Best Bangalore Coffee Shops You Must Visit in 2025 ☕

 

Introduction

Bangalore, the coffee capital of India, is home to some of the best cafés, from old-school South Indian filter coffee spots to modern artistic coffeehouses. Whether you love a strong, traditional filter coffee or prefer slow-brewed, handcrafted lattes, this guide will take you through the top coffee shops in Bangalore you must visit in 2025.

Let’s dive in and explore the best places to grab your next cup of coffee!

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What Makes Bangalore’s Coffee Scene Special?

Bangalore isn’t just about tech parks and startups—it’s a city where coffee lovers thrive! From the heritage-rich filter coffee culture to trendy third-wave cafés, the city offers a diverse coffee experience.

Here’s why Bangalore’s coffee scene stands out:
☕ Authentic South Indian Filter Coffee – Places like Brahmins Coffee Bar serve strong, frothy filter coffee in traditional steel tumblers.
☕ Third-Wave Coffee Movement – Specialty cafés like Dyu Art Cafe offer single-origin, slow-brewed coffee for coffee connoisseurs.
☕ Unique Café Concepts – Cafés like Bistro Claytopia mix creativity with coffee, letting you paint ceramics while sipping a latte.

Whether you're looking for a quiet workspace, a social hangout, or a caffeine-fueled brainstorming spot, Bangalore has something for every coffee lover!

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Top Coffee Shops in Bangalore (Must-Visit Cafés in 2025!)

1. Brahmins Coffee Bar, Bangalore – Best Traditional Filter Coffee

📍 Location: Basavanagudi, Bangalore
⏰ Timings: 6:00 AM – 12:00 PM

One of the most iconic filter coffee places in Bangalore, Brahmins Coffee Bar has been serving authentic, rich, and frothy South Indian filter coffee for decades. Pair it with their legendary crispy vadas and soft idlis, and you have a perfect South Indian breakfast!

✅ Why Visit?

• No-fuss, standing-only joint for quick coffee breaks.
• Strong, aromatic coffee made with high-quality roasted beans.
• Perfect for early risers looking for a caffeine kick!

2. Dyu Art Café, Bangalore – Best for Work & Relaxation

📍 Location: Koramangala, Bangalore
⏰ Timings: 10:00 AM – 10:30 PM

If you're looking for a calm, creative space with great coffee, Dyu Art Café is the place to be. This café, built inside a beautiful vintage house, is known for its handcrafted, single-origin coffee and relaxing ambiance.

✅ Why Visit?

• Work-friendly with free Wi-Fi & cozy seating.
• Signature slow-brewed coffee & delicious cheesecakes.
• Great for book lovers, freelancers, and creative minds.

3. Bistro Claytopia, Bangalore – Best Creative Café Experience

📍 Location: Koramangala, Bangalore
⏰ Timings: 10:30 AM – 10:00 PM

Ever wanted to paint your own ceramic mugs while sipping coffee? Bistro Claytopia is the first-of-its-kind café in Bangalore that combines art and coffee. Order a cappuccino, pick a ceramic piece to paint, and create your masterpiece!

✅ Why Visit?

• Perfect for groups, dates, and family outings.
• Amazing cold brews, lattes, and hot chocolate.
• A creative way to relax and unwind while enjoying coffee.

 

4. Starbucks Bangalore (Koramangala & Indiranagar) – Best for International Coffee Lovers

📍 Locations: Multiple locations across Bangalore
⏰ Timings: 8:00 AM – 11:00 PM

For those who love classic espresso-based drinks or want to enjoy a pumpkin spice latte, Starbucks Bangalore is always a great choice. The cozy interiors, free Wi-Fi, and premium coffee blends make it a favorite among students, remote workers, and coffee lovers.

✅ Why Visit?

• Consistent international coffee experience.
• Great for meetings, work, or casual hangouts.
• Wide variety of drinks from Frappuccinos to Nitro Cold Brew.

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How to Choose the Best Coffee Shop for You?

🔹 For traditional South Indian filter coffee → Brahmins Coffee Bar
🔹 For a quiet work-friendly café → Dyu Art Café
🔹 For a unique, artsy experience → Bistro Claytopia
🔹 For a classic international coffeehouse feel → Starbucks

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Final Thoughts – Which One Will You Visit First?

Bangalore’s coffee culture is a blend of tradition, creativity, and innovation. Whether you prefer strong South Indian filter coffee or handcrafted speciality brews, there’s a café waiting for you!

💬 Tell us in the comments: Which coffee shop is your favourite in Bangalore?
🔖 Bookmark this guide for your next caffeine adventure!

Sakwar

 Do you know that in this fast developing country, there are pockets where Tuberculosis is still prevalent due to malnutrition? Do you know that there are tribal villages barely 100 kms from India's Maximum city Mumbai where the populace didn't know the concept of agriculture even a few decades back? Well let me tell you a story of  hope - of how a small Ashram of the Ramakrishna order brought in a silent revolution in the tribal belt of Maharashtra.

Sakwar is  a small tribal village, situated on the situated on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway, about 70 Kms from Mumbai. Located amidst lush green environs, and surrounded by scenic mountains. A small ashram of the Ramakrishna Mission situated exactly on the bustling highway has been serving the tribal communities since 1972.Working on the grand ideals of Service to the Living God  as espoused by Swami Vivekananda, this small centre has been providing medical care, nutrition, health practices, providing vocational training, enabling villagers to develop pride in their  local culture and build a sense of citizenship.

From small beginnings

The story of this small centre starts with the idea of a few enthusiastic Volunteer doctors and monks  of the Ramkrishna Mission, Mumbai(Then called Bombay). The Ramakrishna Mission sensed the urgent need to cater for health and welfare of the tribals staying in and around Sakwar. They started with a modest medical camp conducted every Sunday under the shade of a big tree. Free consultation, nutritious food , clothes etc were distributed to the villagers. In 1974, the Maharashtra government leased out 10 acres of land for the upliftment of the rural and tribal villages.A tin dispensary shed  structure  was  constructed, where doctors, paramedics, volunteers would come  every Sunday and treat around 800-1000 patients. It was a spontaneous picnic for this highly motivated team , who was motivated by the work of doing selfless service amidst such serene environs. The tide gathered and soon K.E.M Hospital and Nair hospital Mumbai chipped in by deputing resident junior doctors and interns to join the doctors on their weekly visits. A small shrine dedicated to Bhagvan Shri Ramkrishna, Holy Mother Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda was setup in the campus. Physical as well as the spiritual wellbeing of the patients and visitors to this centre was of equal importance to the Ashram.

Growth

In 1976, the centre expanded even more. A newly constructed Centre building was inaugurated in 1976. Srimat Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj, the then  President of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission paid a visit to Sakwar and blessed this pro­ject and the newly constructed building on 9th December, 1976.

Later, a building containing a large OPD, a small operation theatre, a pathological and an ophthalmic unit was also started.

The mission didnt just stop here. The Math understood that there were a host of socio-economic issues of the tribal populace of this area. They started engaging with them and developed an integrated development model. The Ashram started a host of activities to empower them and make them self suffecient. With this in mind , a flurry of activities started . The most important ones were :- 

1. Vocational Training

Vocational training classes began with Tailoring . Gradually other trades like Carpentry, Electrical Wiring, Motor Mechanic courses affiliated to the Maharashtra Vocational Examination Board stated in the 1996. Tata Motors and Tata Telecommunications sponsored these trainings and started employing  these trainees and encourage them to start their own units in villages. In fact , the recruiters started developing a very high opinion of these recruitees. They noticed their honesty, dedication to work, efficiency and over a period of time gave very high preference to these young boys and girls.

2. Training of Medical Social Workers

Students who have passed primary or higher secondary examinations were trained to become medical social workers. The training particularly emphasized – maintaining health and hygiene, nutritious food, regular check-ups and regu­lar intake of medicines for T.B. and Leprosy diseases.

 3. Agricultural Mentoring to enable self reliance

The center started agriculture related activities and dairy keeping with an aim to reclaiming land, creating medicinal gardens, utilization of wastewater, development of better techniques of cultivation, loans to small farmers, road building, etc. The Swamis recount how at one stage, the tribal populace in some of the distant villages was not even aware of agriculture. With these programs many such villages have slowly started becoming self reliant.

 

Memories and anecdotes

Speaking with the Monk-In-Charge, revered Swami Tattwarupanada, I got to hear very unique and unheard stories of this Ashram. The Swami , who is extremely active, and has dedicated his entire life for the service of the poor and  underprivileged, those in misery, is a standing testimony of Swami Vivekananda's ideal of "Service to Living beings as veritable God".

The Swami recounts those days, when along with a team of dedicated volunteers, he would enter the deep forests along the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, to discover entire tribal populations , who didn't even have the wherewithal to have a proper bath in six months. This caused skin diseases and a host of other issues for them. The monk and his group cleaned them, washed them, scrubbed them with soap and gave them a proper bath. They started training them about cleanliness, health, hygiene. They took doctors for conducting medical camps at regular intervals, taught them to farm and employment generating skills like motor mechanic works, tailoring , electrician, etc.  Closely following the Swami through his daily routine is an education in itself. From closely overseeing the physical, mental and spiritual development of the resident students, to monitoring the quality of the food served to them, to the classes going on, he is hands-on involved with every activity.

The students also look upon him like a close friend and  confidant. It is a veritable Gurukul system of yore.

 

Impact

The impact of this selfless service that the monks and devotees of the Ramakrishna mission is conducting is very hard to enumerate. But at a very high level:-
1. They have successfully brought down the occurrence of TB in these areas by 85%.

2. Free quality medical treatment is available to remote villages.
3. Many Tribal children are  getting self employed or employed by reputed companies . They are in turn, empowering up the next generation of their community by providing them employment and education.

4. The mission by educating the Tribal boys and girls about Hinduism is ensuring that soul vultures in the form of Christian missionaries cannot convert these gullible innocent people. These children are inculcated with a sense of pride about their country, religion and culture.

5. By training the Tribal populace in agriculture and dairy, the Ramakrishna Mission is ensuring food security for these underprivileged communities.

 Many are such tales  that this small ashram is witness to. Without any advertisement or  publicity this ashram in particular and the Ramakrishna Mission organization in general  is carrying out with the firm belief that every being is God and that there is no bigger worship than the service of the living God. The present writer considers it to be his great fortune to have witnessed such divinity from such close quarters.

 

(Acknowledgment  : https://rkmsakwar.org/)

Bang Bang!!

 

Bang, Bang!! Bang , Bang!! There were gun shots reverberating all across a Non Descript town of Texas state of the United States of America. The year was 1894, and a whole Fiasco was going on in this small town . A group of hardened American cowboys and a Ochre clad, Indian Man wearing  Monk's clothes  and a Turban like an Indian Raja was at the center of this fiasco. The monk was standing on a wooden box, made to look like a Lecture pulpit, at the town center, was going on lecturing on the Highest Indian philosophy to this curious crowd of wild west folks , while these Cowboys where firing bullets at Him, like crazy. 

Lets rewind back a bit before the start of   this scene  which was straight out of a Indiana Jones movie. The Hindu monk , named Swami Vivekananda, aged 30 years, had been a sensation in America for quite sometime now. He had arrived in the USA during the Summer of 1893 as a delegate to the World Parliament of religions, to represent the Oldest religion known to Man, Hinduism. In the September of that year, He had taken the World Parliament of religions by storm with His  Earth Shattering speech on Hinduism, which catapulted Him to instant celebrity in that country. Soon, He was approached by a lecture bureau to lecture across the United States. Vivekananda had signed up with the bureau, and thus would begin a series of His whirlwind tours across the length and breadth of United States bringing the Glory that was India to the West and thus earning Him the epithet of 'The Cyclonic Monk'. As a part of the deal, He had arrived that morning to this town. He had started a soul stirring lecture on the Vedanta philosophy, where He had mentioned that the "Person who has reached the highest truth that there is nothing but One blissful Existence has gone beyond all fear". This group of cowboys was also present there when He said so,  they challenged the Monk on His words. The Swami smiled at them like an indulgent mother would smile at her Naive Child. "Ok, so lets test this on you", the trigger-happy group retorted. And before the monk knew what was happening, they started firing at Him. However the monk continued His lecture as if He wasn't even aware of what was happening around Him. The more He  dwelt on the Luminous truths that the Vedanta philosophy expounded, the more He seemed to become Radiant. There was a palpable aura of Beatitude radiating from Him which captivated these far off people who had never heard of India before. The gunshots from the cowboys  couldn't stop His brilliant talk, and finally they stopped. When after quite sometime the Swami had finished and come down from the podium, these people ran at Him , and taking His hand in theirs , shook  it with the most effervescence. "Man, You are a Right good Fellaw", they complimented the monk, who greeted them back with the greatest generosity and warmth.

The incident of that day, is an example of how a mortal can be established in the state of Abhih (Fearlessness) that the Hindu Rishis speak of. The Gist of Hinduism, as beautifully expounded by the Upanishads , is that by seeing the same Atman(Self) in every being, the Yogi goes beyond all fear. Let me end this story with a very old Vedic Hymn, that a Rishi, who probably having reached this stage proclaimed in Joyous Music to the whole Universe ,

"vedāham etaṃ puruṣaṃ mahāntam ādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt /

tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti nānyaḥ panthā vidyate 'yanāya // (Svetasvatara-Upanishad Upanishad ,3.8)

 

"I have known the Effulgent  one who is beyond all darkness ,

Knowing Him alone will you be saved from death over again,

There is no way other than  this"

Face the Brutes!!

 It was a bright morning in Kashi, the Spiritual capital of India was abuzz with life and vibrancy. From the early morning ablutions in Ma Ganga to the ringing of temple bells , the numerous sadhus roaming around its streets , Kashi was teeming with all sorts of activity. At the famed Annapurna temple of Kashi, a spectacle was going on. A young monk of robust build, and with eyes flashing like the sun had come out after Darshan of the Divine Mother, and was going out of the temple premises.  Suddenly out of nowhere a group of monkeys  started chasing him. These monkeys had made the Annapurna temple and its surrounding areas their fiefdom , people moving in and and out of it had to pay them taxes in the form of food items . They would chase the people and bully them till the taxes were extracted. Many people had suffered at their hands, and the Young monk was their prey today.

The monk was perplexed, his natural instinct was to run, and he did so. But then the monkeys started running after him, he started running even faster , and the monkeys were unrelenting. The Monk was thinking of various options , when suddenly he heard a Loud voice from behind shouting out to him, "Face the Brutes, Face them, donot run away!!". The Young monk turned around and saw an aged Monk shouting out to him. Evidently the monk had been there and seen a lot to know how these monkeys behave. "Quick, stand your ground with your staff held firm", the aged monk continued. The young monk did exactly so. He was no longer running away, he had decided to take the fight back to the adversaries. With eyes luminescent as the sun, he stood with his Staff, the symbol of Dharma that the Sanyasin carries. It was now the turn of the monkeys to twist their tails and start running. And run they did , like there was no tomorrow.

The Young unknown monk of that day would soon be the usherer of a new age of Hinduism and India. As Swami Vivekananda, He would be known as the cyclonic monk who carried the Great message of Indian Religion and Culture to the shores of the Western World, the First Hindu Missionary  to the West, who would fly the Saffron flag of Hinduism High and wide. His was not an easy task, He would be persecuted, maligned , opposed at every step by people and groups frightened by the inevitable rise of an enslaved India again. He had to face dirty rumors about His character, intentionally spread by American Christian Missionaries as well as their Indian partners, who were jealous of His immense success and popularity at the World Parliament of religions held in Chicago, US during 1893 . His coffee would be poisoned, He would be denied entry in decent hotels because of His skin color, but through all this He labored on, unrelenting and undaunted. His Love for India was far far deep than any fear of persecution. He would often quote this story to His listeners , to make them understand that no matter how tough and adverse be the situations, dont run away, "Face the brutes boldly" and they will take flight. These are his own electrifying words, that oh dear reader, we would all do good to remember.

"Face the brutes. That is a lesson for all life-face the terrible, face it boldly. Like the monkeys, the hardships of life fall back when we cease to flee before them."

~ Swami Vivekananda

God helps those who help themselves

It was the thirteenth day of the great war of Mahabharata. A teenage warrior, the great Abhimanyu, Son of the legendary Kshatriya Arjuna and nephew of Lord Shri Krishna , had been trapped in an unfair fight by a whole group of Great warriors like Dronacharya, Karna, Ashwatthama, Duryodhana. The Young boy had fought like a lion, making even the greatest warrior of the Kaurava camp look like toddlers in front of him. However, vastly outnumbered, up against Maharathis who had ditched every vestige of Dharma Yuddha or principled fighting, resorting to deception,  Abhimanyu died on the field of Kurukshetra , like the Sun setting at the end of a Long day. At the heart of it all was the King of Sindhu, the Brother in Law of the Kauravas, Jayadrath. Due to a boon that he had received after much penance from Lord Shiva, he was able to stop,just for that one day,  the rest of the great Pandavas, except Arjuna who had been led away from the main battlefield by the Samsaptakas, an ally of the Kauravas, from breaching the Wheel formation or Chakravyuh, which only Arjuna knew how to destroy.  

Arjuna returned from the day long fight, having annhilated the Samsaptakas, to a camp which was desolate like a forest singed by  forest fire. No one came out to greet the valorous Arjuna, neither his brothers, to whom he was like their vital breath,  could be seen anywhere around. With panic and unknown fear,  he entered his tent and saw the great Pandavas lying like a tree flattened by a storm. Slowly the horror unfolded in front of Arjuna in all its grotesque . Seeing the lifeless form of his beloved boy, Arjuna collapsed . It was Krishna , who had been his saviour in all things of life, who could bring him back to his feet. Sorrow in Arjuna was now transformed into seething rage, and at the spur of the moment, Arjuna wowed that Jayadratha wouldn't see the sunset of the next day, else he would enter fire and self immolate. Admist the blast of conch shells from the Pandavas camp that greeted this great Vow, Jayadratha shook in fear , he rushed to Acharya Drona and Duryodhan requesting him to allow him to flee back to Sindhudesha. But Drona , pacified him. He told him that he will make such an impregnable military formation to protect him the next day , that not even Arjuna would be able to penetrate it, and thus at the end of the day Arjuna would self immolate himself.

The war of the fourteenth day began, with Arjuna and the Pandavas supremely confident of a victory. True to his words, Dronacharya had formed a complex massive military formation with a combination of Shakatvyuha(Cartwheel shaped), followed by a PadmaVyuha(Lotus shaped) at the middle of the Vyuha and finally a Suchivyuha (needle shaped)Vyuha at the innermost core. Along with six mighty warriors, One lakh cavalry, Sixty thousand chariots, Fourteen thousand elephants, Twenty thousand infantry, spread over a distance of nearly 48 miles and a width of nearly 20 miles. "Not even the Devas can come in and attack you oh Jayadratha, what to speak of Arjuna?", Drona thundered.But then , on a magnificient chariot yoked to seven white Horses , charioted by Vasudeva Himself, Arjuna arrived at the gates of the Vyuha. And now started a storm of arrows from Arjuna's legendary Gandiva. Arjuna was like Yama, the Lord of death today. When he strung his bow, when he took out arrows,and  when he shot them, none could understand. The only indication that Arjuna was shooting arrows was the fact that every arrow found its mark , and soon the outer covering of the Vyuha was pulverised. Now Arjuna slowly started breaking into the inner layers of the Vyuha. Maharathis, who had gathered together on the previous day to kill a unarmed Abhimanyu, were tossed around by Arjuna. Dushasan, Duryodhan, Karna , Kripacharya, and even the great Drona were made short work of. And the heart of the formation Jayadratha trembled in the fear of death, as he saw Arjuna slowly coming within his sight.  All day mighty battles raged on all sides, mostly Arjuna and his brothers ravished whoever or whatever  came  to oppose them.

However, there was something which worried even the Great Arjuna. He was looking up towards the sky again and again to follow the path of the Sun God. His own chariot was racing against the chariot of Surya Deva, with whom Arjuna was Vying today in Brilliance. The more he proceeded towards Jayadratha, the more it seemed to him that he was protected by an ocean of Soldiers, and more the footsteps of the approaching evening.He looked with terpidation at  his Friend and Charioteer, Krishna , who is  the Soul and innermost indweller of all beings. Krishna, who was extremely worried for Arjuna after he  took the rash vow, now decided to intervene. Arjuna had tried everything in his superhuman power to bring down Jayadratha,  had now resigned himself to the protection of the Lord, the ultimate friend and refuge of all. And the Lord, who loves His devotees even more than His own self, gave Him Succor. Yogeshwar Krishna, the Lord of Yoga and all Yogis, now invoked His Insurmountable Yoga Shakti and cast His Maya on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra. Suddenly there was darkness all around, and the sun got hidden from Mortal view. There was a hush silence all around, as if the end of times had come. The silence was broken by a uncouth laughter, that of Jayadratha, who had errupted in joy at this turn of events. He was soon followed by the whiole host of Kaurava warriors and their army. "Oh Arjuna, now  self immolate yourself, the sun has set, and Jayadratha Lives, " they bayed for his blood. Throwing all caution to the wind, Jayadratha came out from the protective layer that Drona had so meticulously created from him, and he came towards Arjuna like a moth towards the Fire, with his myriads of taunts,and loads of abuses. "Hurry up Arjuna, don't get dejected, here comes Jaydratha. The sun has not set, I have just cast my Maya over it all, shoot one arrow after another, take off his head from his body, and ensure that the head falls on the lap of his father , who is practicing austerities in a hermitage near this battlefield", the sonorous voice of Krishna, now ringing through the din and commotion of evil all around, like a ray of light through all darkness. And sure enough, Mayadhish Govinda, just withdrew His Maya, and the sun came out spreading its last rays over all. "There, there is the Sun , oh Partha, and Lo , there is Jayadratha", Vasudeva pointed out both , to Arjuna and to the entire host of warriors, stunned by this miracle. Jayadratha, sweating with fear ran, he ran with all his might, but shining crescent shaped arrows from Arjuna's immortal Bow Gandiva raced towards him, bringing the message of death for him. The Severed head fell on the father's lap and fell on the ground. The father's head burst open and split into a thousand parts. Krishna knew that the father had the boon from Lord Shiva, that whoever makes the son's head fall on Earth , would have his own head exploded, and thus He had advised Arjun thus. The Lord had  protected his beloved Bhakta once again.

"Intense Self effort is a prerequisite for God's grace."

May U be enlightened!

The year was 1884. It was a sultry summer evening in Calcutta, the Capital of British India . In a small North Calcutta locality called Simla, Navin, a young  man was dead drunk and rolling in the gutter. He had earned a fine reputation in this predominantly upwardly mobile middle class area  as a habitual drinker and offender. Those were the heydays of the British Raj. Being firm believers of Give and take policy, the Brits were taking  away India's national assets to England, and giving back  English education and value systems to India. Part of the value system was to inculcate among the Young Indians, utmost contempt for everything that was "Indian". Thus was born a young breed, called "Young India". Skeptical, Neither here-nor-there, these young college passouts , had taken to every conceivable Western ill like a fish takes to water. And some of them like Navin, had developed a special fascination for the Western Bottle. While they worked throughout the week, Saturday brought in festivities for them. They would start drinking from the late hours of Friday night, and frolic all through Saturday and Sunday. The fun and frolicking would usually end with the frolickers rolling all over in  muck of open sewers.Thus Saturday used to be called as "Oh What Great Fun is Saturday".

Navin had always been a sweet and sensitive  boy, extremely compassionate  and helpful. Son of wealthy parents, he would go out of his way to help his friends in financial distress. However his compassionate nature soon proved to be his undoing. A group of  hemp smokers and drunkards formed a  coterie around him.Slowly Navin was sucked into the whirlpool of addiction.His mother cried piteously, his father used the stick , but to no avail. Navin went from bad to worse, and then from worse to horrible. Those were the days of child marriages. Boys would be married off by 16, and girls by 12. Thinking that their wayward son might be reformed by marriage, Navin's parents quickly married him off to a pretty little girl.Unfortunately no marriage could help him out, the poor girl suffered a lot, eventually she returned to her father's house.  Navin kept rolling in the muck . He lost his job, his father threw him out of the house.

It was one of those Sunday's  when he was mildly drunk,   that he was accosted by one of his neighbor's. Ram Datta, a professor of Chemistry at the Calcutta University and a highly   respected gentleman  of the area, had always had a soft corner for Navin. He wanted to help out  Navin ,  but didnt quite understand how. Seeing Navin's condition, he asked him,"How’s it going with you my boy? Do you keep drinking all day? Don't you get something to eat with your drink?" Navin innocently replied, "Ram Dada(Elder Brother),  I just 

get a few salted grams with my drink, how can I afford something else?" Ram's eyes moistened a bit hearing this unpretentious answer. "Look Navin, do one thing. Today night we are having a great feast in our house in honour of a very respected guest. Why dont you come along too? I will serve you  Luchi(deep  fried bread) and Spicy Potato curry." "Really Ram Dada, is that true?", Navin was like a little boy in a toy museum, "Really. No one even talks to me now a days. Not even my parents. And you are inviting me to a feast of Luchi and Spicy Potato curry. Ram dada, I see you have not forgotten your little brother?"

As the day drew to an end ,  and the sun set, Navin felt a sense of restlessness. Through his drunken stupor, he felt as if another sunset had snatched away one more day of his life. While he lolled around the squalor in a semi-swine like state, the purposelessness of his life seemed to haunt him.He felt a deep void within him, a world weariness crept in out of nowhere. Slowly the last tinge of the day disappeared into the  dark bosom of the night. The little stars above , and the  street lights below lit up. Ram Datta's house was quite visible in the distance. It had an aura of festivities written all around it. Hackney carriages had started arriving there. High pitched kirtanas could be heard from the distance. Navin was woken  up from his drunken stupor by the sights and sound coming from Ram Dada's house.Ah, Luchi and Aloor Dum!! How I love it, Navin thought. He slowly got out from the gutter and trudged along to Ram Datta's house in an inebriated state. He smelled of muck, and people hurriedly ran away from him. Ram Dada stood at the gate of his house, and was welcoming one and all. From a distance he saw Navin, he quickly took him aside and pushed him in for a nice bath . Navin was a bit sober now.  He was quite hungry. Like a child he started pestering Ram for Luchi and Aloor Dum. 

"Wait , wait my boy.I will serve you. Now, let me receive the guests. You just rest a bit. Look , do one thing. There's religious singing and dancing going on in the central courtyard. Go and enjoy it" Though he was least inclined to do it, Navin couldnt disobey his host. He went to the courtyard. Though it was quite big, there was a huge crowd. A kirtan party was singing devotional songs, while a group of people was dancing to the tune of the song in a frenzied manner. At the centre of this circle  was a ordinary looking middle-aged man who was standing still. The crowd was looking at him with rapt attention, not even a breath seemed to be flowing in or out. Navin was perplexed. In order to gain a closer look at the man, he waded in through the crowd.  As soon as he took a closer look at the man, he was stupefied. There seemed to be a column of light emanating from his body.What effulgence. What divinity!! And what a serene and lovely face the man had .Navin had never seen a more beautiful face before. The man was standing dead still, like a painting. There was a bewitching smile on his lips, a smile which would capture the roughest of hearts. People around Navin started murmuring that the man was in Samadhi , the highest state of superconscious existence, where the border line between Man and God stands erased. Navin could  see that the bodily functions of the man had stopped. Someone went near him and tried putting his palms under the nostrils, but not a trace of breath could be found. There was a doctor in the group, the person checked for heartbeat, turned back to the amazed crowd and indicated that he couldnt find even a single beat. Navin's inebiration suddenly left him. He was shellshocked.How is this even remotely possible?  Is this man dead? But it cant be, all signs of life exist in him. How can a dead man emanate such majesty, such glory. Navin felt strangely drawn to this strange man. Who was he? Was he the honoured guest about whom Ram had been telling him. Navin asked the man standing next to him, "Who's this person?".The man looked at him as if he had asked a very silly question. "You have come here to see the Paramahamsa of Dakshineshwar, and you dont know who he is", the man replied. "Sorry, I am a drunkard and just came for the food. Not for any Paramahamsa". The man sneered at him and then replied, "His name is Shri Ramakrishna, popularly called as the Paramahamsa of Dakshineshwar(Dakshineshwar was then a small village near Calcutta). Some call him a great saint, some a devotee of Mother Kali, some call him the mad priest of Dakshineshwar, and a few, like Ram Babu call him as God come on earth. I guess you came for food, but the food arrangements are in honor of his visit."

There was something about the man, which made Navin forget his food. It was a strange attraction that seemed to draw him to this Paramahamsa of Dakshineshwar. The more he saw him, the more it seemed Navin would lose his heart to him. There was a strange palpable joy emanating from him and covering the whole place. Such joy, he seemed to become intoxicated without wine. Navin was overwhelmed. Slowly the Paramahamsa showed signs of return to external consciousness.There was a deep breath,  signs of life appeared as if a householder had come back to his house post a long vacation.He was murmuring something to himself, and looking at them all as if he was not sure how he came here. People started rushing to seek his blessings, it seemed there would be a stampede. A few of the devotees formed a protective human chain around him to stop this madness. Navin yearned to touch this childlike person, so radiant and  so divine. Like a man not in control of himself, Navin joined the crowd clamoring to touch his feet.He had to touch him, as if his redemption depended on it. He was repulsed by the human chain, but he was obstinate. He spotted a small gap and he barged in through that human wall.He barged in and the he was standing in front of this strange man. With a smile on his face, like a long lost friend, Ramakrishna beckoned him close.And like one mesmerized he went near him. Ramakrishna suddenly touched him on the crown of his head and said in a voice, that oozed sweetness, "May  you be enlightened".The touch of the strange man caused  an upheaval  within  Navin. It seemed as if he was drowning, drowning in an infinite ocean of effulgence. The world around him was being devoured by  waves of radiance,  the radiant form of Ramakrishna emerged out of this effulgence. Navin was now intoxicated again, but this intoxication was divine intoxication- far far stronger than the cheap ones he had tried before. In that intoxicated state, he started weeping profusely taking the name of God, he danced and sang in a strange spiritual mood.There were quite a few in that crowd  who had known him , and used to sneer at him. Seeing this sudden transformation, their eyes nearly popped out. Somebody brought this news to Ram, Ram came running to witness it first hand. "Hari Bol", "Hari Bol"."Take the name of the Lord" echoed throughout the world like the roar of waves crashing on the shore.Everyone was drowned in ineffable bliss. Ah, the worldly pleasures seemed so insipid before this. And in the centre of all this, stood the mad priest of Dakshineshwar, effulgent, radiant , his hands transformed in a shape which seemed to bless the  assembled devotees with boon and fearlessness.

Henceforth Navin's life became surreal. A sure change started coming over  him . He started detesting his old lifestyle, he would take the bottle to drink, but the luminous face of Ramakrishna would come before him,  the memory of that evening would overwhelm him. In disgust he gave up the bottle. Not that it was easy. He started frequenting Dakshineshwar , to the temple of Mother Kali, where lived this strange man , in a small room within the temple premises.He came  to have just one look at that divine form. Ah, how sweet it was. He dared not enter Ramakrishna's room and approach him, but looked and heard him from far and on the sly. But then oneday, as he was tiptoeing in and trying to hide behind a few others, Ramakrishna looked at him, and with a sweet smile called him out like one known through ages, "Why stand so far, come close my boy. Dont worry Navin Chandra, it will all be great with you. Your transformation will be a wonder to  men now and in the future, your story will be read and told in far off places. Now come and sit near me.May my Divine Mother always keep you in bliss".

Shiva!!

Shiva

Perchance in the solitude of the lofty Western Ghats,

A Traveller am i,

Travelling through the Rolling hills and  the green glades and the sylvan streams.

From this mountain to the next, i find this land permeated by Shiva – The Eternal Being, The Ancient One.

Amidst the Majestic peaks, Adorned with Shiva temples, Like the Human Soul adorned with the presence of the Cosmic Lord!

The morning sun, shedding its Golden light upon the mountains,

Like the Divine Mother Gouri- She, whose complexion is like Molten Gold, Embracing the Blissful Shankara in an eternal embrace – The Cosmic Entwining of Purusha and Prakriti, In the  vastness of this land.

The Green Sahyadris greeting my eyes wherever i look, i am reminded of the Virat Purusha – The cosmic form of Shiva.

He, who is Everywhere and in Everything,His three eyes- The Sun, the Moon and the Fire.

The one without a second, The Summum- Bonum of this and  million other parallel universes.

And in the serenity of this setting, amidst pitch-deep silence, where silence covers silence, bubbles forth a voice from the depths of my soul-“I AM”.

“I AM” –The sound of the Primordial EGO.

Reassuring Me “I WAS”, “I AM”, “I WILL BE” - No matter how many deaths come over this puny body.

Verily This “I” have i  identified with “SHIVA”. And This “I AM” has finally melted into “Shivoham”.

“I AM SHIVA”, Lord You in Me, I in You, I have become  You!!