I moved to Bangalore a little over 11 years ago, and so far the transition has been anything but not easy. I'm homesick, missing my family and just the laid back lifestyle in general. Not that I did not get anything out her., Bangalore gave me an Engineering degree, a job and a lifestyle, I could not imagine during my childhood. It's not that I do not love Bangalore - I am. But it is so obvious that this isn't forever. It's just a whole different world here. I hate that people staying next to my house don't say "hi", or smile in return when I smile.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I moved to Bangalore, a naive, terrified guy. I was fresh out of school and felt ready to prove to myself, and everyone else, that I wasn't the dependent, unable child people (mainly myself) assumed I was. I was ready for a fight with this intimidating city; I refused to let it chew me up and spit me out. I would conquer Bangalore. I wasn't sure how, but that's what I intended to do.
I moved into a beautiful 3 bedroom house surrounded by lakes, along with three other people I hardly knew. They became very close to me later and are still, though very far away. Life passed like a bullet from the gun and after four years, I became Engineer with a decent job in hand. My brother wanted me to go for M.Tech. But it did not happen, I don’t know whether it was a right decision or not, but global market health was not so good that time and I hardly could do anything with the initial break I had got in my career. I had to leave Bangalore for one year and prepared for MBA, though I had little time to prepare and somehow I managed to clear written tests for XLRI and CAT, I returned back to my den empty handed. So many bad things happened during that one year and I decided to come back to Bangalore to prove myself once again and this time I had to prove myself and to others too, to show that I am still the same strong guy who don’t believe in impossible word, and I was able to do it. I still wonder how I could do it…
This difficult period toughened me up and helped me grow a thick outer shell, which ultimately helped prepare me for all the other difficulties I'd face along my life path.
Things started becoming more and more real as the years passed. I stopped looking at the city with the innocence of a newcomer, and instead, viewed it through the eyes of a seasoned, experienced Bangalorian. I stopped going out so often, and found that I enjoyed quiet nights at home, and dinners with friends. Regardless, however, Bangalore became home. It became real. No matter how much I tried to deny it, it eventually became my real world. This is where I have spent the majority of my adult life, thus far. It's where I experienced my first mature relationship, jobs, started a freelance career, learned to depend on myself, began to feel comfortable with who I am, met lifelong friends, fell in love with fitness and healthy living, became inspired by diversity and all the endless art and culture.
I found it to be a culture shock when I moved here, but now I don't know I will ever live without it all, the drama, the pushiness, the progressiveness, the excitement. I'm so used to walking everywhere, and never needing a car. I guess that's the nature of life: we don't even realize we're on a path, so we don't take notice of all the learning, developing and experiencing we're doing. Maybe we don't understand until we reach the end of one journey, look back and say "Wow, I accomplished and grew so much," and feel ready to embark on a new one.