BENGALURU: Kasa-kay Bengaluru! There is a certain aching familiarity whenever I spend time in my ‘other’ home, Mumbai. Maybe because there are so many memories associated with the place. Though there has been a big redevelopment surge in Mumbai, some haunts just don’t change. I was quite chuffed to see a major player, a big real estate tycoon and builder from namma ooru also in the fray.
His name was prominently displayed and many curious onlookers stopped to stare at the massive billboards of this new entrant who dared to enter the ring. I think it’s terrific! For years now, more ‘pushy and savvy opportunity seekers have flooded into our placid city of Bengaluru seeking newer pastures, and left an indelible mark on the diaspora of our city.
It is high time for the other parts of our country to wake up and smell our (filter) coffee too! I was secure in the belief that the Mumbai skyline only grew upwards, perhaps with a couple of new bridges spanning the massive Arabian Sea, but now I don’t know. Familiar haunts are been demolished, old tree lined roads are disappearing and everything looks changed and unfamiliar. I own a home in Bandra, the queen of the ‘burbs’ and even I got a little confused when I needed to reach Hakka-San, my favourite Chinese restaurant to meet with my recently re-located from Bengaluru friend, Sunaina Chauhan.
The warm hug and the non-stop chatter remained unchanged. She may have changed cities but one can never take ‘the Bengaluru’ out of this girl. We had a long ‘Bangalore ishstyle’ lunch and spoke about everything under the sun. Not only her, but her son too misses his friends and they literally made a flying visit into our city to ‘catch-up’!
That’s the type of spell our city casts on even its temporary inhabitants. I was having a lively discussion with my son-in-law who is a young VP in a hot-shot bank and a recent graduate from the prestigious ISB cadre. He and my equally successful daughter moved to Mumbai a couple of years ago and love it here! They felt while they were academically equipped, they lacked the life-skills and that certain je-nesais- quoi being Bengalureans.
It is a much protected environment which lacks the tools to give one that cutting-edge sharpness. Nothing wrong with that, but in a competitive atmosphere one cannot only be book smart. I see a lot of my friends’ children who have naturally migrated to Mumbai to pursue alternative and different career paths. It gladdens my heart to see prominent Bengalureans doing well in this city.
The Taj Lands End is a beautiful property that lies on the tip of sea shore against a back-drop of a cliff that holds an old fort. Mumbai is like that, full of historical sites because it was always an important trading port. So, it was with sheer joy that I met up with my friend Somnath Mukherjee, who has taken over as senior VP (West) in the sprawling hotel that holds so many fabulous memories for us. After a bespoke Chinese meal at their glorious sea facing restaurant, Ming-Yang we wound our way home, with the warm hospitality still enveloping us… Maybe Bombay and Bangalore aren’t that different after all…