Prasad thinks blogging about a Saturday afternoon trip to Indirangar is not really a topic but I beg to differ. I would love to live in Indiranagar. Ten+ years ago, Indiranagar was considered to be the boonies but now, it is almost the heart of Bangalore. If our workplace and our children's school wasn't so remote, I would move there in a heartbeat. I would however need to find a gated apartment or community as I can't live in a house or apartment directly off the street. I know that many Bangaloreans disagree and think that living in a gated community is really not "living" in Bangalore but for me the advantages of a gated community outweigh the disadvantages. Mainly, I want the children to be able to freely move within the community, meet with their friends and not have to worry about traffic and other security issues. Back to the topic at hand, the main reason I aspire to live in Indiranagar is the excellent shopping options available and its proximity to the city center. It has many upscale stores, restaurants and offers many other services. We stopped at a Satya Paul designer shop, they were having a 40% off sale and I did indulge myself a little. Then we headed to 100ft restaurant and sampled excellent Mediterranean food and checked out their boutique. They had outdoor seating, a beautiful evening breeze and we had a great view of 100ft road from our table. The only negative was that it was so noisy due to the traffic. Anyway, there are a bazillion other stores and restaurants to check out so we'll need to venture out to that area many more times.
We stopped at this well-known used book store called Blossoms, on Church St. in downtown. It's a 3 level store and carries many books, quite different from Landmark since it's a used bookstore. We picked up Enid Blyton classics and Meg Cabot books for Sindhu and hold your breath, I picked up Twilight. I was going to get Indira Gandhi's biography but I dropped that one and picked up Twlight instead. I'm sure some folks are cringing as they read this, but I really had to find out what all the hullaballoo was about. Will let you know after I read it. And the great thing about Blossoms is that I can return the book and get 50% credit towards another book, not bad eh? Speaking of books, I just finished "Marrying Anita" by Anita Jain but I was not so impressed and wouldn't really recommend it.
I also caught up with Teju over the weekend who was visiting Pune, we didn't get to see each other but we had 1.5 hour conversation over the phone. Well a mishmash of notes, hope you all had a great weekend.
7 comments:
Sounds like a blast. Excuse me now while I google Satya Paul. :) For us Malleswaram is the 'heart' of Bangalore!
Raji Said it - all these fake South Bangalore types...North Bangalore is the *Real* Bangalore! :-)
Historical perspective, ignore if not interested - am procratinating on work :-) - S. B'lore has more Tamil speaking folks, N.Bangalore, except for some pockets (Malleshwaram :-)) is more Kannadiga. S.B'lore used to be the province of the new rich, Anglo Indians, army folks etc...thus the old animosity...now it seems like everyone in B'lore unites against the electronic city folks, so we're good! :-))
Have you hit Premier Bookstore yet? The store is a treasure, that is sadly going to be there for barely a week or so - the proprietor has been wanting to close for years now, but just read a fwd that says it's closing for sure next week - it's at the corner of Church St. and Museum rd...small place ABSOLUTELY CRAMMED with books...and Mr. Shanbhag would order any that you wanted...man, that hurts. A huge part of my life.
Also, have you checked out Bangalore Walks? They have some interesting ones. if you are looking for places to eat at, I will fwd recs.
You asked for Store recs:
Clothes: Commercial Street, the DCM store (about two stores away from Haldirams) - good tailors, and reasonably priced compared to the designer boutiques that flank them. I like their salwar cuts.
Not sure what stuff you're looking for, let me know and I'll tell you where to go (if I know)
M
Thanks Maith for the insightful history lesson :-) I still think Indiranagar is the place to be but maybe I need to explore N. Bangalore a little more.
I have not been to Premier bookstore, bummer it's closing.
I have heard about Bangalore Walks, should check it out. Thanks for the clothing store recommendation, I'll check it out next time I go to Commercial street. I'll be sure to ask you for more recommendations.
Hi Mythili,
I am back reading your posts after a 2 week hiatus. My India office has personal websites and email blocked and I could not get to your blog.
It is interesting that you mention Indiranagar - I have not been to Indiranagar since 1979. We used to live there from 73-79 and it was definitely nothing like what you describe it to be. We lived opposite a village called Thipasandra?? or something like that.
Would love to go back and see what the place is like.
Echoing Raji's comments - would love to see you in a Satya Paul saree. Three years ago - they were all geometric prints but now back to more traditional motifs.
My cousin is getting engaged in the summer, so I'm planning on wearing the Satya Paul then :-) Still need to get the blouse stitched. I didn't know that you loved in Bangalore in the 70s, looks like everyone has been here some time or another.
Hi Mythili
This is Arvind. Your blog is excellent! The Indiranagar one brings back some memories of a visit eons ago when I was very impressed with the neighborhood and when Bangalore was still a sleepy town.
R
Arvind
Hi Arvind,
Thanks and nice hearing from you! If you have any Bangalore tips or any restaurant suggestions, let us know. Take care and hope you're all doing well.
Mythili
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