter, silly-nothings and more randomness in life. Savoring a hearty Sunday morning breakfast the next morning at 154 Breakfast Club post an almost scary movie session the previous night at a friend’s place was the ultimate deluge.
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| Post ‘Boozy Griffin’ selfie – Say hi to homies!! |
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| Prost |
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| Big Brewsky |
And then there were walks and aimless meandering about Church Street, scrounging our way to UB City just for the fun of seeing what the hype was about (never-mind the now drowned Mall(ya)!). The joy of winding up with your official presentation, being treated by your boss with truckloads of food from Papa Johns soon after AND celebrating the receipt of your visa the same day tucked with sweet cravings in Hole in the Wall Cafe.
The last weekend at Harry’s Bar and Cafe in particular unfolded stories and memories that I’ll relish for a lifetime for more reasons than one (details classified). As the much touted ‘grand finale’ of our internship approached near, draped to touché, sashaying the finest smiles, we posed relentlessly for the all-seeming paparazzi (friends who obliged with the perfect clicks). Probably, because we had got the drift – it was never going to be the same ever again. First and final take, the last of the treasured ones. Before the final goodbyes, the concoction of heavy jabbering, laughter and guzzling played its part, tinkered with going crazies and running the place down kind of mad at Fenny’s. More madness followed at Purple Haze.
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| Farewell@Fenny’s |
After such loitering around, I only feel accomplished on how much of Bangalore I have explored in these two months, and the innumerable memories made in the nooks and corners of these tiny, cosy spaces. Because, no matter what it is never going to be the same again. Bangalore will always be special, no matter the hours I spend on the road to grab the ‘last supper’ or reach ‘the final destination’. Call it obsession for travel or pure wanderlust, I wouldn’t deny that I equally enjoyed all the cab drives (not money-wise), beating the traffic, bus rides to transverse one part of the city to reach the other. Crossing the flyover in the dead end of the nights, gleaming lights, wind in the air and the subtle music – never wanting the drive to end… Much like the moments and time I spent both in the Wipro campus and in the city! Time really does fly and you only wonder why…
Life has its own way of traversing across time and space, unfolding hidden mysteries and stories we’re yet to uncover. It doesn’t feel like goodbye just yet. Time really does fly and you only wonder why…