Hangouts make Bangalore

BANGALORE: Bangaloreans today have varied options for recreation like movies, malls, parks and coffee shops. But for many, hanging out with their gang gives them their daily high.The gang usually is a bunch of college students who have been regulars at their rendezvous and keep up their bonding even into their working days. For most, the bonding is greater after college since they relate to each other and relive their carefree days which they miss as they become working professionals and family men.While some drop in at the hangouts only occasionally because they are married, for others, it’s their marriage that drives them to the gang regularly!The coffee or snack at the hangout is only incidental and is essentially a sideshow as the congregation debates on topics ranging from their irregular gang member to Rahul Dravid’s poor shot, or recall a funny incident from college, usually at the expense of another gang member.The contents of the waiter’s order pad haven’t changed but the gang has moved on from one topic to the other, with the remnants of the coffee drying up at the base of the cup.The rendezvous could be a ledge at a shopping complex, a corner table at a café or a boulder in a park. Alternatively, it could be an obscure nook or conservancy lane, where they can smoke away without being spotted by their family members who are out shopping.While the gang members initially call each other to meet at the hangout at an appointed time, by and by, they just land up at the spot one by one on their own. In case a gang member has disappeared without leaving a forwarding address, an enquiry at the hangout usually helps track him down. The coffee or cigarette vendor usually serves as the front office for the gang and is relied upon for any enquiries about gang members, who leave a message with him about their whereabouts.It’s at these informal meetings and get-togethers that many of the opinions are formed.  From the innocuous idli at the newly opened local restaurant to the Jan Lokpal Bill, opinions are aired “Left”, “Right” and “Centre”. The decision to try the new restaurant or join Anna Hazare’s mass signature campaign, are all made here.The legendary Gundappa Hotel in the old city area, where the great DVG used to hangout with likeminded intellectuals, is one such institution. Obscure hangouts in the city are still moulding the town’s citizens.[email protected]