Hanging in there

BENGALURU: Restaurants have opened doors, beer taps are overflowing, and the city’s notorious traffic rages on roads again. But despite the semblance of normalcy, Bengalureans are still hesitant to go back to their old ways or hangout plans. In fact, they seem to be harbouring a new fondness for smaller, low-key get togethers, taking place either in the homes of loved ones, or far away from city limits. Take, for instance, designer Aviva Bidapa, who has taken to hiking these days. “Earlier, most of us worked Mondays through Saturdays and were too tired to try this on Sundays. But now that we have the time and energy, I have realised it’s actually such a destressing activity,” says Bidapa, who often hikes with a group of 4-5 friends. 

For theatre artiste Sanchitha Poonacha, life in the old normal meant heading to cafes in Koramangala or Indiranagar for coffee and conversation with friends. These days, however, the 25-year-old still makes the rounds of these areas, but through the safety of her car. “My friends and I usually pick up some short eats from Glen’s Bakehouse, Magnolia Bakery or Starbucks and drive around Airlines, MG Road, Brigade Road, Koramangala and Indiranagar. So we get to be a part of the outside world but from the safety bubble of our car,” says Poonacha, who is also a yoga teacher. 

It’s not hangout plans alone that have changed these days. Bengalureans are also noticing a difference in the time spent together. Rapper Gubbi, for example, says since meetups are shorter in duration now, there’s more emphasis on conversations. “Before I would spend up to three-fourths of a day with my friends, and we’d often spend that time watching a movie or maybe being on our phones. Now we see each other just for an hour or two so we use that limited time to talk more,” he says.

Bidapa too has noticed something similar in her plans. Conversations now take a deep dive into issues and realisations that being in isolation have brought up, and more. “With strict 9-5 jobs earlier, I would spend Fridays at a club to blow off some steam. But now when I call my friends over and we sit with my parents for a chat, that has such a fun and nice vibe to it as well. And suddenly you realise new things about someone you’ve known for as long as 15 years,” she explains.