Just got back from Bangalore, and guess what was waiting for me in my email? A message from the grad student I worked with from Summer 2003 through Spring 2004. My research work (building a database for the murine Notch gene pathway) has been published in Science. Granted, it’s a one paragraph blurb, but it’s still cool! Science is ranked 8th according to ISI Impact Factor.
When I first came back to India in 1996, I remember noticing that I was the only person wearing blue jeans…. boy, have things changed. Today, designer brands are in: Adidas, Levi’s, Reebok, Wrangler, Nike, etc. Every person under the age of 25 are caught only wearing jeans, and everyone seems to have an infatuation of the United States.
Case in point: I went to a shopping mall today called “The Forum.” Now, you’re thinking, “how exciting, a mall“, but keep in mind that a mall didn’t exist in Bangalore when I last came in 2002. “The Forum” reminds me of a Galleria or any other high end shopping mall, but on a slightly smaller scale. The top floor is a movie theater with seven screens, featuring all of the latest Hollywood and Bollywood films. I saw “The Da Vinci Code”; the experience was the same, minus the intermission halfway through the show.
The mall featured any store you could think of: among the stores I care about (the electronics stores), I saw a Bose and an Indian Apple Store (called Apple Centre). I didn’t realize iPods were so popular in India. 
Oh, and they even have a “Lush”, which isn’t in Dallas, I don’t believe. Maria loves this store.
After the movie, we were all starving, so we went to find a place to eat. Our options: First, the food court, which had a Pizza Hut, Subway, and a bunch of Indian fast food places.
Our second option: The second of its kind in India… a McDonalds! I couldn’t believe I’d be so excited about seeing a McDonalds.
We decided to eat here. Take a look at the crowd; I don’t think I’ve ever seen an American McDonald’s this busy before.
The menu was interesting: McDonald’s first attempt in the Indian market ten years ago was a disaster. They tried to serve Indians the crappy food they serve in the US, but the Indians wouldn’t accept that. Now, the food is catered to Indian tastes. Would you like a McAloo Tikki, a McVeggie sandwich, or a McSamosa? I chose the McMaharaja Chicken sandwich… it was essentially a Big Mac with chicken, and a spicy, Indian flavored sauce. It was honestly the best McDonald’s sandwich I’ve ever had.
So that’s my tour of the new Bangalore shopping style. My only question is: why do Indians want to be American? I guess time will tell the answer.
Whitefield is a town near Bangalore. Back in the day (50 years ago), it was where retired British soldiers lived. The place was considered a frontier, with no regular drinking water, but it offered cheap land. My great-grandfather (he was a colonel in the Indian army) bought land here in the 60s, and set up a house for their children (six children) to live.
Whitefield was an empty place in 1996 when I last visited. Back then, Avi’s (my great grandmother’s) house along with two of her son’s houses were located in an empty patch with nothing around them. Now, there’s not a single bit of land available, and that main road has become very busy. A big apartment complex is being built across the main road from Avi’s house, and a big hotel is being built right next to Avi’s house.
What changed Whitefield in the past ten years was the Bangalore IT revolution. The software companies quickly expanded in Bangalore until no more space was available. As a result, these companies started expanding into Whitefield. Now, Whitefield is one of the most expensive real estate areas around Bangalore. It’s funny how things change.
Avi died a few years ago, but her spirit still lives on around this area. She built a temple, which is still maintained by one of her sons.
I went to Bangkok for a few days with my grandparents. That city was absolutely amazing.. I never realized Bangkok had such a clean feel to it: it felt like Singapore, without the police force.
I spent a couple days sightseeing, and in the process, I saw Buddha in every form possible.. laughing buddha, sitting buddha, standing buddha, relaxed buddha, etc. I also saw a really cool Thai play, which was based on a Hindu legend.
The rest of the time was spent shopping… Thailand is a great place to shop, I must say.
We stayed at the Conrad Hilton in Bangkok; it is this amazing, new five star hotel. If you go to Thailand ever, you must check this hotel out.
