The morning is a time of myriad of sights, sounds, and smells that slowly emerge from the quietness of the dark.Each sound to me is very familiar, and yet distant like a picture from the past. The vegetable vendors call out their barely decipherable produce names in rapid succession as they walk down the street, “eggplants, green beans, carrots,” the milkman may bring his cow along as he rings your doorbell. Ladies get up before dawn to wash their porches and prepare a freshly drawn sand painting called Rangoli, which come in geometric shapes that are abstractions of things like “Sita’s knot.” They are made by first laying down a gridwork of dots and precisely connecting them through smooth lines of sand. People may walk over the design all day, but it still serves as a welcome.
This is a perfect time to get a cup of chai, or better yet, a steaming mug of south Indian coffee—strong coffee with milk made frothy by repeatedly pouring between two cups. These, along with rice-and-white-lentil cakes known as idlis, form a perfect breakfast food that is dispensed in many street corner “coffee bars.” My favorite one is Shankarnarayana’s coffee bar on Ranga Rao road. After the coffee shop, a walk through one of Bangalore’s city parks is a perfect and relaxing way to start the day. I like going to Lalbagh, which stands for “red garden”, a 240 acre park in the middle of the city constructed by King Hyder Ali for his son Tippu Sultan in 1760. If you are there on the right day, you can glimpse an international flower show.
After the walk, I would go home for a hot oil bath if I knew of someone who would give me an ayurvedic massage treatment. Ayurveda is derived from the Sanskrit word for “life science,” and is an ancient Indian form of wellness and natural medicine. House calls are still very common in a country as populated as India. A friend of a friend can refer you to ladies who can do everything from herbal facials, to massages, to henna application. Alternatively, you can visit one of the ayurvedic spas in the city like Ayurvalley or Ayusha. If you are more serious about working on your mind or body, you can do an Art of Living Retreat or a yoga retreat like Shreyas.
With all of the hard mind-and-body work under your belt, I would go out for lunch or shopping next. Be aware that many of the local shops in the city close sometime in the afternoon for a short period of time. However, many places do stay open. My favorite mall is The Forum in Koramangala which is located in the southern part of the city. Here you can find several western and Indian brands and catch a matinee movie if you are so inclined. One of my favorite places to go to lunch is at the Sahib Sindh inside the mall which serves you colonial style food in a replicated train boogey. Alternatively, commercial street in the cantonment district is another shopping favorite for anything from Cauvery crafts which sells local handicrafts, prestige for suitings and formal attire. Ffolio at the nearby Lavelle road carries the latest designer brands.
I usually leave most of my clothes at home when I go to India. The clothes are beautiful, and relatively inexpensive, and you can get Indian, and “western” attire, and everything in between. The culture of dressing is completely different, some may say more indulgent, but I think that there is a natural respect for the visual beauty of clothes and jewelry in the culture. In Bangalore, you can drape on a gorgeous georgette or shiffon sari just to walk around grocery shopping, or wear a colorful assortment of glass bangles to meet a friend for coffee (perhaps at coffee-n-sheesha-mocha on Lavelle Road). My favorite modern saris are designed by the Satya Paul fashion house and feature avant garde optical-illusion-like designs. The designer has a dedicated store in Indranagar. Deepam silks on M.G. road is another omnipresent favorite.
Wandering around the city can be exhausting, even though Bangalore, unlike most Indian cities, is not particularly hot. It is known for having “air-conditioned weather” with the temperature hovering close to 70 degrees Fahrenheit most of the year, besides the peak summer months of April and May. After shopping, I would observe a peculiarly English tradition that is left over tea and rusk biscuits or any other types of cookies. Bakeries in Bangalore include Butter Sponge, Sweet Chariot, or, my old favorite, V.B. Bakery where you can buy many varieties of cookies.
After unwinding with tea and cookies , I would also make time to soak in some arts or culture. The Venkatappa art gallery has abut 600 paintings by older and modern Indian artists. A must-see landmark in Bangalore is the capital building (Bangalore is the capital of the state of Karnataka), called the Vidhan Soudha, built in the neo-dravidian style. Temples and their architecture are the pride of most Indian cities and often form their spiritual core. Bangalore is known for its Bull Temple, near the Bugle rock, built by the founder of Bangalore. It has a monolithic bull, called Nandi, made of gray granite. The Nandi bull is revered as the vehicle of Lord Shiva. Also nearby is my favorite temple, the Gavi Gangadeshwara temple. The Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple, one of the oldest temples in Bangalore, has a cave with a tunnel leading to a river outside the city. Legend has it that the cave temple dates back thousands of years.
It always gets dark at exactly 7pm in Bangalore. Because it's so close to the equator, there is not much lengthening or shortening of days. At dusk, a swarm of crows start to clamor in the sky, and the temperature usually cools down slightly. Bangaloreans always put on fresh clothes and dress up in the evening, even if they are just sitting at home. They usually at least walk outside to see if their neighbors are out and about or just to watch kids play cricket on the streets. At this time, I would go ahead and dress up, in whatever makes you feel comfortable, as there is a cosmopolitan mix of people wearing all kinds of attire in the city. A selvar kamez with an elaborate shawl may add a good mix of comfort and elegance.
Good places for dinner include Samarkhand which features Mongolian cuisine or Mainland China for an Indian take on Chinese food (much different than the American take). After dinner, Opus is one of my favorite lounges with karaoke. It is also worth mentioning that Bangalore is home to the United Breweries (UB) Group which produces about 50% of all beer consumed in India. As a result, Oktoberfest is actually celebrated in Bangalore. A visit to the Blue Bar Pub or one of the other pubs may be in order.
Bangalore has a vibrant music scene, although frequently changing city ordinances may prevent musical venues from staying open late. Most large concerts, like Lacuna Coil recently, are held on the Palace Grounds of Tippu sultan’s old palace. If you are more in the mood for a club, then Athena at the Leela Palace (which is also a good place to stay) may be in order. My club-inclined friends recommend Purple Haze on M.G. Road and the I-bar at the Park Hotel for trance music.
Despite the nightly fun, I think Bangalore, and perhaps other Indian cities, sleep fairly early. I personally can never sleep early, so I take this time to catch up on reading magazines, painting, or writing in the quiet on the terrace. Such peacefulness is relatively hard to come by in a city with 8 million people during the day. Or, you can log on to the internet and talk to your friends back in the States. Hopefully, sleep will visit soon.
Article by Smita Krishnaswamy
