HSRisHome
Welcome to HSR — your friendly neighbourhood :)
You can sign up by filling this quick form.
HSRisHome is my playground in the social health space. It’s a friendship engine that helps you find your tribe and create a sense of belonging. Think of HSR like one big college campus filled with serendipity and vibrant energy. Our gatherings are aimed at fostering connection and socialising sober. No alcohol or substances in any of your post in the community or gatherings please. Because alcohol is not necessary for fun, excitement, belonging, connection, relaxation and rewards.
Here’s an onboarding document to help you settle in and work on your dreams.
Short-term rentals for the time when you are not sure of moving here altogether or do not have flatmates to share a big apartment with immediately. Some of these service providers will have multiple offerings, choose one that suits your needs and meets your budget.
Co-living spaces
Paying Guest accommodations
Hostels
Service apartments for the sophisticated ones/ useful when your family is coming here but cannot stay with you.
https://www.astonserviceapartment.com
https://oliveservicedapartments.com
Decided on renting out a place here?
Since 2020, a lot of residential and commercial places have been vacated and are now open to new tenants. A mindful walk in the neighbourhood will lead to noticing a lot of To Let signages in front of buildings. HSR does not have as many societies. Independent houses are in abundance here. Law and order is great, so safety isn’t a concern for females. If you cannot imagine living outside a gated society, check out pockets of Somasundarpalya, Haralur, Sarjapura. Enlist help from folks who use MyGate and you may find an apartment listing there.
Find accommodation listings on:
Flats and flatmates
https://www.facebook.com/groups/746766368772610
Verified Broker contact
Gopalkrishna - 9845835844
Dhananjay -9900952933
Uttam — 8123840428
Pro-tip: In the case of brokerage, it’s usually 30 days of rent (negotiable). Expect 1BHK in18K range depending on whether the place has parking, power backup, lift etc. The usual range for a 2BHK with 900 sq feet is 22K-26K. Societies would be on the higher side with additional maintenance of about 4K. Some employee-friendly companies foot the bill for your relocation and first brokerage. Check with yours :)
For rent agreement and notary, contact HSR BDA-based Hemant on 9740525818.
Resources to help you with moving in
Moving within the city
Packers and movers
Furnishings and electrical appliances can be rented out from
https://www.furlenco.com/bengaluru
https://www.rentomojo.com/bangalore
Building your nest
Water quality in HSR is good, provided it’s Kaveri water and not tanker water. You’ll usually find Kaveri water and borewell supply both. Keep TDS to around 90 if you are getting an RO water purifier. Can be rented out or buy one. You don’t need anything fancy that the installation folks will try to upsell you. Here’s what we have for less than 9K and ordered from Amazon: AquaSure from Aquaguard Delight RO+UV+MTDS water purifier from Eureka Forbes with 7L Large Tank|Water saving (White)
In case your building/ society receives tanker water and you are experiencing hair fall and other issues, consider a water softner such as RiverSoft or WaterScience.
You can also get RO water subscription from Bisleri or DrinkPrime. Or call Blue Water cap supply on 9538838839.
The electricity supply is usually good but erratic in summers owing to ACs on full blast everywhere. To ensure a seamless work from home experience, investing in power backup is a good idea. We have a Luminous inverter and its customer service is prompt too, in case it’s needed. For your electrical needs, contact Mahaveer Electricals on 24th Main.
Internet
https://www.actcorp.in/broadband/bengaluru/broadband-plans
Best customer service, great Wifi speed and highly recommended. (You’ll know when other service providers hang their ‘dabba’ on a tree and it falls after light showers and you call the technician who visits only after one full day)
Other options include Hathway, Airtel etc.
Food
Order-in from apps
https://www.zomato.com/bangalore
Meal subscriptions
Hire a cook
Suresh is sincere and enables people with a healthier lifestyle by cooking meals at their homes. He can be reached on 9036167804.
Hire a maid
Please speak to your security guard or neighbours about this. You may find a maid who speaks Kannada or other regional languages. As long as they are hard-working, you’ll not face an issue owing to language.
Note: A lot of maids find it difficult to commute from one sector to the other and they are not comfortable working at a bahcelor pad. So, I’m taking off Deebya’s details from here. She has refused a lot of people already for these reasons.
When talking to a cook/ maid, please ask them ‘What do you think is a fair pay?’. I understand a lot of us have either not hired maids or cooks ourselves earlier or had them at ‘reasonable’ salaries. Please factor in the cost of living in BLR and how our househelp needs to live in the same city as ours, eat and feed their families, pay for their child’s school education (Rs 30,000 a year for a 10 yo in a basic private school. Some of them work a day job, do the dishes in the mornings at a few homes and then do cooking in other homes in the evenings. No exaggeration. While a lot of us have health benefits by the virtue of our employer or our own financial planning, they do not. There are migrants who have not been to their hometowns in five years now because they cannot afford to leave work and travel to Nepal (takes 8 days to and fro). Honestly, if you cannot afford their services, let go. Haggling with them for a few hundreds when the same amount goes unnoticed in luxury spends does not make sense at a humanitarian level. For a single person household, one-time cooking and cleaning typically comes at Rs 3,000. But again, please ask them what’s fair to them.
Order groceries
https://www.swiggy.com/swiggy-instamart and https://pickily.in (They keep low-margin items like Nandini curd and milk too)
https://www.bigbasket.com for all the varieties from spices to other household items.
Zepto, Ola Dash, Blinkit are also options.
For everything else, there’s https://www.dunzo.com/bangalore
(We’ve been using the local courier option to ship home-cooked meals to a friend all week, thanks to Dunzo and Uber Connect. Typically, Uber Connect is at 50% price because they deploy office-goers on that route. That also means you don’t get one on Sundays/ off days)
House needs — deep cleaning, pest control, repairs, plumbing, salon etc
For Party supplies — birthday decorations, bridesmaid tiara, stash etc
KS Gift Centre, near Skechers on 27th Main
Fitness
(We’ll connect you to running groups, cycling groups and marathon practise groups when you join the community.)
Leisure activities
Sports: Book your spot and find someone to play with on https://playo.co or directly go to The Majestine Sports.
(Check #Sports on our Discord community server for enthu folks to play with)
Rent out a bicycle from https://icycle.in
Discover new things to do on https://lbb.in
Medical needs
To find a doctor https://www.practo.com
To order medicines https://www.1mg.com or Dunzo it from 24*7 open store - Wellness Forever in BTM Stage 2.
Laundry
Check out Dorika Laundry if you want a reasonable pricing because they do it by the weight.
For your furry friend
Pet walking, grooming and other services at https://m.kuddle.pet
Commute
For electric vehicles https://www.yulu.bike
For two-wheelers https://bounceshare.com
For carpool https://quickride.in
For bike taxi https://www.rapido.bike
You can now subscribe to a Revv or Zoomcar for up to a year, around 25K monthly plan.
Bring your own car
Food Recommendations
Early morning breakfast places/ South Indian food - MTR (please have Fruit cake), Muthahalli (don’t leave without Shavige Baath), A2B (mini tiffin bantaa hai), Vasudev Adigas, Asha Tiffins, Namaste.
North Indian and Punjabi food — Kapoor’s Cafe for yummilicious vegetarian Punjabi food, burst of colours and good service.
Krishna Kutir for one-stop vegetarian food destination when you are in a mood to try multiple foods. Say HI to the good folks at 99 Dosas. Ask them for my favourite All veg dosa without mushrooms. They’ll know who sent you. (yes, that’s a no-code referral code)
Maharashtrian food — Mast Marathi, Purnabramha, Gaavran Misal
Gujju food — Sangam Sweets
Mumbai Tiffin for homely parathas.
Large group tables — Rasoiya Street
For a Date
Ciciana on 27th Main for that European vibe on a date.
Basil Bistro on 24th Main for comfortable sofa seating and good food while you order menu items like ‘Cuddles on the beach’.
Glen’s Bakehouse on 17th Cross for their Cheesy Pasta and desserts.
MyFroyoland on 27th Main is the perfect spot for explorers who love the experience of DIY dessert.
Giani Icecream on 14th Main has a range of ice creams and ice cream soda that you can savour while sitting on a swing. Thank me later :)
Tata Cha, now Qmin for Instagrammable pictures in its Pinterest-worthy interiors, no-rush seating and friendly staff who takes your pictures if you offer your phone.
Cafe Azzure, near 27th Main for cutesy Santorini Greece vibes.
Gelatissimo on 19th Main for cute interiors, well-lit pictures and ice cream while you enjoy a game of Snakes and Ladders or UNO.
The Pet People Cafe on 19th Main for pet lovers. Let your furry friend have a spa while you have a vegan meal. Visit them even if you do not have a pet but love animals. You’ll make friends with Instagram famous doggos.
Go Native for a peaceful and relaxed date. You can also shop for organic and ethnic stuff here.
Desserts
Cakewala, Italian Creamery, Mad over Donuts (all near 17th Cross, Sector 4)
Chaats
Shubh Sweets on 27th Main for all things chaat and pani puri with multiple flavours. Also, Bangaarpet Chaat at Krishna Kutir. Entire neighbourhood has panipuri hawkers at practically every turn. No exaggeration.
Chai
Chaayos is our current favourite, usually clubbed with a morning run. Friendly staff and great outdoor seating.
Coffee
Third Wave Cofee Roasters — 14th Main for come, chat and leave vibe; 17th cross for sit peacefully and work vibe.
Blue Tokai on 19th Main for coffee under Rs 200. Slay Coffee, opposite NIFT on 27th Main for coffee under Rs 100.
Starbucks on 17th cross.
MDP Coffee for its coffee and idli-dosas.
Enjoy the green and clean neighbourhood, fast deliveries, startup chatter and the hustle as you build the life of your dreams…
Going to the airport?
For 1–2 persons, opt for an airport bus KIA 7 from HSR BDA. There is a bus every 30 minutes until 23:50 Hrs. Estimated travel time: 2 hours. Always keep buffer when catching a flight. This 52-km distance could have surprises at any point. One ticket costs Rs 255. Check time table here. Or call 7760991268 and ask for KIA 7.
You could also consider going to Mekhri Circle by auto. This 13-km distance would cost Rs 300 or less. Nearly all the airport buses cross this circle, so do cabs that have to pick up hotel guests/ other pre-booked guests. This would be another Rs 200. Consider your safety first when you are not using an app and your movement cannot be tracked/ shared. Total cost by this route: Rs 500.
You may check https://blu-smart.com/ or https://www.utaxi.in/
Ola/ Uber rides typically cost Rs 1100. They’ll skip the toll and take you through another road. While this is fine for daylight, be careful at night because this route could be deserted.
Acts of kindness
- Smile, greet and replace ‘How are you’ by ‘What are your open tabs these days?’
- Carry your own cloth bag everywhere so that you don’t have to use more plastic. Let’s be kind to Mother Earth.
- Leave a compliment / add tip to delivery orders. This small gesture makes the day of those who serve us so that we may have more comfortable lives.
How to set up a home
Over and above essentials, bring in plants to have some life around you. DM me to get a free plant as your house warming gift. You can also check out Green Carpet, Bhoomi Garden, Green Yard or one of the several nurseries in the neighbourhood.
How to set up an instant office/ work remotely
Check out myHQ for a day pass to any of the co-working spaces listed on the platform. It starts at as low as Rs 235 for a 24-hour pass at BHive on 27th Main; includes access to meeting rooms and all amentiies such as pool table and carrom. For catchups/ meetings, I prefer Chaayos. No harm in reading newspaper once in a while at this place.
- Sign up and show up for activities in the neighbourhood. We have HSR Walks, Startup Tours, Food Walks, Board Games, Cookouts and potlucks, Cycling and much more. Look out for #HSRisHome on Twitter. Please show up alone and don’t wait for friends to join you. You’ll make friends eventually.
- Ask the names of people you meet — the barista at your regular cafe, the receptionist at doctor’s clinic, the security guard at the society main gate. Address them by their name the next time and you’ll start feeling like a local when it moves to small talk and beyond. This works.
- Choose any three brands that you identify with and visit their store/ restaurant/ offline space often. Birds of a feather flock together. You are likely to make friends here. For instance, if you are a pet parent and spend time at Heads Up For Tails, you’ll meet other pet parents here. Or if you are an advocate of healthy eating and organic food, you’ll find your kindaa people at Organic Mandya. Ask the store manager if they have meetups/ community events coming up and show up when that happens.
Fancy learning local language?
Learn Kannada in 30 days here: https://kannadagottilla.com/
Weekend Plans/parents visit / what to show in the city
Book an affordable package tour with KSTDC.
Refer to my blog on interest-based communities with a laundry list of things to do in Bengaluru.
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**Shout out to Neerja for putting together a beautiful Notion doc on House Hunting in Bangalore. I am not yet there with Notion, so please bear with this Medium post.
**Found this online resource helpful for consulting a gynaecologist
P.S. Take your eyes off the screen every once in a while, you never know who you might meet and what that may lead to — a good conversation, being friends with a stranger, a potential cofounder or a possible life partner. When in doubt, leave a compliment. Or make a disclosure about yourself and that allows others to share too.
P.P.S. Life transitions can be hard. We are away from our roots, perhaps our families and living a busy lifestyle that not everyone can relate to. A heartbreak is not easy to heal, a layoff is not easy to deal with and shutting down your dream project is tough. You may feel low for a day and it’s okay to slow down and take a break. But if it continues and you feel stuck, please reach out.
Mental Health Helpline
https://nimhans.ac.in/pssmhs-helpline
HSR is home. You belong here.
Your Cheerleader,
Matchmaker and Relationship Coach
- Social Health Advocate
