As many a techie would tell you, Technopark is a cool place to work. It’s a cool place to chill out too, it seems. “It’s not often that we get the time to simply hangout on campus. But when we do, we make the most of the many places inside and near this green campus of ours,” says Chinnu M., a senior system analyst with an SME. Most of the chilling out happens during the 45-min to one hour lunch break and post office hours.
The food courts of Nila and Tejaswini are the top favourites of just about every techie we spoke to. “People go there because there are a lot of outlets at both food courts and also because they serve up some fantastic food, from Italian and fried chicken to Indian, Chinese and North Indian. Plus you’ll always find a place to sit, however crowded it may be,” says John Thomas, a senior software engineer at an MNC. Chinnu adds: “It may also be because the food courts are open throughout the day. They are easily accessible to people across campus, especially the one at Tejaswini, and service is quick.” The fast food restaurants by the main gate, the tuck shops in the alley beside Nila, known as California to techies, also find many takers, the latter especially if one wants a spot of tea, snacks – and a smoke – in the afternoon.
The pantries in each building/office are another common gathering spot. “It’s here that everyone – well, everyone who works in the same floor of the office – catches up over a cup of coffee or tea. Most pantries have coffee/ tea machines, fridges, comfy chairs and even televisions. It’s here that employees sit and discuss just about every topic under the sun. It’s here where meetings of many clubs happen, and sometimes it serves as a performance space too. The only drawback is that you won’t be able to socialise with people who are not colleagues in the pantries, entry being restricted to employees of the particular company,” says Adarsh Chandran, a senior HR executive.
Athulya V. Nambiar, an HR executive and a newbie to Technopark, loves hanging out in the new garden inside the IBS compound, along with her colleagues. “It’s green all around, lush and very pleasant. I also enjoy sitting and chatting on one of the many benches that dot the footpath towards the main gate, especially in the evenings after work,” says the Kannur native, who moved to the city three months ago. Meanwhile, John and his friends like hanging out on the steps of the amphitheatre, after work. “The place is a bit overgrown but it’s well light and its near enough from most of the main buildings yet not too close, which makes it a quiet place to sit back and relax after a hard day’s work,” explains John.
That said, the folk at Infosys’ Development Centre, have lucked out on a place to chill out. It’s new Food court 2, inaugurated a few days ago, has a multitude of restaurants, a multispecialty gym, a top-notch eight-lane bowling alley, two squash courts, an aerobics and yoga centre, a dedicated space for chess and billiards, and the likes. This is in addition to the swimming pool and other sports facilities on campus. “It’s like a shopping mall without the shops. The Food court is currently closed for finishing touches and hopefully it will start functioning in the next few days. I can see us not leaving campus at all for the sheer fun of it,” says an employee.
