Bengaluru Days!! š«¶ Part 3
Saved the best for the lastāThe Backstory, The Trip, and The Future.
I was worried that my personal stories or my views, in general, would be uninteresting to readers, but Iām glad to know you like what Iām sharing.
The response to the first three issues of Vikraās CafĆ© is encouraging, and it only drives me to write, express, and create without filters. Thank you! ā¤ļø
Before you read this issue, do read Part 1 and Part 2 to get a clear context of where the third part is coming from.
Letās goo!
Travelling in Ola
I like driving cars. Doesnāt matter how far the destination is or how taxing the journey is, I prefer car because it relaxes me mentally and is therapeutic to me.
I rarely sit in the passengerās seat in the car, let alone take public transport or cabs. In fact, the number of times I took public transport in the last three years is five times at most.
But in Bengaluru, I booked Ola at least six times a day.
I donāt know how to explain it. It might even sound silly, but I liked travelling by autoāso much that Iām mentioning it in the newsletter, lol.
Iāve been driving all my life, and ājust sitting and doing nothingā as a passenger was peaceful.
In control of my schedule
All my previous travel experience was with my family, where a travel agency decides where to go, what to do, and how much time to spend at a location.
For the first time, I travelled with control over my plans and time.
I met people I wanted to meet.
I visited places I wanted to go.
I gave more time to folks I wanted to spend time with.
I walked out when I didnāt get the vibe.
All these steps look small, but I believe they impact our self-image significantly.
After independently managing many factors Iām doubtful about, I certainly feel more confident and assured about myself.
Introducing the Gang!
The Journey
In my 24 years of existence, Iāve known Sreekar for 23 years. We went to the same school and never lost touch, fortunately or unfortunately.
It was more like growing up with a brother than having a friend.
Around eight months ago, Sreekar introduced me to Vidya and Anangsha in a book club. I had a fantastic day + Got a glimpse of how wonderful meeting like-minded people would be.
From the first day to even today, whenever I see Vidya, I remember my sister. Maybe itās because of the facial features or some sort of vibe, idk, but it surprises me how I think of my sister every time I see her.
Also: Vidya is our Gangās mom. :p
Anangsha, I always look up to her. The success she has achieved as a writer is inspiring, and even more than her success, you gotta love the person she is.
A week later, I attended a Notion workshop in Hyderabad, where I met Vyshnavi for the first time. Sreekar and I were deciding where to eat, and Vyshnavi came up to us and asked, āHow did you guys come?ā
āCar,ā I answered.
Vysh: āAre you going towards the nearby metro station by any chance?ā
Me: āUhmm, not really sure. We havenāt decided where to go yet. Do you know any place (in the direction of the metro) where we can have good food? We can drop you on the way.ā
Vysh: āI planned to go to Roast 24/7 with a friend. It got canceled, so Iām heading back home rn. You can try that place. Itās new, and I heard itās good.ā
Me: āIn that case, why donāt you join us for dinner?ā
Vysh: āSure, we can do that.ā
Thatās how in 30 seconds we headed to dinner without even saying hi, hello. š
Fun Fact: We didnāt know each otherās names until we got in the car.
In August 2022, I met Aravind at the book club. We had some high funda conversations about books, business, etc.
Nice guy to talk shop, I thought.
Now, we are comfortable to talk about all kinds of stupid things and randomly message each other at any time about anything.
He is THE nicest friend Iāve made in the last decade.
PS: If you love coffee, you should talk to Aravind. He is a coffee geek.
A week before this meet-up, Aravind met Vidya and Anangsha at a cafĆ©. They invited him to the book club, where we discussed the concept of meeting once a week to work from cafĆ©sāmainly to focus on side hustles and personal projects.
And thatās how the Work From CafĆ© Gang was born.
Months later, I met Ibrahim at a networking event.
Aravind, Sreekar, and I asked a few people we met at an event to join us for dinner, and Ibrahim was one of themāSmart and cool guy to hang out with.
It is a good ritual weāve built: Taking people we vibe with to dinner after the event. I donāt think enough time is spent at an event to know a person properly. Post-event dinners are the best to make new friends or build strong connections.
So thatās The Gang for you!!
Okayy back to the trip: Vidya, Vyshnavi, Aravind, Ibrahim, Sreekar and I went to Bengaluru.
This is what we did š
The Masti
Late-Night Conversations:
I love it when you talk for hours without realizing itās 2 am, 3 am, 4 am... Itās an indicator you are enjoying conversation and donāt really care what time it is, what your plans are for tomorrow, and if your sleep is fucked. You just want to live the moment.
We had countless such conversations. From personal to professional, fun to dark stories, group ranting to debates, weāve covered everything.
The maturity levels of this group make sharing personal stories comfortable, easy, and lightāand itās hard to articulate how magical it is to experience all these together.
Checking out cafes, streets, and clubs:
Bengaluru CafƩs have my heart.
We explored beautiful cafƩs like Araku, Copper + Cloves, Kunafa Story, Humble Bean, and Go Native.
I ask you to visit all these placesāfood is sexy and the settings are aesthetic.
But if you have time to visit only one place, donāt miss Go Native. Itās a vegan + vegetarian cafĆ©. Honestly, doesnāt matter if you are a vegetarian, vegan, or non-vegetarian, just visit this place as a food lover, and I assure you wonāt get disappointed.
All of us love books. How can we not visit Blossoms?
Again, Blossoms is one store all the Kannadigas recommended, and we understood why when we got there.
I love hugeeee stores that give crazy options and you get almost everything you want. I bought only two books as I got a few at the Hyderabad Book Fair last December, and I didnāt want to club my shelf with unread books.
Hereās what I got:
Almanack of Naval had a big impact on me. I always wanted to have a paperback, so I bought it.
I wanted to explore fiction. So I purchased beautiful and short Ruskin Bond stories.
Ibrahim gifted me The God Delusion. It is my current read, and Iāve already started to enjoy the perspectives of the author, Richard Dawkins.
Iām not a club person. Iām more of a cafĆ© or nature person. But as they say, āPlaces donāt matter when youāre with the right people.ā Everywhere you go, you have fun. Thatās what happened.
We went to Boho and Tipsy Bull.
Apparently, Boho is one of the most happening pubs in Bengaluru, and we visited it on a Monday afternoon. š¤¦āāļø
So itās just us in the bar. š
But I loved the place and the food.
We did it right with Tipsy. We arrived around 11:30 pm, and the atmosphere was electric!! Loud music and everyone dancing is just ā”ļø
It never felt like a trip
Not even for a second I felt I was on vacation. It was more like I was living in the city with my roommates.
I gotta say my Gang will make a hell of roommates + Iām sure weāll lose many nightsā sleep just talking and chilling.
The comfort to correct
There were a few instances where we all did things we shouldnāt have (unknowingly, of courseāwe are innocent souls).
But every single time, we waited for the right moment and corrected each other, mentioning what we thought was right. It is rare, at least in my experience with groups, that people maturely sit, discuss, and communicate. I am glad we provided each other with that comfort.
What this Gang means to me
Iāll start with this š
I know many people, but I have only a few friends.
It is hard to label what all these folks mean to me, and āFriendsā definitely is an understatement. I have no idea what to call what we have.
I was never close to my family. Will it be like this if I was close to my cousins?
I donāt have siblings. Is this how it would be if I had siblings?
I donāt know, but itās definitely special.
Maybe I donāt need to label anything. For now, I just need to treasure this bond and live all the lovely moments I got with them.
Life.
My Top 10 recommendations if you plan to visit Bengaluru
Church Street: To experience the soul of Bengaluru
Go Native: For good foooood
Rameshvaram CafĆ©: Love South Indian breakfast? Donāt miss RC.
Cubbon Park: For walks, peace, and nature.
Humble Bean Coffee: Good coffee, good vibes, work culture.
Copper + Cloves: Tasty food thatās healthy
Araku Coffee: For folks who love working from cafƩs
Samsung Opera House: I loved the concept. You might too.
Blossoms Book Store: Do I even need to say anything?
India Chai: Love chai? Must try!
My plans for travel
Aravind told me at the end of 2022 that heās planning to travel every 8th week in 2023. I donāt know if he will do it, but I loved the concept so much that I decided to do it.
Only after travelling to Bengaluru I realized itās not that hard to travel.
Every 8th week is the last week of every second monthāit seems doable. It makes booking + planning easier. I can also finish my work in advance and inform my clients early.
I placed my first step correctly when I travelled to Bengaluru in the last week of February. Now, I plan to continue what started right.
My views on travel changed.
Earlier, it was about visiting good places. Now, itās more about meeting peopleāboth the ones I know and strangers, listening to local stories, and of course, visiting good places.
Thanks to my profession, I can work remotely and have the freedom to move around.
Whatās the point if I donāt leverage it?
What can you expect in the future from Vikraās CafĆ©?
I understand itās been all about my trip and travel experiences so far, but this newsletter is much beyond that.
Of course, Iāll be sharing my real-time experiences, but let me repeat whatās on the landing page:
I share my unfiltered beliefs, BTS of life, and sometimes rants.
What you can expect: Glimpses of my personal life, ideas and opinions on a wide range of topics: cinema, music, characters, God, business, philosophy, books, travel, relationships, history, food, and many moreeee.
What you shouldnāt expect: Advices or educative content. If Vikraās CafĆ© provides value, great! But I donāt intend to teach anythingāI just express myself.
I end Bengaluru Days Part 3 here.
It was lovely sharing my experience.
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