Coffee Nirvana

(courtesy www.bangaloresareeshops.com)
“I’ll get you a dosa”, my mum would bribe and entice me on a shopping spree with her. As a kid, going shopping was never in my list; however she couldn’t leave me alone at home.

Shopping in the city had always been a trekking experience through the many confusing lanes in Chickpet or Majestic areas. Alternating between trudging in the heat and having colas in the cool retail shops became a habit.

The shopping would end with a much promised greasy dosa that I devoured with relish, before heading home in an auto rickshaw with the day’s purchases. Invariably, a few days later, there would be another trip down the Sampige Road or Malleswaram 8th cross for matching accessories. I would be treated to a dosa at the ever crowded Janata Hotel, where one had to order quickly and devour everything in a hurry, since there were others waiting for the table.

If a festival or a family function was around the corner, a visit to the goldsmith in his second-floor dim-lit shop, inside a dilapidated building on Avenue road, was certainly on the cards. That he was aged and had thick glasses hardly mattered since he was best for creating a pair of gold bangles in the required design. It was a common knowledge that the jeweller nearer home would either charge more or did not have much variety and designs.

My mum and aunts would ritually call on the ladies’ tailor many times and he would give another date; much like a judge adjourning a case for another date. “Agilla madam, I have to get the right shade of material for the fall and you can see I have no time. I’ll give you next week” would be the earnest reply. With much persuasion, he would relent and give some that were completed.

Buying jeans as a teenager would be even more excruciating journey. International brands being rare and expensive, we would visit Alankar Plaza in Majestic to buy jeans material. A trip to Vijaynagar with my cousin followed, since the best tailor who stitched ladies jeans was here. And we wore jeans as a group since a single girl wearing jeans would attract unwanted attention.

Fifteen years later, we have a parallel Bangalore. On the corner of Macgrath and Commissariat Roads stands Garuda Mall. Air-conditioned during at any time of day or night, it flaunts brands like Mark & Spencer, Australian cookies, Barista Coffee shops, a full fledged food court which serves everything from dosas to Chinese or authentic North Indian dishes. Retail outlets, like Shopper’s Stop, displays Lee and Levis next to home-grown brands for Indian garments (Salwar Kameez, Sarees, Kurtas etc). They even have in-house tailors for alteration on your purchase. Further up the street, stands Bangalore Central, another Mall which flaunts the same brands and some more. Forum, the largest Mall in Bangalore has a buzz of a mini city with its retail, cosmetics, electronics, bookstores, cafes, theatres, restaurants and most importantly, seven levels of parking space. MG Road and Koramangala have taken over the mantle of commercial hub for shopping.

We have malls that specialise in furniture (Hometown), for people on a budget (Big Bazaar), and for consumer electronics (eZone). It becomes handier to present gifts on occasions. No more steel cutlery for marriages or gold chains for little ones. Give them a gift coupon so that they can make there own choice and love the experience.

So what happens to traditionalists like Rukmini Hall or Shantala Silks or the goldsmiths of Avenue Road or the Annapurna ladies tailors in Link Road? As I wrote this article, I searched online like most of you (net savvy readers) would do. Result – they are all flourishing, have additional stores and flaunt their addresses on the internet. The city we grew up in and also grown. The average Bangalorean has now many places to go shopping. If one wants to buy jeans or western wear, Shoppers Stop would be a great place; for sarees there are innumerable brands in Indiranagar or MG Road vicinity. For bulk purchases, Chickpet is still the favourite.

My mother, who loves shopping in Malleswaram, gets equally excited now to visit the Malls. Her answer to this cultural amalgamation is – “Of course both will thrive. With more competition, they will be more innovation, variety. In the end, it is the customer who gains”. What she said made sense. In the old days, we bought vegetables from vendors with their mobile carts, who came precisely twice a day shouting their wares. With Reliance Fresh now in every area, the mobile grocers still come in the streets and brings fresher produce. Clearly this cultural harmony is here to stay.