One Night In Bengaluru

Anand Mohan and the Honda Jazz drive around in search of music in India’s IT capital

 

- Anand Mohan

MOST SATURDAY AFTERNOONS, I’M either in the office thinking about the earliest I could get out of work, or somewhere up a hill, driving the wheels off a car on a winding road. Saturdays are monotonous, even for a petrolhead. But not this Saturday. Today, I find myself in Bengaluru in an unnatural situation. I land at Bengaluru airport where the Honda Jazz automatic is waiting for me, and I’ve got one task. Drive to town and party. Life’s tough.

Honestly, there couldn’t be a better way to usher in the weekend, with a car like the Jazz waiting for you in a new city and all evening to explore. Partying isn’t my thing though. I like music, good music, live music, variety in music, yet I’m far from a music connoisseur. And in Bengaluru, I don’t know where to go. Thankfully, there’s one girl who knows, and she summons me to Indiranagar, a suburb in Bengaluru that’s known for its nightlife. Meet Mana Santhanam, the girl with three jobs, the third being moonlighting as a singer. Mana’s day job is of a customisation artist, specifically making some really cool personalised shoes. She also writes and designs websites. As the sun sets, she picks up the microphone and croons with her band, in the IT capital and occasionally in cities across South East Asia. In many ways, Mana embodies the Jazz owner. She has an active and dynamic lifestyle. Exactly the kind of lifestyle that this Honda hatchback would complement. Not to forget that she also has to move around through what is not just the country’s IT capital but also a top contender for India’s traffic jam capitals.