21 yrs old and moving to Bangalore or Hyderabad for a while? =)

SweSammy

Hey every1!
I am a college student in Sweden and I'm studying IT & Business. Next year will be my last year of the program and the entire school-year will consist of online distance courses and a dissertation. In other words, there's no need for me to stay here lol . I have a great life here though with lots of friends and a girlfriend, but i just have to getaway. Sweden is just too boring for me . Ive lived in the states(Dallas :P) for a couple of years and I'm planning on moving back to the US in a few years. But for right now i want to do something exciting, and feel like moving to India for about 6-8 months would be pretty tight hahah
Anywaysss lets get to the point ....
It's about Bangalore vs Hyderabad! Which place would suit me better? Any other tips would be appreciated as well.
I do not need any visa info though.

Here are just a few things about me to take into consideration:

- I can be pretty social and like meeting new people.
-I am pretty good at adjusting to different people and cultures.
-love to party and go clubbing(yes, I know the cities close down early).
-I would like to meet entrepreneurs to both learn from and to hopefully work with at some point.
-I feel like an Entrepreneur at heart and hope to start businesses in the city that I'll be staying in.
-I will get a two wheeler to have in the traffic so which city has has the friendliest traffic police? Ive read that helmet is mandatory in both places. Don't want to wear a helmet it takes away joy and also messes up your hair EDIT: I will be wearing a Helmet!
-I guess that partially since im from Sweden, I'm into looking good, as much as an average girl in the US. lol but of course, ill adjust to where I'll be living
-I will have a total budget of around 60k Rs per month..hoping to get a nice furnished 2BR apt with pool and gym
-I have middle eastern background with dark hair and dark eyes, so I won't have to worry about looking too much like a tourist lol.

Will probably add some more later, but let's start with these =)

Thankfull for any help!

zoltan

Bangalore is a nightmare. Traffic; pollution; roads & footpaths are all bad. This was (I believe), started by the IT boom that was happening during the late part of the 1990's. I was there in 2000 and there were many workers putting in optic fibre cables underground, to prepare for the IT boom that was going to transform the city.

It sure transformed it - into a disaster. I heard a few years back that Hyderabad was being considered for the next IT centre, but the local government were going to stagger the setup to ensure that the infrastructure could cope.

As far as not wearing a helmet on Indian roads when riding a bike, think again... if you've never been there, never tried to navigate the roads or deal with the traffic and cattle on the roads, you're in for a rude awakening.

> Don't want to wear a helmet it takes away enjoyment and also messes up your hair

So too does a fractured skull following a road accident...

Cheers
Zoltan

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edwardseco

As someone who has experienced accidents in India and survived a very serious one elsewhere please think straight. You haven't lived till you experience the lasting impact of a collision. For me it was just as if the machine melted underneath me during the impact. I was fortunate that the paralysis diagnosis proved wrong. But, I can't call any of my memories in physical therapy happy ones despite some great efforts by the staff over the many months, not even that terror filled moment when I was finally able to hobble 3 steps. Good luck on physical therapy for brain damage. The crowning humiliation happened in court when an attorney said it was my fault for having a vehicle run into me because I didn't wear a helmet. Now I am going out for a drink to honor Darwin and people that value their hair more than their brain..

Ignite

I don't know much about Bangalore, but I have heard that Hyderabad has a really good social and nightlife, but I can't personally vouch for that until this summer.

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capt_mahajan

Don't know Bangalore much at all, but Hyderabad is quickly getting there.

pmvelu

Mysore is not in your list but I could not resist. Mysore also worth a try for the following reasons when compared to the stated cities.
Mysore Advantages:-

1) No Traffic at all . So no question of traffic Jams .Proof: Traffic Signals will be on for a hour or so in the mornings and in the evenings
2) No Pollution
3) Pleaseant weather all through the year (Bangalore is better in this parameter)
4) Calm / Laid-back life style
5) Night life (Slowly picking up with 3 to 4 pubs already in place)
6) Lots and lots of places to roam around (Cultural to Waterfalls to wildlife Safari to forest Stays to trekking to Bird Sighting )
7) Helmet is required only for around 4 to 5 kms within the city and normally in suburbs no body wears helmet (I stay at 8 kms from mysore Jn / Bus stand) and Auto wallahs term our area as "Outer" and they demande 10 rs more than the meter fare.
8) One of the better places for yoga
9)Bangalore is just 2 hrs in Shatabadi and there are buses to bangalore every 10 minutes once in day time...

sannna

I have lived in Hyderabad for a couple of months and have been a regular visitor for the past five years. I have visited Bangelore about three times, each time only for a couple of days. So do not trust me to much on B'lore, but I can give you an idea of Hyd.

In both cities traffic and pollution are terrible nowadays. Hyderabad does its bit to built flyovers and new roads to make it less bad, but every time I come there (last visit in Feb) I am shocked to find that it feels even more crowded and more polluted. And DO WEAR YOUR HELMET. As was made pretty clear above, it is simply not worth it.

Both cities have great nightlife, although Hyd nightlife is the only one I experienced myself. Hyd has come a long way, from two decent pubs and three decent clubs in 2003, to a plethora of options now. The fees have come done too, which makes the crowd a bit more varied and your wallet happier too.

Hyderabad has a lot going for it, and against it. It takes sometime getting used to, but with a decent place to live, a nice job and collegueas it can be a great city. There are lots of historical sites to explore if you're into it, and lots of new stuff to discover, but you can also choose to remain in a "western cocoon" when you're suffering from India fatique. Stay in your AC house, go to your AC office, visit (one of the now many) malls for shopping, go to AC western style restaurants for eating and drink your coffee in one of the AC coffeeshops, and the only way you will know your in India is because of the Indians around you and the low bills.
I guess the same can be said about B'lore though.

The main dfferences between the city are, I think:

Climate: Bangalore's climate is slightly nicer than Hyderabads. Hyderabad in the summer (now till July) is HOT.

Attitude: I think Hyd is a bit more conservative. Clothes-wise, morality-wise.

Social set-up: Hyderabad has a sizable Muslim population, which has played an important role in the city's history. This makes that it is still a centre for Urdu learning and culture and gives a special feel to some areas.

"Culture": Related to the previous one, Hyd can boast more of a hybrid culture than B'lore. Which shows itself in manners, food, social interaction, clothes, art and history.

As for the Mysore suggestion: I feel that it is not comparable to either Hyd or B'lore. Sure, it is a pretty city, and I ve only been there three times for a couple of days each time, but I cannot imagine living there for 6-8 months. Mysore is too much of a tourist place in my opinion to be relaxed. And, and this is not to offend anyone, but simnply my impression, I did not like the people there very much. It reminded me of Agra, basically.

SidVicious

Hey i moved to bangalore from bombay on work when i was 21 too

So i know exactly how you feel...

NIGHTLIFE

When i moved here two years back, it was for the nightlife.
It sucks now. Things are changing now, though.... the scene is opening up.. pubs are all staying open till just a little longer... becayse theres so much money in bangalore now, and money talks.

There are loads of places to go in Bangalore , just that it would be much better if they stayed open till maybe 2 or 3( at least on weekends )...

ACCOMODATION
When you say 60k for a 2 BR witha pool and a gym, let me give you a small example...

I stay in a fully furnished 2 bedroom apartment, with a small pool in the apartment complex ( sort of like a condo, i think ), but not in the apartment .

Its in Koramangala, which is one of the best localities to stay ( not too close to the city center, yet not too far )

And i pay 15k per month as rent.

So rent-wise, you're covered.

Khak

if you are going to work/study from home you can also choose some hill station with all good amenities

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SweSammy

Sorry about what happened to you bro! But how much does a Helmet actually matter in a city where there's so much traffic and you're moving pretty slow?

Which city would you say is more exciting and has more things to do and explore? How about rents other living costs?




So Do you enjoy living there? Actually i meant that i have 60k as a total budget per month..i'm just a student lol and by pool and gym, i meant to be shared by the residents, not my own pool and gym So im hoping to find a really nice place for about 15-20k with no more than 3 months deposit.


What is a Hill station ?



I forgot to mention something!! INTERNET I currently have 24Mbit downstream, which is pretty normal in Sweden. So i hope to find something that is not too slow. If someone has some figures on speed and prices then please let me know...

sannna

I myself would choose Hyderabad - but I am biased as I know Hyderabad much better than Bangalore. Also I am a historian and somehow Hyderabad to me is (still) less absorbed in the "we-have-to-be-modern-AC'ed- and- all- work- in- a- call-center-mood" that I found more pervasive in B'lore. But this might be a wrong impression. Hyderabad is currently realizing that it has an interesting history and spends some money on renovating buildings and so.

If you want regular excapes from the city to other interesting places, though, Bangalore might be a better location. It is close to hills, to interesting historical sites etc. Whereas the area around Hyd is generally pretty boring, unless you can't get enough of those boulders and rocks everywhere.

I think price-wise there is not much difference in the two cities. Maybe Bangalore is slightly more expensive? I don't know really.



Why not start your trip with a week in Hyd and a week in B'lore and pick t place you like best?

A hillstation is a town or vilage located in the hills. In South India that will be the Western Ghats, in North India the HImalaya foothills. During Brtish times Britishers and other who could afford it moved uphill during the summer to escapefrom the heat. Nowadays, people still do that, and wisely so. Also they are holiday and honeymoon destinations. If you're interested in nightlife, well, apart from a pub or a backapckers restaurant here's usually not much there.

Nick-H

I'd like you please to try this experiment.

Choose a clear room and, with your eyes closed and your head bent slightly forward walk accross it without stopping.

The resultant bruise just might knock some traffic sense into your brain, when you consider that you speed would have been only 3 to 5 KpH, not 20 or 30.

I don't care so much about your head. I care about the poor motorist who may find themselves in a heap of trouble because a minor accident leads to your death.

Thanks you.

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zoltan

> how much does a Helmet actually matter in a city where there's so much traffic and you're moving pretty slow?

Sometimes, it's not the speed that you are doing, but rather what your head connects with, that can cause the damage.

Cheers
Zoltan

Uncle_Martin

I was going to describe the the aftermath of an accident I saw on my way back from school nearly 50 years ago in slow moving traffic in the days before helmets were regarded as a good idea. Nick's comment says it all except for "brains is a funny colour".

My daughter still likes Hyderabad and has lived there for 9 months, but don't look her up as one of her friends died in a motor cycle accident.

machadinha

Hmm... reminded of a dear acquaintance who suffers from permanent amnesia after hitting his head against a traffic pole in a bicycle accident.

He's been in an institution for years now and doesn't know who his family and friends are, and this is unlikely to ever improve.

Any experienced motor biker will be able to tell you that while riding them is fun, getting hit on or falling off of them at whatever speed is not. Hence those helmets and leather outfits. (And as Nick aptly observes, your responsibility isn't just towards yourself of course.)

Before thinking about biking as a newbie to India, suggest you read up on this site some on traffic conditions there. Here's a start (humoristic, but take it to heart either way): Are Indian drivers closet Formula 1 drivers or just plain suicidal. The Indax link in my signature also has some decent chapters on it.

Anyway, with me cross-posting with Martin now and all the above comments I guess you've had your ample cautions. Don't say no one warned you.

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