Moving Eastward
Its time for a new chapter to begin in my life. I am relocating to Yahoo's office in Singapore. Today is my last day in Bangalore. That's the easy part to say. Now to the tough part.
What prompted this? My recent travels to a few countries opened me to the significant cultural differences that I thought would be great to learn, absorb & appreciate. Also, the travel bug had bitten both me and my wife and we thought this would be a great time to spend some time traveling, especially before other responsibilities catch up with us. So, time was ripe for me to move on. At the same time, Yahoo provided me with an opportunity to continue my engagement with them out of Singapore and it was a win-win arrangement.
Why Singapore? After my visit there last year, I was most impressed with the city. It has fantastic public transportation, has built a great nation in spite of not having much natural resources, has propagated communal harmony in spite of being a pot boiler of multiple religions and cultures. Its also a place that's very inviting with great immigration laws and comfortable life for expats. Its also a great hub to commute around most of south east Asia. And finally, Yahoo has a office with some significant engineering work being done out of there and they offered me an option to work out that location.
While pointing out the good things, there are of course significant shortcomings also - a horrible weather, a very big carbon footprint due to importing everything they require, a insecure system which relies of fickle expats (22% of population) for their economy to grow and a system thats often criticized for being only a pseudo democracy with significant media restrictions. These things bother me, but just enough for me to decide against going there. Probably living there would give me a different perspective on these.
What about Bangalore? Well, I can't say the same great things about Bangalore - but it has been a good home for me and my family over the past 4 years. I have also been a good resident, paying all taxes, investing locally (and hence contributing to the local economy) and celebrating the same festivals that Kannadigas celebrate. Though I have been a vocal critic of some of the issues plaguing the city, I see a lot of hope in where this city can go with action groups and active communities contributing to make this a better place. With the intellectual capital brewing in the city, I also think, it might be the epicentre of creating the change agents that the country requires to move to the next level of development.
I will miss a few things from my life in Bangalore:
What prompted this? My recent travels to a few countries opened me to the significant cultural differences that I thought would be great to learn, absorb & appreciate. Also, the travel bug had bitten both me and my wife and we thought this would be a great time to spend some time traveling, especially before other responsibilities catch up with us. So, time was ripe for me to move on. At the same time, Yahoo provided me with an opportunity to continue my engagement with them out of Singapore and it was a win-win arrangement.
Why Singapore? After my visit there last year, I was most impressed with the city. It has fantastic public transportation, has built a great nation in spite of not having much natural resources, has propagated communal harmony in spite of being a pot boiler of multiple religions and cultures. Its also a place that's very inviting with great immigration laws and comfortable life for expats. Its also a great hub to commute around most of south east Asia. And finally, Yahoo has a office with some significant engineering work being done out of there and they offered me an option to work out that location.
While pointing out the good things, there are of course significant shortcomings also - a horrible weather, a very big carbon footprint due to importing everything they require, a insecure system which relies of fickle expats (22% of population) for their economy to grow and a system thats often criticized for being only a pseudo democracy with significant media restrictions. These things bother me, but just enough for me to decide against going there. Probably living there would give me a different perspective on these.
What about Bangalore? Well, I can't say the same great things about Bangalore - but it has been a good home for me and my family over the past 4 years. I have also been a good resident, paying all taxes, investing locally (and hence contributing to the local economy) and celebrating the same festivals that Kannadigas celebrate. Though I have been a vocal critic of some of the issues plaguing the city, I see a lot of hope in where this city can go with action groups and active communities contributing to make this a better place. With the intellectual capital brewing in the city, I also think, it might be the epicentre of creating the change agents that the country requires to move to the next level of development.
I will miss a few things from my life in Bangalore:
- Friends - I have been blessed with acquiantances of some great people during my stay here and instead of taking names - I would just say each one of them has contributed to enriching my life here.
- My ex-colleagues across all my three employers - Trilogy, Ugenie and Yahoo have made me a better person, a better professional and it has been a good learning experience. I hope I have contributed to their causes as well.
- The weather - when you are heading to Singapore with a horrible hot weather through the year, there are probably 360 days you are going to long to come back to the brilliant weather back in Bangalore.
- My favorite eating/drinking joints - ranging from the upscale Ebony to the down-to-earth darshinis and the always good Stones and the creamy-ice-creamy Corner House - have been great memories and I hope they stay with me forever. Kesari Bath, Rava Masala Dosa and Hot Chocolate Fudge will rate the highest here.
- My own home at Mahaveer Nest, Devara Chikana Halli and the locality, that has grown on me with acquiantances with all the shopkeepers and the presence of the serene Aiyyappa Temple being a tempering influence on me, will not be there anymore for me to return to everyday in the evening.
Comments
I hope to write out a similar blog entry soon (hopefully before end of year) - except only to say that I'm bidding adieu to Bangalore to move to Thanjavur to develop my puny 2 acre land into a Permaculture garden. I'm getting there - but still need a paying job.
How mean!!!
Anyhow its an opportunity for Bangalore to find scopes of improvement (as the mangers would say) :-)