New Modern Hotel

Most would miss this hotel near the Minerva Circle for it does not have the splendour of modern eateries. But New modern Hotel, or NMH, has never found it necessary to acquire a look of grandeur in order to retain its customers or even attract new ones. Established in 1959, the hotel, with lodging and boarding facilities, has been a meeting place for many writers, politicians, directors and actors, not to mention students residing in the area.

Proprietor Narasimha Adiga, who initially worked here as a cashier before buying the place from Lakshminarayana Rao, recalls, "Then hotels of this size were very rate. There was room for privacy. Writers like DVG, H V Seetharamaiah, A.R.Shastri, musicians like Madhurai Mani Iyer, cinema and theatre personalities like Girish Kasaravalli and B.V.Kamath visited NMH frequently. Even now director Nagabharana rents a room with us for a month or two in order to write a script. He even insists on a particular room each time. Perhaps it brings him luck".

Ask Nagabharana and he explains why he still prefers NMH. "During my theatre says, after rehearsals at the Benaka office, we would go to NMH for refreshments. The thindi-coffee at NMH has been special to me ever since".

And about the room he insists on... "Its just that it has become a part of my routine. I should admit that it is getting a little difficult to work there owing to the heavy and noisy traffic. But NMH has not changed in any way, and that makes you feel good". The script for his last movie Neela was written here and his mega-serials continue to unfold at NMH.

Whenever in Bangalore, Rangayana director Prasanna stays only at NMH "The hotel is as good as a home to me. I don't have to worry about good food. Even my PBX is attended to". Flipping though the history pages of NMH, Prasanna recalls the days when parallel cinema found shape in NMH. "Karnad, Karanth and Kasaravalli would meet here. Films like Chorama Dudi and Samskara first bloomed at NMH".