Hailed as the Garden City of India, Bangalore recently named Bengaluru is not just a shopper’s paradise but also the state capital of Karnataka. In terms of size and population, Bangalore is not too far behind and takes the fifth position. However, in terms of overall urban landscapes Bangalore certainly races a little ahead mainly because of the beautiful parks, heritage buildings and architecture and shopping centers and malls that are here for the people. While I usually find people talking about the beautiful gardens and the pub culture and the technology and IT parks that have impacted the life of the common people in the city, I would like to talk about shoppers can make the best use of their shopping skills and enjoy the best time shopping for Diwali in Bangalore because that is what I do best.
Airport Road Market
I guess anybody who has ever been to Bangalore must have shopped here for sure as it is the most happening place in the city. Also known as Old Airport Road earlier this road offers the right kind of shopping experience that most shoppers expect when they are in the Garden City of India. Let me tell you something about Bangalore right in the start that this city is unlike Delhi and Mumbai where you will find narrow alleys and lanes that have some of the best shops for shopping.
So, if you are from Mumbai or Delhi don’t expect to go through those small lanes sneaking into shops stuffed with goods. Airport Road is a major road so it’s pretty wide and you will shops on both sides of the street that you can look out for. You will find Total Mall here so if you don’t find anything substantial try this mall. You will also find some food joints here like McDonalds, Domino’s Pizza and even Indian and Chinese restaurants.
Brigade Road
If you are not satisfied with Airport Road Market shopping experience and want to explore more of the city head to Brigade Road that connects between MG Road and Residency Road. Now let me remind you again this is not a Chandni Chowk or a Crawford Market, but still it offers you that kind of pulse that you need. It is a shopper’s paradise and has remained the biggest crowd pulling destination in the city for many years now. If you are looking for local and international brands you will find it here for sure.
The streets are packed with banners, hoardings and shoppers looking around for the best deals. Since there are not many street vendors out here shoppers do not really have a choice to bargain so that’s kind of disappointing, but you still have wide range of choices so you pick the best deals.
M.G. Road
Well, I just had a thought in my mind that I would like to share with my readers and let me tell you this has nothing to do with Bangalore or any other Indian city. However, imagine if Mahatma Gandhi was alive today walking around the streets of Indian cities he would have found many M.G. Road’s that now have become a shopping paradise for those who prefer Western brands. I mean he propagated the idea of swadeshi clothing (khadi clothing) and rejecting Western clothes across India during the freedom struggle, but most M.G. Road’s today offer Western brands to the Indian population, quite ironic, huh? Okay, let me get back to my Diwali shopping topic as I am not here to preach or debate on Indian politics.
If you are in Bangalore then M.G. Road is also one of the places where you can enjoy Diwali shopping. You can find top deals at Shrungar Shopping Complex, Spencer’s Super Market, and Big Kids Kemp. Women can find tons of shops here for latest sarees that they can wear for the festival. M.G. Road also has some really good family restaurants and cafes so you can hang around once you are done shopping.
Residency Road
Diwali celebrations is not just about buying the best clothes but also about decorating our homes and many locals in Bangalore head to Residency Road where they find some great home decor items, furniture and handicrafts that they can add to their home interiors. If you are here you can also shop at Bangalore Central mall that offer wide range of choices to the consumers. You can also find some artifacts and handicrafts from emporium shops of other states so shoppers have multiple choices here while shopping.
Bangalore certainly offers lot more choices to the consumers like Commercial Street, BVK Iyengar Road and Cunningham Road. So, I think the best thing that shoppers need here is patience and time to explore certain areas in order to find the right deals. Some of the locations are close to each other while some are not so take your sweet time before you go hunting for the right deals on the streets of Bangalore.
2 comments
What about Commercial Street?
Yes, Commercial Street is also a good option and I did mention about it in one line towards the end that there are more shopping streets in Bangalore that shoppers can explore.