Rakesh, the pride of Basavanagudi 3rd main, was as Kannada as filter coffee at 7 am. He wore his love for Namma Bengaluru on his sleeve literally, sometimes with a “Nanna Ooru, Nanna Hemme” T-shirt. His idea of romance was taking a girl to eat hot Thatte Idli in VV Puram and quoting lines from Dr. Rajkumar movies.

Life was simple until Ananya entered the office like an unexpected rain on a summer day fresh, bubbly, and with that “North Indian accent.” Rakesh, who was usually silent like Lalbagh lake at 6 am, suddenly found himself searching for excuses to join team meetings and Friday foosball games, just to catch her smile.

She loved Rakesh’s Kannada. “What does ‘sakkat’ mean?” she’d ask, and he’d get a secret thrill teaching her words like “sakkat maga,” “chindi buddhi,” and “eshtu jothege barthira?”
Soon, they were a legendary office duo Rakesh and Ananya, Bengaluru’s own filter coffee and vanilla latte!

The “masala” began when rumors started swirling around the office. “Guru, something is there between Rakesh and Ananya!” whispered the HR aunty. Their boss even cracked, “Rakesh, you’re working overtime these days, or should I say love time?”
Their colleagues made secret memes one had Rakesh riding a BMTC bus with Ananya’s photo as the destination board!

One Friday evening, Rakesh summoned all his courage. He decided to confess. He even rehearsed his lines— Ninna nodi, nanna heartbeat adikke Metro speed alli odthide!” (Seeing you, my heartbeat runs at metro speed!)

But just as he was about to speak, Ananya said, “Rakesh, my parents are coming from Pune, they want to meet you. Don’t worry, only as a good friend! By the way, my engagement is next month.”
His heart? Traffic jam. Signal red. Engine off.

For a week, Rakesh listened to only sad songs by Hemanth Kumar and walked aimlessly near Gandhi Bazaar, cursing all “arranged marriages.” Even the local flower vendor, Lakshmi aunty, asked, “Enaythu Rakesh, yaake summa edya?” (What happened, why so dull?)

Eventually, Rakesh bounced back with full Bengaluru spirit. He cracked jokes with Ananya about her fiancé, calling him “Pune Express.” He posted a meme “Bengaluru boys: Best friends to all, boyfriends to none!” which went viral in the office WhatsApp group.

Now, he enjoys his “single status” with extra filter coffee, new Kannada rap playlists, and “boys’ night out” at Food Street. Sometimes, when he walks past VV Puram, he smiles at the memory of their Thatte Idli date, and mutters, “Yen magaa, life is full masala. But, namma preeti is always special!”

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Because in Namma Bengaluru, heartbreak is just another signal stop before the next laughter ride