A walk to remember

I've always wanted to go on one of the Bangalore Walks but hadn't for lack of company. Last Sunday on a cold foggy morning, I signed up for the Victorian Walk. I must admit having lived here for 20+ years I know very little about the city's past (Ok, so I don't know about the city's present, heck I cant find my way around here!) The walk started at the Trinity church which I had never entered before, with an enthusiastic group of about 30 people from all over the world. I was one of the few (ignorant) locals present. Arun, the man behind the walks was the guide for the day taking us back in time and enlightening us on little known facts about this city. For eg. How many of you know the significance of the names of the roads - Infantry road, Cavalry road, Residency road. Or can identify the statue erected in front of the Mayo hall and know its significance? The metro construction played spoil sport not only making it difficult to walk but also obstructing some beautiful spots along the walk. He was generous in his praising Bangalore, I didn't mind it one bit and was beaming all through out. It ended with a surprise breakfast (and was I surprised!) on a positive note with him saying we are a 'forward looking' city. The metros, the IT boom are all a promise of a better future.

For me, this city other than being home means so much more for the same promise it holds now - A bright new future!

Bangalore's Anthem

You've got to get yourself together
You've got stuck in a JAM  you can't get out of it
Don't say that later will be better now
You're stuck in a JAM and you can't get out of it

And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if your way should falter
Along the stony pass
It's just a JAM
This time will pass 

Before you start protesting, translation to Kannada is in progress. Patience.

Travel blues and greens and yellows

So it takes 2hrs for me to get back home from work. On a bad day 2.5 hrs. About 1.5 hrs to reach work in the morning. Surprisingly I don't have as much problem with it as people (including me) thought I'd have. It doesn't bug me so much. Maybe because I was prepared, I knew it was only for a short duration and I am not really loaded at work. I also don't have to come home to screaming kids or a nagging husband and cook or do anything of that sort. So yeah, it turned out ok. What did surprise me though was that I didn't know the traveling would actually help me. For one it is a perfect ice breaker when talking to people. 'So how long did it take today?' , 'Were you stuck there?' I only have to start ranting about the traffic and next thing I know is I am discussing elections with a complete stranger. Second, I quite enjoy the sympathy I get from everybody. 'You come from so far? Really? Must be so tiring'. Third, I escape from work as early as 4:00 pm, only to shop at the factory outlets lined up near the place. No one objected, I live so far you see.

The only problem I have though is that at the end of the day I can't help feel that two precious hours of my day is lost doing nothing. I don't mind the travel in the morning, not being a morning person those hours don't count. I do exactly what I'd do otherwise: Sleep. Traveling back home, I've tried everything possible, I cant sleep, I cant read, I get bored of my playlist easily. With the crap that they play on radio, listening to it is not even an option. So all the two hours goes in daydreaming and introspection. Both of which are useless and unproductive.

I have one more month of traveling to do. I think I am going to miss the travel and the conversations after that. But I really hope in years to come traveling within the city becomes easy. Two hrs a day is not worth losing in commute.

B'lore is under construction, please visit later.

A post that I had drafted few days back when I was terribly annoyed and irked, I decided not to post it then but I see no harm why shouldn't now. The cynic in me has a strong voice, dominating my thoughts and opinions but I'd like to think that one day things will get better, that this city has hope.

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The worst excuse I ever heard was at a conference few days back where the person on being forty five minutes late says "I apologize on behalf on Bangalore's traffic for being late". What the? By now everyone knows you can't state traffic as an excuse anymore. Traffic is bad (to put it mildly) and that is that. Even I am sick of cribbing about it all day long. The problem with us is we wait till we have a problem, wait till it gets worse and then discuss the problem endlessly until we tire ourselves. Like the new airport. Why weren't there enough people talking about the bad choice of location and the innumerable transport problems when the project started rather than now when it is nearing completion? That time, I actually thought it was a good idea to have a new airport considering the bad state the present one is in, why was I so short sighted? Why don't we have enough people to predict the problems we may face and prevent them?

Ok so I am rambling here but the noise, the chaos, the mess is driving me nuts and when I hear myself complain about it to the next person it drives me all the more crazy at my helplessness and the ridiculousness that the situation is. The same things are being said over and over and over. So I blog.

Right now I'd rather be the person living out far away reminiscing about the good times, about VB dosas, MTR idlis and by-two Kapi rather than be here and eat the dosas.

Benga ...what?

No matter how many boards they change, how many bills they pass, I will always belong to BANGALORE.