At Toit, our customers have always been our primary focus. They’re the ones who bring life to the place, create memories and end up giving the place its familiar, friendly vibe.

And there are so many different kinds of people who come through our doors daily, that we wanted to get to know their stories.

The Kudix Mug Holder of the Month is our little way of celebrating our customers, and their unique stories.

 

Meet the man whose main mantra is ‘work, workout and beer’. No wonder then that Siddharth is our Mug Holder of the Month.

Why do you think you were selected as the Mug Holder?

I come here really often, almost four times a week. And I usually come alone, because my house is nearby and I don’t feel the need to go to any other pub.

I love brewed beer, and this place is like my house. Everyone here knows me and the staff is very friendly. I’ve been coming here since 2014.

Are you from Bangalore?

No, I’m from Nainital, Uttarakhand. I’m a Punjabi, though my parents shifted to Nainital when I was very young and settled there.
It’s a beautiful place, the city of lakes. It’s very cold there, so you end up having a lot of rum and whiskey. But when I came here, I shifted to beer.

How did you end up moving here?

I work for a construction firm, and for the last four and half years, I have been working here for them.
I am a cost analyst and auditor for the firm.

And do you like Bangalore?

Absolutely!  I visited Bangalore in 2011 during a industrial tour with my college as well, and now I work here.

What do you enjoy about your work? Because construction and auditing sounds pretty hardcore.

It’s very hardcore! But I like the challenges that I face everyday in this line.

There are more than 50 sites that my company is handling here, and there is always pressure. You have to solve the problems happening on site, and you have to be the ‘numbers guys’.

They ask you something, and you need to respond with the right numbers. And I personally enjoy that.
And when I get tired, Toit is there for me.

It sounds like a very stressful job, though.

It is. But I wake up very early in the morning, around 6:00 am. And as soon as I wake up, I need to have tender coconut water!
My office starts at 9:30 am, so I make sure that I spend a lot of time with myself during the day before that.

I prepare all my food myself, because I live alone. And I also make sure that I go workout after work.

I usually end up coming to Toit at 10:30 pm at the end of the day, they serve me a couple of beers, and I’m happy.

You seem to have a set routine focusing a lot on yourself and fitness—is that something you are very particular about?

It’s not like that. See, being in a job like mine, when you go to the office, you should have a persona of your own. You shouldn’t end up being shabby or working without any plan like a madman.

When you’re going, you should look good because I personally feel when you dress well, you work well.
And this is a mission every day for me. I write down my tasks and I make sure I finish them before the end of the day. There is no compromising when it comes to work.

Since your job is so hectic, how did you end up making it to Toit?

Honestly speaking, a very close friend of mine, Deepak, was the one who brought me here.
We used to come here together until a month ago, but he recently shifted to Delhi permanently.

I come here with a lot of other people as well, a lot of whom have also ended up being the Mug Holders.

But work is laborious, and you can’t end up making a mess. There are thousands of labourers working out there and it’s a very hardcore business, because I work for a contractor firm. The building has to be raised everyday, and there is a lot of pressure from the clients towards the site and the people on the site come to us, because we are the middle-men in this whole process.

There are a lot of bills and I am always surrounded by numbers. Plus, I also handle the technical side of things because I did my B. Tech in Civil Engineering, while also taking care of Infrastructure Management.

Have you always liked beer?

I have. And Bangalore climate is just perfect for beer drinking. I don’t drink bottled beer anymore, I think my body will just not be able to handle it.

You’d mentioned working out in your top three things to do—is that also something you’re passionate about?

Absolutely.

I used to play football and cricket in school and college, and I enjoy running too.

I make time to do things aside from my work. Even in college, I used to do dramatics. Being a Civil Engineer, I used to do a lot of things that other civil engineers wouldn’t do.

I think you should be domain specific towards your work, but also be a little bit of a social animal. That helps create a very nice balance in your life.

Even my big brother always tells me—“work hard, party hard!”
Because he does the same thing. He works for a finance company, and he says it’s important to chill so that your brain doesn’t fall into any negative thoughts.

When you’re not working or working out, is there a hobby you like to spend your time doing?

I like to spend time with my friends, watch movies with them, maybe visit a spa.

I take care of myself a lot. I think it’s a very good thing because I am here without my parents, living alone, and I need to manage everything by myself. So, you shouldn’t end up messing things up for yourself.

When I come here, I make sure I drink responsibly, meet everyone on every floor, and then go home.
It feels like it’s a family when I come here. That is important for me, the positive vibes. That is the main reason I end up coming here.

And being a Civil Engineer, the interiors and design of Toit are just very appealing to me.

What is the biggest difference for you, moving here from Nainital?

I feel I am very independent now, which is the most important change I think for a human being. And it happens only once you move away from your family.

Being born and brought up in a Punjabi family, my mother has been very caring, right down to my food, asking me why I won’t eat that extra aloo parantha  and all of that.

Now, I have come out and I am living my life on my own terms. I think moving here has made me a more solid person, and less emotionally dependent on people.

Do you miss home?

I do miss home. And I miss home food. But I go once in six months.
My older brother has always been like a father to me, because my father passed away when I was very young.

I know that he is there looking after my mother, so I have that sense of comfort going for me.

You must be a rather positive person to work with, given your attitude and approach!

Well, you could say that. My boss and I have a very good rapport. He is young, just a few years older than I am, and is also very passionate towards his work.

We personally go to the construction sites together, whenever we get the time, and visit the labour colonies. The company head also has a very keen interest that the surroundings should be very good for the labour, that they have fans and TVs and good cooking facilities. This is just so that they can feel comfortable and come the next day in the morning and work in the sun. It’s very tough.

I personally feel that sometimes their work is second only to the Army in terms of harsh working environments.

You need to respect them a lot, because at the end of the day, they make things happen for you.
You can read drawings and make plans, but they are the ones who end up doing the work. They need guidance because they might not be literate, but you need to be very passionate about taking care of them.