The quintessential cultural city - MYSURU

Mysore, officially renamed as Mysuru, is often described as the ‘Cultural Capital of the state of Karnataka’.

Boarded on a special train from my hometown Cuttack to Mysuru, my first job took me to this enchanting city in South India. This train was specifically operating to cater to the increased public travel during the auspicious Durga Puja. I was accompanied by a group of friends, from the same college and we were all headed to attend a 6-month long training at Infosys Mysore DC. Our eyes were brimming with excitement, as we first stepped down at the Mysuru railway station. Probably, it was the excitement of a first job, mixed with the aura of the beautiful city, which kept us starry-eyed throughout the journey from the railway station to the Infosys campus.

And there we were! Right at the entrance of the world’s largest corporate university – the Infosys Global Education Centre. Sprawling across the majestic Mysore campus, it instilled a sense of pride in all of us. Most definitely, we were really fortunate to have managed to materialize our dreams and get an opportunity to experience this extravaganza called ‘Infosys Mysore’. Memories of that overwhelming feeling still gives me goosebumps!
Needless to say, I’ll have to save the description for an exclusive post only on Infosys Mysore campus.

Flamboyance of Mysore Dasara

Inspite of the rigorous training sessions at office, our streaks of adventure made us head out on weekends and holidays to explore this beautiful city. Since our training was scheduled around the time of Durga puja (popularly referred to as Mysore Dasara), we got to experience the cultural extravaganza on Vijayadashami – the last and most auspicious day of Dasara. Colourful tableaux, dance groups, music bands, decorated elephants, horses and camels were a part of a long procession, starting from the Mysore Palace. Standing on the streets amidst all the pomp and show, we actually felt as if we had retracted into a different era.

Mysore Dasara – Royal Celebrations (Source : Google)

The aura of the royal proceedings, automatically made us drift into the Royal Mysore Palace (open for public visit, in the daytime). I was undoubtedly mesmerised, with the oodles of grandeur and charisma in which our ancestors thrived. The interiors of the Palace, artefacts, hues of the decorative walls and pillars, swords and armours, the royal Elephant rides, magic of the evening lights – all the aspects made me feel like a Princess of the kingdom already!

The majestic Mysore Palace (Source : Google)

Mysore Palace – Night View (Source : Google)

Key Takeaways from Mysuru

In a span of hardly six months, the charm of this city had endeared itself to me, and rather everyone who visited Mysuru. Be it the drive on the picturesque winding roads to Chamundi Hills, the sprawling shades of nature in the Brindavan Garden, the view of the colossal St. Philomena’s church, the thrill of the first go-karting experience in Planet X or the placid waters of the Thonnur Lake – this city gave me innumerable experiences of a lifetime.

Being a foodie, I can’t help but make a slight mention about the royal treatment to my taste buds in this city. The cuisine of Mysuru has a distinct influence of Udupi cuisine on its dishes. And one of the most famous items (and my personal favourite) is the traditional sweet, Mysore Pak.

Mysore Pak – Traditional sweet of Mysuru (Source : Google)

Other than this, Mysuru’s platter is filled with authentic, traditional and local cuisines. My experiences include Idli, Dosa, Shavige Bath, Pongal, Vangi Bath (brinjal rice), Bisi bele bath (a spicy preparation of rice) and what not. It was a treat to my sweet tooth as well with Payasam, Rave Unde (semolina ladoos) and more. And a perfect end to the day was always marked with the very popular Indian filter coffee.

As a matter of fact, Mysuru has even rightly won laurels for being ‘one of the cleanest cities’ in India.

The basic discipline of the people and their sincerity towards building a clean and hygienic environment to live, is noteworthy. This city definitely has a specific takeaway for every visitor, in its own distinctive way.

For me, the most special aspect of this beautiful city is that it retains the vintage old world charm and that’s always been my personal favourite!