Charmed by the culture

Hailing from Dibrugarh, which is known as the ‘Tea City of Assam’, Rishi Nandan Sarma stepped into the City at a time when Bengaluru was at a booming stage of its IT sector.

While Rishi came here to finish his management studies in 2005, his wife Kabita Burma joined him after their marriage in 2009. Their daughter Rishava is three years old and her presence completes the family of three. She is currently attending nursery school.

Kabita says, “My husband works with IBM and I work with Spire Technologies and Solutions. Since we are both in the IT sector, Bengaluru has served us well both professionally and personally.” According to them, Bengaluru has transformed a lot since they first set foot in the City. “The development of the City has been phenomenal. In the last six to seven years, it has gone through a huge developmental change, only for the better. This City nestles people from different communities and regions around the world, making it a multicultural epicentre,” says Kabita.

“The best part about Bengaluru are the weather and surroundings. However, that is drastically changing now because of the heavy pollution,” she adds.

According to Rishi, they mostly spend time at home since weekends are the only time they get to be with each other. They also like to go for movies and family dinners and sometimes spend time shopping for their little one. Their favourite hangout place is Jayanagar and they are usually spotted shopping in MG Road, Phoenix MarketCity and Garuda Mall.

They love to visit some of the old eateries in Bengaluru, especially MTR, for its fresh and crisp dosas with that extra ghee. “Both Rishi and I are foodies and we are always on the lookout for new restaurants around the City. We love trying out new cuisines. We visit old eateries too, MTR near Lalbagh is our all-time favourite. Apart from this, we enjoy our visits to Absolute Barbeque, Barbeque Nation and Axomi,” says Kabita.

They consider their friends as an integral part of their life and love spending quality time with them. “We usually organise a small get-together with friends coming over to our place for a meal,” says Kabita. “It’s always wonderful to explore the City with your family, especially when you have a child who is growing up so quickly. We take Rishava to places like Bannerghatta National Park and Nandi Hills for outings so she can also discover our natural surroundings,” she adds. 

Kabita loves to cook during her free time and often experiments with different cuisines. The couple misses savouring their local cuisine and are regularly on the lookout for places that serve Assamese food.

“I miss cooking Assamese food here as it is difficult to get the local spices and ingredients needed to prepare the cuisine. We always look for restaurants that serve North Eastern food and we are glad we found a couple of them in the City,” says Kabita.

As for Bengaluru, they like the culture and people of the City. According to them, people here are really helpful, friendly and generous. “We have made some great friends here and hope to cherish them for life. Bengaluru is growing at a faster pace and becoming increasingly open to different cultures which makes a new person in the City more comfortable,”  says Rishi.