Living in Bangalore
Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore, and still known by many as Bangalore) is a unique and rapidly growing cosmopolitan city, and is a favourite amongst foreigners living in India; it was recently rated as ‘India’s most liveable city’ by ECA International beating other popular expat cities Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi.
English, Hindi and the local language of Kannada are the main languages spoken in Bangalore; with the majority of people having at least some understanding of English.
A downside in Bangalore is the infamous traffic congestion which will definitely frustrate you at times. A journey that might take you half an hour in your home country, may take you hours in Bangalore. Googlemaps is generally pretty accurate, but it is always advisable to allow a bit of ILT (India Late Time) to you journey.
You are not advised to drive in Bangalore, however, taxi companies such as Ola and Uber are extremely accessible. There are also plenty of local buses and auto-rickshaws for shorter distances.
One of the wonderful things about living in Bangalore is the benevolent weather. The monsoon months are between mid-August and mid-November when it will rain (quite impressively on occasion) for an hour or so in the evenings.
Bangalore itself has many good restaurants, bars and opportunities for shopping; it is also a gateway for many other exciting areas and opportunities outside the city.
Living on site at TISB
As a member of staff living on site at TISB you will be living in a part-furnished, one or two bedroom apartment within the staff living quarters. There is plenty of space for staff children to play and family swim time is always fun!
Some useful information from current TISB staff:
Bangalore is accessible to many areas, so most staff will travel around India or other parts of Asia. Otherwise they will go home to visit family and friends.
TISB has a Medical Center on campus and a doctor visits every Tuesday and Thursday. There are good hospitals nearby if further medical treatment is required.
TISB does not provide private medical insurance for staff, so you are advised to investigate the options and decide if you think it is necessary for your personal circumstances.
There are many ways to travel around Bangalore.
- Uber and Ola are the main taxi companies, and you will become very familiar with how to use their apps. Taxi travel in Bangalore is very reasonably priced.
- Auto-rickshaws are good for shorter journeys, but be sure to haggle the price!
- You could arrange to have a private driver.
- If you feel brave enough to take on the Bangalore traffic, you could buy your own moped or car, which can be kept on campus.
TISB is located in the south east of the city in the Whitefield/Sarjapur area.
Depending on traffic and the time of day, it will take:
1 - 1.5 hours to get to MG Road
50 minutes to Indiranagar
35 minutes to Koramangala
There are a number of options of places to buy food and drink, with a couple listed below:
- All Seasons Hypermarket is located in Dommasandra Circle which is approximately a 15 minute walk, or 5 minute drive away. It is your equivalent to Aldi and is good to supply you with basics.
- Loyal World is located in Forum Mall, towards Whitefield, and is about half an hour in a taxi. This is more equivalent to Waitrose and is where you can buy many imported brands.
Jacobs Cream Crackers and Marmite! Cheese is available, but is very expensive. Most things are available to come by, but can be expensive.
Some useful websites for new arrivals are:
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