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.

He loves his beer and his music. Say hello to Vignesh, our mug holder of the month.

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

For one I think I’m a good customer, I keep coming here very regularly. 

Lot of these folks know me, because I’ve been coming here since 2011.

Are you from Bangalore?

I was born and brought up in Chennai, but it’s been about 12 years since I moved to Bangalore.

How come you moved here?

I moved here for work. I did my Computer Science in college and I wasn’t really doing anything related to computers. I started at a call centre, was there for six years and then I moved here and joined IT.

I thought I would move into my field, I was working for a company for about three years but I didn’t really enjoy that.

And then I got another job, and I stayed there forever—well, till December last year anyway.

Oh so you just quit your job? What are you doing now?

I’m just chilling, and taking a break. I’m planning to go abroad, and I’m just waiting for my visa to come through.

Where are you planning on going?

I’m planning on going to Australia. It’s a role similar to what I was doing here, but basically I want to move abroad and see if I can start a new life there.

That’s the plan. Let’s see how it goes.

Any particular reason for the move?

Not really. I’ve been here for 34 years, and for me personally I think it’s time to look at something different. Not that I’m bored of the country, it’s just that while I can explore different things, I want to do that.

And maybe come back to the mother country later on to settle here.

And why Australia specifically?

Multiple reasons actually.

One is that I’m interested in how people work out there, their culture and everything.

Few of my friends have been talking a lot about it, they are there.

Another important thing is that my very close friend is in Australia, she just moved there and she gave me some great perspectives about the place.

So I thought I’ll try, and luckily I got a job offer. All that is in place, so I’m just waiting on my visa.

Have you always been a beer drinker?

Always!

As someone who grew up in Chennai and then came here in your youth, what is the big difference in the drinking culture between here and there?

There is a very vast difference—compared to Chennai or any other place actually.

I think Bangalore has got its name for this open culture in a way, and people just accept that. Everyone here is more open about pubs.

Chennai you can’t get a brewed beer, I think you can’t even get a license. I think the best beer they have there are the bottled varieties. That’s pretty much it.

Like I said, the culture is different. People sometimes mix tradition and culture with how they view development, and I think Bangalore is pretty safe in that sense. It’s easy going here.

It’s not difficult to drink in Chennai, just that there aren’t as many places to drink at.

Most of the times, it ends up being at a friend’s place rather than going out.

Tell me more about the job you just quit.

My job was really, really fun. It is a place called d’frens  and I used to do team building programmes for corporates with them. I still freelance with them, and we are all still great pals.

The work culture there was great—most of the time our refrigerators were filled with beer and stuff, but we very clearly differentiate between work and fun. We make sure we celebrate everyone in the company. I loved what I was doing.

Because you’ve been coming here for close to 7 years now, is there any memory that stands out?

See, I’m not boasting or anything but every time I come here, it’s fun. It’s just random things that happen, meeting random people, I can’t really pick one instance.

The good thing for me is that I meet a lot of people here and I’ve made a lot of friends here. 

By friends do you mean women?

That too. *laughs*

But they’re all good friends. I think it reflects on who you are as well.

If you’re only coming here to flirt, you’ll get shown out.

But if you’re just having a good conversation, people will also respond in that way.

Do you also have any hobbies you pursue in your free time?

Yeah, I play the guitar. I don’t play for big bands and stuff like that, but I did play for three bands at one point.

I also managed an all-girl band, The Void, and the bass guitarist is the good friend I’d mentioned who moved to Australia. 

Sometimes I jam with the people at office, because we have a bunch of instruments there, but that’s pretty much it. 

What are the five things you’re going to do when you get to Australia?

I’m going to drink a lot of local beer! I already have a favourite brewery there.

But I will definitely explore many more.

I also want to see the natural wonders that are there, like the Great Barrier Reef, before it’s gone. With things like climate change happening, you never know when these things will be lost. So yeah, I want to do that.

I’ll also be interested in starting a band there, for sure.

Basically, beer, music, and exploring.

What’ll you miss about home?

I’ll miss Toit for sure. 

Good answer!

*laughs* No, I definitely will. Every time I leave Bangalore for work, I miss Toit and whenever I’m in town I make sure I hit Toit first.

And of course, a lot of my friends and my family.

I think I’ve prepared for this though. But I’ll come back and revisit them all.