This post has been in the pipeline for a while now. I can't believe it has taken me such a long time to express my thoughts on my beloved hometown, Mysore.
My hometown is where a piece of my heart is. Even after being away for more than a decade, I still have an incredibly powerful connection to Mysore. I never had to leave the city in order to appreciate it. It is where I grew up, went to school, met my best friends, spent countless summer holidays with my cousins, embarked on my career path, graduated from professional college, forged innumerable happy memories with my family and friends, the place I left behind when I got married and the place I keep itching to get back to whenever the opportunity arises. It is at the crux of all my childhood memories. It is an integral part of me.
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| JSS Dental College & Hospital |
To give you a bit of background, I was born in the United Kingdom where I spent my early childhood followed by a few years in the Middle East before my parents decided to settle down in India for good. At the time, almost all my extended family were flocking to Bangalore which was (at the time) considered a great place to live in. But my parents made the unconventional decision to move to neighbouring Mysore, a much smaller and quieter city located about 150 km away from Bangalore. I was an eight-year old girl with missing teeth and pigtails when I arrived in Mysore for the very first time.
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| Railway Station |
Although it is the third largest city in the state of Karnataka, Mysore to me has always seemed quite compact. It is a city that is well-planned, uncrowded and has an inherently laid-back vibe. The cultural and historical ambience of the city embellished with music, art, paintings and dance exhibit the influence of the Vijayanagara Empire and Wodeyar dynasty thus earning the sobriquet 'Cultural Capital of Karnataka'. Mysore is renowned for its grand palaces, majestic temples, beautiful gardens and colorful festivals which imparts an old world charm to the city.
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| Chamaraja Circle |
When describing Mysore, the words cosmopolitan or cool will probably be the last that come to mind. The urban youth may likely find it a dull place to live in but I personally wouldn't have it any other way.
When it comes to leisure, the city has always had plenty of spacious family-friendly restaurants, iconic hole-in-the-wall eateries and quaint ice-cream parlors. I fondly remember enjoying meals at Dasaprakash Paradise, Jewel Rock, Grand Maurya, Olive Garden, Southern Star, King's Court, The Green Hotel, Roost, Royal Inn, Metropole and Nalpak with my family; The Old House, Dosa Point, Downtown, Bombay Tiffanys, Indra Cafe Paras with my siblings & cousins; Dolphin, Penguin, Big Bite, Hotel RRR & Vinayaka Mylari among many others with my college friends.
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| Penguin |
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| Dolphin |
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| Vinayaka Mylari |
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| Bombay Tiffanys |
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| Indra Cafe Paras |
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| The Old House |
There are enough cinema theatres which is how I remember spending most of my weekends growing up. Catching the latest Hindi movies at Woodland & Lido theatres, English movies at Sterling theatre & Tamil movies at Rajkamal theatre brings back a lot of memories. And if you were wondering, I watched Kannada movies in the theatre in Tumkur (and seldom Mysore) 😀
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| Rajkamal Theatre |
One of the grooviest places that my friends and I would hangout was at Planet X. We would go bowling, go-karting, check out the gaming arcade, dabble in billiards and mini golf and end the evening with snacks beverages and dinner. Those were some good times!
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| Planet X |
For the longest time, Mysore didn't have any pubs, breweries, clubs, discos, lounges or any such happening hangout spots. Even good coffee shops and cafes were a rarity. The first shopping mall opened only a few years ago and the first-ever McDonalds made an appearance not too long ago.
But having said that, urbanization has finally struck the city and Mysore has been changing at a frantic pace. It is becoming an active location for IT companies, BPO firms and is the first choice for a short weekend getaway for people living in Bangalore. In recent times, it has been getting rather crowded on weekends (and more so on long weekends). New apartment complexes, shopping malls, multiplexes, fast food chains, trendy bakeries, swanky hotels and specialty grocery stores seem to be mushrooming left right and center. The traffic has increased substantially from how it was when I left. My worst nightmare will be Mysore transforming into present-day Bangalore *shudder* I fervently hope that unfortunate day never comes.
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| SAPA Bakery |
Here are 10 reasons why I love my hometown:
