Archana Online.com

Along with money, love and time, which drives human beings mad, is love for food! And especially if your are residing outside your city, it increases exponentially.

Bangalore has been known to me as the hub of NRM or NRK – Non Resident Malayalees or Keralites. Its an altogether different matter that you will find them wherever you go. Chennai was far better in that case. It gave me the realization that I was in a different land, but which served you with good food!!! I had started liking various South Indian dishes only after staying in Chennai. There we had the famous Tharavad and Kumarakom restaurants for Malayalees. I had not liked the Bangalorean food for that matter, for reasons which cannot be disclosed due to security reasons! Every time, we went out, I had gone for North Indian or Italian or Tamilian or Fast Food, or more commonly Mallu (short form for Malayali) food for most occasions.

Kaayal restaurant was one of the few we have been dining off late. The options were Malabar and Kalavara of which Kaayal turned out to be the winner. I have heard of some other restaurants too, but they all are at far distance from my reach and this restuarant is nearby Jeevan Bhima Nagar (near Indira Nagar) and hence easily reachable. At times, it drives us mad, having a single Kerala Sadya menu and nothing else, when we wanted to have something other than rice! But still, it remains the only choice still now. The ambience and the food and the menu have been good enough till now.

Any other recommended Mallu restaurants in Bangalore?

Did you ever remember the time when you handled Rs 10 or Rs 100 as a big amount? The time when you thought flight travel is only for the hi-fi people. The times when you felt, any dress material above Rs 500 is an expensive costume. The times when giving treat was limited to Rs. 300 or Rs.400. The times when we think of travelling locally by bus or walk, as travel by auto rickshaws was too much. The times when we thought of America, US, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Dubai etc as unimaginable and never-can-be-visited destinations. The times, when your heart skipped a beat when every SMS of yours got charged. The times when you bought chappals or sandals worth 100 or 150 for daily use. The times when you think twice before lunching or having dinner out. The times when you made fun of the hi-fi people in mind, with their tight jeans n cool sun glasses and their life style. The times when you enjoyed the travel with your loved ones in bus, side by side. The times when you enjoyed the beauty and innocence of the village during a train journey or at your home town. The times when the simple things made you happy.

Now, I travel by local auto at minimum of Rs 60. I guess I have travelled by Air Deccan nearly or more than 20 times. I send national SMS and also even International ones. The dinner n lunch treats is not a new thing. I have sandals priced around Rs 500. I have two jeans already with uncountable tops and shirts. I recently bought new dresses worth around 1.4k!! I bear the city traffic in the peak hours daily morning and evening. You see people running behind hip-hop cool trendy outfits at the brand stores, including me. The famous hangout outlets include the shopping malls and theatres and not the parks. The beauty of the beach has been scratched by the enormous crowd.

Does it mean we don’t remember the good old days? Does it mean we have changed a lot from the past? Do we crave for those happiness?

I do. I do remember. And I did change. And I do crave for the small small happiness. But as long as the people around me are there, as always to enjoy those small happiness with me along with the change, I guess I won’t mind the change…