Bangalore my LOVE!

Let me list a few things I love about Bangalore. Fellow Bangaloreans will understand. Other lesser mortals may or may not, but who cares!

#1 WEATHER- To live in Bangalore, you don't require an AC. It comes automatically fitted by the Almighty. For the better part of the year the weather is cloudy with a spot of rain here and there. The only hot months are February to April where the temperature rise to a mind blowing 38 degrees! On those days, you'll see many Bangaloreans cribbing about the weather and the temperatures on Twitter and Facebook. If you're a person living in Chennai or Delhi and are reading this, I'm sure you must be having a good laugh. For lazy people like me, this weather is perfect to sleep, get up, yawn and go back to sleep again.

Pic 1: Typical Blore weather with typical Blore hudugas walking

#2 FOOD- Bangalore's food scene changes faster than our dear politicians change their statements. When I came here in 2004, I knew only Indian food and Chinese food ( And Continental, which i thought was the Baked Beans and Bread served in Army messes). Now, I know places where you get Lebanese, Turkish, Japanese, Bengali, Assami, Tibetan, Italian, Pathani, Afghani, American, Kairali, Mexican, Russian and many many more (Okay, stop salivating). These places aren't really expensive either. You can go have these even if you don't own a BMW. BUT, this is not the best part. The best part about the Bangalore food scene is the city's Darshini culture. Any true blue Bangalore chap will vouch for this. You are staying in Bangalore and haven't eaten in a Darshini till now? Why don't you throw yourself in front of Bangalore-Mysore Superfast, you shameless fellow! Darshinis (like Adigas, Udupi Upahar, Upahar Darshini etc) offer South Indian food which is hygenic, light on the wallet and absolutely yummy. Everybody eats in Darshinis, from the CEO of a company right down to the peon. You have authentic Kannadiga breakfast options like Idli Vade, Masaal Dose, Rava Dose, Onion Dose, Khaara Bath, Chow Chow Bath and so on and so forth. For many of the working people, a day is never complete without a Darshini visit. Okay, now I'm salivating.

Pic 2: This is so beautiful!!

#3 Public Transport- Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is the lifeline of this city. With thousands of commuters everyday, it can get you from one end of the city to the other in as less as 25 Rupees ( less than 50 cents). There are a variety of services available ranging from the old blue bus (Half of which are strangely, Market bound) to the ultra modern Volvo buses in which you can travel if you are a corporate slave or a Po$h person. BMTC is one of the safest bus services in the country. When I say safe, I mean both in terms of safety on the road and safety for Women. Many single women travel alone for long distances in buses daily and have never faced any major difficulties. I agree, there would be a few cases here and there, but it is nothing compared to the DTC where even chubby men get groped just because they have a fleshy chest. I'm only hoping the Metro comes into action soon and then, my city will kick all of your cities' asses.

 Pic 3: My favorite is the centre middle one, where the bus has an extra compartment attached to it.

#4 Chicks- Bangalore chicks are not like Delhi chicks. Bangalore chicks can wear an  old tshirt, torn jeans and chappals from Commercial Street and still look a thousand times hotter than your Delhi chicks in hotpants and mini skirts. Why? Because Bangalore chicks know how to carry themselves. They know guys dig chicks with brain and sense of humor and that's what makes them beautiful everyday. I pray to god that if I ever end up marrying an Indian girl, she should be a Bangalorean. What qualifies you to become a Bangalore chick? (Delhi girls, you can take notes now). Know your style. Know what you look good in and walk with confidence. I  like Bangalore girls because they don't follow the crowd. They make their own fashion statement and don't care two hoots if you don't like the way they dress. Also, they can differentiate between Bob Marley and Bob Dylan, know their poison (You dilliwalas call it daaru), speak atleast three different languages and are not afraid to abuse in these languages. Fiercely independent and smart in a sexy way, the ladies from Bangalore are a class apart! They are a gadget carrying, geek digging bunch of people who will make your day brighter. If you're a single Bangalore girl reading this, I'd love to take you out on a date. Leave your number in the comment box.

Pic 4: Yea baby, that's what I'm talking about

#5 Music- Bangalore has India's best rock and metal music scene. PERIOD. We don't listen to Yo Yo Honey Singh like you Dilliwallahs, we don't listen to Akon and Pitbull like you Bombaywallahs, we listen to Clapton, Dylan, Marley, Sabbath, Floyd, Maiden, Metallica, AC/DC, GnR, Coldplay etc. Every Rock/Metal band coming to India make it a point to perform in Bangalore. Only place in India where the crowd knows each and every song. We aren't unruly like those Gurgaon folks who destroyed the Metallica concert a few years back. We drink beer in our concerts and have mosh pits. \m/ But this is STILL not the best part about the music scene. It is, the fusion of the amazingly melodious Carnatic Music with Western Music. Give a bunch of musically sound Bangaloreans a Mridangam, violin, guitar and drums and you will have the best fusion music you have ever heard in your life. Many friends of mine play various Carnatic or western instruments and a few of them are professional singers too. Hell, once upon a time, even i used to play the drums! And all this just because I was exposed to the music scene in Bangalore.

Pic 5: Divine Raaga, a Banaglore based Folk Rock Band. You should listen to them

These are just few of the many many things I love about the city which absorbs people from all over India and within sometime, they become a Bangalorean too(Honestly, if you can abuse an Auto Driver in chaste Kannada then you ARE a Bangalorean). Each city is good in it's own way. Maybe if I would've stayed in a single place for a long long time, I would've liked that place too. But I have been moving to different parts of the country for quite some time and no place makes me feel more at home than my dear Bangalore. 

Cheers! I'm open to comments and improvements. Please be a bit mild. This is my first serious attempt at blog writing. :)

Here Goes....

Hello Civilians and Faujis alike!

I have been nursing the idea to start a blog ever since I got to know what the internet was. It's nice to have a diary which the world can read but I was too lazy to type, edit and review. For  that, I joined Twitter. Very exciting, very informative and very very addictive. After a few months on Twitter, I have stopped reading newspapers because all the news comes on my TL before it is published. I have stopped watching news on TV because I now believe that there is such a thing called as "Paid Media". Every time a news comes out I believe that there is some Conspiracy going on. I am so addicted to Twitter that it takes quite an effort to NOT stop writing this and go back to staring blankly at my Twitter timeline giggling at the occasional joke or sarcasm doled out by the good people I follow.

I need help.

To stop myself from becoming a "tweetaholic", I have decided to put my thoughts in a more organised way over here. Let me just give you a brief introduction about me and what you, as a reader, can expect to read here.

I am an Army Brat. Over the past 22 years I have stayed in various parts of our country, made many friends, from all corners of India and have learnt that the best gift you can give yourself is to move on quickly. I do just that (Sorry, future girlfriends). I don't hold a grudge against you unless you abuse my country or the troops who protect it. I find it damn easy to laugh at myself and do not hesitate to make fun of people. I'm politically neutral but believe that government should change every 5 years. Hobbies include but are not limited to quizzing, following sports, watching movies/TV shows, traveling and reading. I play decent basketball and football and can give you a run for your money in swimming. Sadly, I suck at Cricket. I am a fan of Arsenal since the days of Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry. Last, but not the least, I am a Telecommunication Engineer.

Too many "I" in the previous sentence right? Makes me feel like I'm bragging. Moving on (See what I did there?) , if you are interested in current affairs, defence and strategic matters, internal security, politics and sports, you have come to the right place. Let me be clear, I may not agree with your viewpoint, but I'll definitely hear what you have to say. You are expected to do the same.
So, this, officially is my first  blog post. There will be many more to come.

You can follow me on Twitter. My handle is @faujibrat

Au Revoir...