My kind of town: Bangalore

My kind of town: Bangalore

The Telegraph, UK

Historian and biographer Ramachandra Guhu lives in Bangalore "the friendliest Indian city".

Why Bangalore?

My great-grandfather moved from the Tamil country to Bangalore in the 1880s. The place is full of my cousins and aunts, and although I grew up in northern India I came here every summer to see the family and play cricket. In 1994 my wife (who also belongs to Bangalore) and I moved back permanently. It's the friendliest and most cosmopolitan of Indian cities. Hindus live cheek-by-jowl with Muslims and Christians, local Kannadigas with Tamils and Bengalis. Anywhere in the city, a smattering of English will get you what you want. It is particularly hospitable to the young, and to women, who feel utterly safe in a manner inconceivable in some cities.

What do you miss most when you are away?
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The weather. Up on the Carnatic Plateau, Bangalore has a fabulous temperate climate. My homesickness becomes more pronounced when, as is sometimes the case, I am in Bombay in May or in New York in December.

What's the first thing you do when you return?

Go to Koshy's Parade Café on St Marks Road, which has the best coffee in India.

Where's the best place to stay?

Villa Pottipatti (142, 8th Cross, Malleswaram; 0091 80 2336 0777; www.neemranahotels.com; doubles from £50), in the old quarter of Malleswaram, is a charmingly remodelled colonial bungalow with nice rooms and a tree-filled garden. Within walking distance are shops and some superb vegetarian restaurants.

Where would you meet friends for a drink?

At "13th Floor", a pub on top of the Barton Centre on M G Road, with splendid views of the city, fine Margeritas, and music from the 1970s.

Where are your favourite places for lunch?

Monsoon, at The Park Hotel off M G Road (2559 4666), is a pleasant restaurant with a wide range of Indian and European dishes. Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (14, Lalbagh Road; 2223 0471) has spectacular south Indian vegetarian food - expect to queue up for a table.

And for dinner?

The region's speciality cuisines also have space for carnivores - and Karavalli's at Gateway Hotel (2558 4545) serves terrific spicy Chettinad fish curry and Kerala prawn curry, among other things. Finally, if you are homesick or simply sick of local food, Sunny's (34 Vithal Mallya Road; 4232 9366) is a marvellous Italian restaurant, with Indian as well as French wines.

Where would you send a first-time visitor?

To the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, built originally by Hyder Ali in the 18th century (later redesigned by the British), with lots of large and shady tropical trees and a fine old glasshouse where Indira Gandhi split the Congress party in 1969.

What would you tell them to avoid?

Old or heritage buildings - Bangalore had few of these to begin with, at least compared with Delhi or Calcutta, while those it did possess have since made way for offices and apartment blocks. That said, within 50 or 60 miles of Bangalore are some absolutely gorgeous medieval temples, a bird sanctuary, and the palace of Tipu Sultan, the last south Indian monarch to succumb to the British. A day trip to see these marvels is highly recommended.

Public transport or taxi?

Buses are erratic and over-crowded; taxis reasonably cheap (£15 pounds for the day) but hard to get. Auto rickshaws are everywhere and great value for money (£1 from one end of the city to the other). The weather makes this a city where one can also comfortably walk long distances.

Handbag or moneybelt?

Either, because Bangalore is very safe, like all Indian cities; you will be importuned by beggars at traffic lights, but not pickpocketed or mugged.

What should I take home?

Bangalore has the best bookshop in India - Premier's, on Church Street (2558 8570), stocking contemporary Indian history and fiction, as well as out-of-print Western classics. Cinammon on Walton Street (2222 9794) and Tulsi (round the corner on 14, Vithal Mallya Road (4132 9378) are high-end design stores with a wonderful selection of apparel and lifestyle items based on Indian designs (from £50).

And if I've only time for one shop?

Premier if you are a books person, Tulsi if you are a design person.