Coffee bars, lounge favourite among youth in Indore

INDORE: Gone are the days when young Indoreans thronged Meghdoot Garden everyday and could be seen content while sitting, chatting and eating sev parmal in the park. Now the pub culture has camouflaged recreational parks in the city and the idea of coffee bars and lounge has no more remained restricted to the metropolitan cities.
Spending time in parks, a culture which Indore once proudly cherished is slowly being trampled by the new band of youngsters eager to get a bite of that extra excitement that the city has to offer.And with lounge bars offering exquisite cuisines and exciting ambience, Indore's populace is retiring to the mellow music and soft lights that lounges offer.
Priyenk Mahajan, a student of EMRC believes, "With numerous pubs coming up in the city, I hardly go to parks, that too with my family. What I like about cafes is the soothing ambience with soft music which makes it a perfect hang-out spot with friends."
With the advent of this popular culture in the city, cafes, lounges, gaming zones and discotheques have turned into favourite hangout spots for the younger generation. Erratic college timings and coaching classes also force youngsters to visit the nearest eateries and coffee shops.
Tanvi Gorey, a student of architecture, considers hectic college schedule as the major reason for not being able to visit parks in the city. "Parks get shut too early and before that we hardly get time to go to parks and have fun. Also, Indore needs better recreational parks which are not too far. Going to Regional Park every day is not possible for me and my friends." she says.
Gaming zones in the city too encounter a lot of student crowd in the city. "Maximum chunk of college and school students come to play snooker, air hockey, pool and do bowling," says Kunal Nardelwar, manager, Games and More, Indore.
"I love playing pool. And with friends, we go to places like F123 to spend time and chill," says Jitendra Kankani who also has membership of several gaming zones in the city.
It seems that following this new wave of 'chilling' among youngsters has also become a question of status. Pranay Jain, a student of Prestige Institute of Management says, "With significant improvement in the lifestyle in Indore, people are no longer driven towards parks. Going to coffee shops and partying has become a matter of status symbol."
However, there are still some students in the city who opine that pub culture has become monotonous and there are no 'fun' places left in the city. People seem to be in need of a natural spot where one isn't bound to order for food and can enjoy pleasant weather.
"I have become bored of cafes and eating joints in the city. I would prefer parks to hang out with my friends where we can sit, talk and not bother about ordering food to eat," says Sakshi Somani, B Com student.
Neha Shah too believes that there is a need to develop more parks in the city where students can relax after college and coaching classes. "Sometimes, we need a place where we can just sit and talk to our friends," she says.