Pride of a City

I recently enjoyed a quick sojourn at Bangalore, or Bengaluru, as it is now rechristened, and although the trip was micro-sized, the enjoyment and amusement was surely macro-sized! At the onset, I take the liberty of calling Bengaluru ‘Bangalore’, because the city’s GPO still addresses the city as ‘Bangalore’. The ‘city of gardens’ was a mini treat for the three days I was there. As most visitors to, and inhabitants of, the wired city would unanimously comment, the weather is so easy on people. Despite mid-way through the summer, cloudy skies and a pleasant day breeze made the recipe for a quick getaway almost nearly perfect. Evenings were mellow with a cool breeze, scented with the smell of wet earth, perhaps carried into the city from the outskirts by undulating winds.

Walking past the shopping plazas on MG Road made me reminisce about another trip I had made to the Silicon Valley of India. I was very young then, perhaps in grade seven. The city seemed so massive then, but now it seemed small and congested. The roads seemed so wide and clean then, but now they resembled little streets clobbered at places by ruthless contractors. I recall my stay at the Bowring Club, where my folks and I had to digest the most awful food ever, not to mention the vagaries of the most discourteous staff. This time round, however, we were blessed enough to encounter the most considerate and helpful staff ever. We were placed bang opposite the Police Commissioner’s office, which gave us a feel of the buzz of the city. Traffic crawled on the narrow but beautiful tree-lined stretch, morning to evening. During the nights, when the roads were finally empty, getting a rickshaw to Empire at Church Street was a task, and paying them treble the original fare by meter was quite painful. But then, that’s typical Bangalorian flavour for tourists. I won’t forget the rich and juicy flavour of the roast chicken, and given an opportunity, I’d return to Bangalore just for Empire’s roast chicken!

Passing by the golf course, quite close to the Cubbon Park area, and smack in the middle of the city

Cubbon Park and its tree-lined avenues were such a joy for a greenery-starved Mumbaikar like me. Families lazing along neatly-arranged gardens, with balloon and bric-a-brac vendors disrupting their carefree leisure time; how it made me reminisce about my childhood days at Pune. The Press Club, tucked away into one of the quaint by-lanes of Cubbon Park, didn’t turn out to be much of a revelation, although the surrounding greenery was enough to shut up a critic like me!

One of the several roads leading into Cubbon Park

The Karnataka Vidhan Soudha

As our car semi-whizzed (it’s impossible to ‘whizz’ past something at Bangalore) past the Vidhan Souda and the Karnataka High court, I was drawn in by the clean, majestic and patriotism-inducing structures. The linearity of the Vidhan Souda, white and pristine with the tri-colour atop the central dome, was countered by the textural rawness of the terracotta-coloured High Court building, bang opposite the state’s legislative assembly. It was a treat for my eyes, which are in perennial need of a good dose of culturally and historically significant public structures.

The Karnataka High Court

It was also a stupefying experience being at the Iskcon temple, located atop a hillock called Iskcon Hill, a sprawling structure spread over several layers. The temple premise was like a labyrinth, with unending steps and pathways. The exo-structure resembled the Tirupati Balaji temple, along with a healthy dose of the stylized Tiruchirapally temples. The temple’s pyramidal domes rose one above the other, in a step-like pattern. I tried getting a few quick shots of the internationally-known temple, part of a worldwide chain of the Srimad Prabhupada-initiated Iskcon cult. It goes without saying the interiors were elaborate and extravagant, and the number of devotees could surely put a U2 rock show to shame.

The exterior of the temple

Entering the temple

There was so much more I saw, experienced and soaked in on my trip to Bangalore. The Chinnaswamy stadium was decked with posters and vinyl banners, with the Bangalore Royal Challengers logo for all to see. There was a certain pride about the way this city showcased itself to me. UB City, ‘Namma Metro’, the pictorially-painted walls and the weather were surely a means to impress upon a visitor like me, that this is Bangalore. I wouldn’t have paid much regard to a city whose arterial road, in this case, the MG Road, is reduced to half its size because of a Metro line construction, inconveniencing scores of people at any given moment. However, the pride of the city subtly asserted itself on me through the ‘Namma Metro’ boards located at different parts of the city.

Exiting the airport

This assertion became even more apparent as I left the city towards the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli. Located approximately 30 kms away from the main city, the airport is in line with international standards (to a great degree), with a terminal large enough to service nearly 17 million passengers by 2015. The approach to the airport was clean, as were the internal paths which take passengers to their respective destinations (within the terminal building, of course). What fascinated me was the retail-esque feel to the airport.

The airport's clean and picturesque

Passenger friendly too! look at my ma smile...

The departure lounge is well-equipped with several retail outlets, ranging from Emporio Armani, to Crossword (a necessity) and Shopper’s Stop. While it was fun to browse through the colourful and interesting stores, it made me think, what if I were to shop at any of these outlets, and my shopping bags exceeded two in number? Considering my luggage would be ensconced in the luggage cart, ready to be ferried home, and I would already have at least one hand baggage with me, how would I manage if I were to go overboard with the shopping? I never bothered finding out.

The ubiquitous Crossword, a traveller's default stop

Retail rules...

But it did strike me, perhaps the departure lounge could have a facility for children’s crèche, in case of passengers with children, or a little corner for displaying art and handicraft sourced from unknown artisans. Maybe there could have been a compact area earmarked for older passengers, who could have done with the comfort of an easy chair or recliner to stretch their limbs. Perhaps. But then, flights at the Bangalore International Airport seldom get delayed, so I guess it made much more commercial sense to have retail stores. At least both parties involved stand a chance to make a quick buck! Nonetheless, Bangalore made a firm imprint in my mind. And I can’t wait to get back!

That was my story...