The prospect of living in India,particularly in Bengaluru, really came out of the blue in the latter part of 2006. I had been offered a post to serve as a Microfinance Individual Lending Advisor with ACCION-India for a period of two years. The decision to take on this new challenge was really tough – this was going to be the first time that I was going to be away from my husband and three daughters and I was going to be all by myself in a strange land. It was primarily my husband who made the decision easier for me – he told me to give this new challenge a try – if I didn’t like it, I could always terminate my contract and come home, but at least I would not have a lot of “what ifs” at the back of my mind; besides, from a career perspective an international posting does bring in a lot of plus points to ones resume.

I was excited with the prospect of being able to bring in a new perspective in microfinance to the ACCION operation in India, at the same time I was apprehensive about the move – a lot of people were asking me – Why India!!! And my response was – Why not India!!! Microfinance using the group lending approach has been working really well in India and I wanted to see how an individual approach could fit into the equation. Thus, having decided to embark on this journey of discovery, I commenced my research on India to prepare myself physically and psychologically.

I had read a lot about the extreme poverty in India, as well as the fact that three or four of the world’s richest men come from India – such dichotomy! From what I read I was prepared for the fact that India would be very different from the Philippines. I was determined to make my two year stint in Bengaluru a memorable and enjoyable stay and this is how I did it (and I said the same thing to my daughters when they came to visit me in Bengaluru.) – Look for the beautiful things about India. Bask in the richness of its culture and the warmth of its people, and then you will learn to appreciate and love everything about India.

I landed in the old Bengaluru Airport on HAL Airport Road in the evening of March 31, 2007, and the scent of sandalwood and spices hit me as I came out of the airport terminal – I’m finally in India! Luckily, my husband decided to come to Bengaluru with me to get me settled in, so my first two weeks in India were not really that difficult. To get to know Bengaluru and soak in the atmosphere of the place, on weekends I would walk around the city – this is something I rarely did when I was in the Philippines; walking became such a habit in the two years I was in Bengaluru that I no longer even considered taking the auto rickshaw to Garuda Mall, UB City or Bangalore Central – hhmmm, looks like all those places are where I go shopping. Oh, by the way, that’s the one habit I developed when I moved to Bengaluru – I became a shopaholic – but you see, I was lonely and all alone so shopping was the way I was able to counter my loneliness – Excuses! Excuses!

I’ve been back in the Philippines for ten months now and I do miss a lot of things about India, but most specially – the friends I made while I was there. These are some of the things that I will always remember about India and Bengaluru:

• I miss the fantastic continental food at Sunny’s (Lavelle Road) and Toscana (UB City), F&B’s awesome buffet, the fantastic North Indian food of Rajdhani in UB City, the steaks at Only Place, “Death by chocolate” at Cornerhouse (India has the most awesome ice cream!).
• I miss the way Indians say “yes” with that unique nodding/bobbing head movement (that I can only describe as doing a horizontal figure eight with your head). I remember my first auto rickshaw ride when I was trying to haggle for a lower rate and the auto driver did this head movement (which to me looked like a “no”), so I ended up haggling with at least four drivers (who all did the same head nodding/bobbing movement), before one uttered the word “yes.” Those guys must’ve thought I was nuts – here they were agreeing to my request for a discounted rate and then I move on to the next driver.
• Indian movies are kinda funny – even the most serious film somehow has to have some singing and dancing interspersed in the story. I loved Jodhaa Akbar, Lagaan, Fire, Water, Earth, Every child is special, Monsoon Wedding, Om Shaanti Om.
• Although I still don’t understand how cricket is played and scored, I love the Kolkata Knight Riders, not because of Shahrukh Khan, but because I like the team’s song (Koorbo Loorbe Jet Borre).
• I will treasure forever my first glimpse of the Taj Mahal in Agra – it really deserves to be one of the Wonders of the World. The Taj Mahal and the palace of the Maharajah of Mysorewill always standout by the sheer beauty, grandeur and history that go with these structures – none of the palaces in Europe or Asia can compare to them.
• I miss the awesome shopping experience at Commercial Street, the really fantastic finds at Hum India and A&S, the great fashion of Giovanni and Ritu Kumar and the wide selection of shopping places on Brigade Road (Bengaluru). I can’t believe how cheap silk is and how awesome the bed sheets are in India!
• I miss room 108 on the 1st floor of Highgates Hotel (Church Street), which was my home-away-from-home during my two year stay in India. I will always remember the very friendly and efficient staff of the hotel that made my stay in India memorable (Victor – Manager, Hemlata- Front Desk).
• I miss the triumvirate of Arati Gupta, Tiodita Mori (from Peru) and I – we were the three ladies of the ACCION-India office who loved to shop and eat – and we did both with amazing gusto. Although India’s culture is very different from that of the Philippines, they do share one very important characteristic – family ties are very important; the importance of family relations/bonds is something that is very Asian and is the common thread among most Asian countries.
• I miss the mid-morning and afternoon “chai” breaks and chit-chat (that went with it) that I had with Rekha, Usha, Tiodita and Venkie (my ex-colleagues at ACCION-India).
• I miss greeting Navin “Buenos dias” (he’s trying to learn Spanish, you know!) whenever I would come in at 8:00AM. Gosh, the housekeeping people and I were always the first ones in the office. Somehow, I could never get myself to report for work at 10:00AM – a carry-over I guess from my working hours in the Philippines.
• Even if I never really developed a taste for Indian food, am just nuts about butter naan (at Highgates Hotel, Bengaluru), malai chicken (from Shezan), dal fry and aloo gobi. I also have such fond memories of the home-cooked Indian food that Anshita and Amit Gupta (ex-colleague) feted us to – as well as the “going away” lunch that we had at Rekha’s home (despite being a vegetarian, Rekha went out of her way to prepare for us – Tiodita, Kathy, Freddie and myself – a non-spicy home-cooked meal that had all of us coming back for seconds).
• India, somehow, has a way of growing on you. I remember how I waited up for the announcement of the Wonders of the World and how proud I felt when India’s Taj Mahal was included in the list. I also jumped for joy when Slumdog Millionaire bagged all the major awards at the Oscars – I found myself shouting “We won!!”

I have so many fond memories of India that I don’t think I could put them all down in 500 words (as requested by Pushpendra Mehta, VCherish Media – sorry to disappoint you). Let me just say that India will always hold a special place in my heart and I will always consider myself a Bengaluruan. Now that I am back in the Philippines, my heart still skips a beat when I see an Indian channel as I scan the cable channels on the TV. Somehow, part of me will always be with my friends in India.

Bengaluru is just a 7 hour plane ride away – who knows, I may just hop on board a plane one of these days and find myself once again walking the familiar streets and breathing in the scents of India.

Long Pineda is Senior Vice-President of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (Philippines) and Head of the Microfinance Unit. She is presently seconded as President of Pres. Jose P. Laurel Rural Bank and Merchants Bank.

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