Between Mom & Aunt :P

Migrating from Cuttack to Bangalore has been a huge metamorphosing experience for me.Its like moving from a place of gentle breezes to a place where you dont have time to breathe :P For most part of my life I have stayed in a place where time flows like a meandering river & a sea of humans is something one notices only at Bali jatra.It is where old friends or acquaintances still happily stop by for a chit chat if they meet each other on the road, where having pizza,pasta,taco,nacho,grilled chicken,crushers,coffee  at Dominoes or KFC or CCD  etc is not the "it" thing when compared to Raghu or Trinatha's heavenly dahibara aludum.

It is where one doesnt have to dress up to look like a million dollar property to just roam for shopping :P It is a  place where still there are people who recognize you with an honest smile even if they dont know you. It is a place where kids know amoeba as a microbe and not as a bowling hub. Cuttack I feel has a soul in it, I am among the countless others who feel so. It has a warmth which enraptures you, nurtures you and finally leaves you craving for it when you fly away to far off places in the quest of glory.

Bangalore is a beautiful place too.But if one thinks of Cuttack as the warm & loving mother, then Bangalore is the stylish & trendy aunt who makes sure that you become confident & nonchalant just like her. It is a city where "IT" has engulfed people in "ITself" :P.

I have travelled in buses quite extensively in the last few years during my graduation. Sitting in overcrowded buses & noticing people around me has become a hobby.In odisha I have seen an element of camaraderie in buses.Whether it be a collective abuse to driver/conductor or "mausi tike side hela" or countless such moments where one cant help but smile.

Due to all this noise, I remember tugging in my earphones to get away from it .I wondered why people couldnt do away with all that chit chat during bus travels.And now here I am in Bangalore. Going to my office in International Tech Park, I see many people like me travelling in AC Volvo buses.

Smart, well dressed IT professionals..raring to go! All of them have the typical corporate look.Suave,nonchalant and subtle expressions, not concerned about what's going on around,too engrossed in today's schedule and too busy to look at anyone leave alone starting a conversation.I think there is a notion  that if they smile or laugh, it'll create wrinkles on their face and moreover destroy the "Corporate" air surrounding them.

 I feel the difference..here the bus is quiet yet people have ear phones tugged in.And  I realize  that there is a moment in life when one does miss some happy noises in a crowded bus too !