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BANGALORE, April 25

THE scorching afternoons in Bangalore have failed to stimulate pub-crawlers despite offers galore from these once favourite joints for college goers.

Interestingly, most of the students— the majority of afternoon crowd at the pubs— prefer to hang out in the new hip coffee bars, sipping ice-float coffee and other cool beverages to chill out.

"Beer is out...it's become a bit boring now,'' says Analesh De Bhaumik, an MCA graduate, awaiting to go abroad for a Ph.D. "We have been drinking beer almost everyday for the last few years as alternatives were few,'' echoed N. Karthik, another final-year MCA student.

Bangalore has recently seen a spurt in coffee bars ranging form the local Coffee Day chain, to the national player, Barista and the recent entrant, Qwiky's. "It's cool to chill out here...it's calm,'' says Sohini, a teenager.

"I often come here to study,'' said Analesh, who frequents the Commercial Street Coffee Day. A relative quiet compared to the thumping music at the pubs draw some `serious types' to tickle their intellect over cups of coffee. Moreover, the choice is "varied in a coffee joint than a pub,'' says Karthik.

So is this summer proving to be too dry for the pubs? "The usual student crowd has thinned definitely, but our regular business is in the evening and that is as strong as ever,'' says the beverages manager of a pub, off M.G. Road.

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