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A quiet stay

MORE THAN ONE REASON Bangalore offers quality education

For Srilankan-Malaysian Vasanthy Alagasu-Sarkar, Bangalore has been home for 18 years now. She came to India to do her Medical studies, ended up marrying an Indian eight years ago and stayed on in the city she loved for its old-world charm in the ea rly 90s.

Vasanthy says: “One thing that stands out about Bangalore is that it is among the most preferred places for expats to settle down. The fact that the people here accept people for other cultures wholeheartedly is what makes us feel at home in this city.”

“The quality of education that Bangalore offers is another factor that appeals to prospective students from abroad,” she adds. Like every other expat, she loves the weather here although she thinks there has been a drastic climate change in Bangalore over the years that she has been here.

Vasanthy remembers the area around the East Railway Station as a “quiet and serene locality.” She wishes the princely bungalows this area was famous for didn’t have to give way to the innumerable towering apartments that are now prominent features not just in her neighbourhood but also across the city.

She is rather concerned about civic needs not being catered to well enough when she says: “I dislike the inability of the city to rise up to its needs. Bangalore has grown but we still have open drains and garbage problems to deal with.”

Apart from traffic woes, another thing about Bangalore that bothers her is that expats here face problems commuting by public transport.

“The destination boards on the city buses are all in the local language which we can neither talk nor read,” she complains. “It would be good if something were done about this issue.”

Vasanthy is a stay-at-home mom but engages in painting, which is her biggest passion, whenever she finds time. She also puts her flair for writing to use every now and then. Church activities keep her busy on weekends.

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