Bhubaneswar might be one of the most progressive and dynamic cities in India but back then, in my growing up years, it was all about "haats" and "weekly bazaars" for us. Lifestyle and fashion scene was only 'limited' to what was available in particular shops where the entire city shopped from. But then in the year 2009, the first fashion and lifestyle store, Pantaloons opened its first store in Bhubaneswar and that was it for me. Needless to say, I was 'spoilt for choice' because it offered the luxury of variety and it changed the entire shopping experience for me. I had not seen so many numbers of brands under one roof it was a completely different experience for me. Big building, posh lights and escalators, I might sound like a kid now but god I was so excited.
It totally changed the idea of shopping for me. It redefined 'convenient shopping' for me as I could literally shop for almost everything from under one roof as opposed to shopping from single brand outlets. To go out shopping in the humid and not so pleasant climate of Bhubaneswar, to walking inside the fully airconditioned building of Pantaloons was one of the best luxurious experience at that point of time.
Slowly it turned out to be a hotspot for teenagers to hang out. I remember rushing to Pantaloons with friends and to have a good time because it also housed a food court. It gave us a sense of happiness when we visited Pantaloons and it became more than just a shopping mall to us. As now I am pursuing my MBA, I realise the people of Bhubaneswar perceived the Pantaloons Brand as happiness as it added value to their experience because earlier that happened when they used to go to some big city like Mumbai or Delhi and come back with a lot of shopping bags and happy faces. It was not just shopping, it was much more than that. And, I truly thank Aditya Birla Group to give us the hedonic pleasure when we had no clue what shopping malls looked like.