Tag: Bangalore

  • Heaven and Earth

    The church wasn’t a large one. But we reached early, and so its emptiness gave it a magnificence disproportionate to its size. The empty pews and the stained glass added to the effect. The bride and the groom exchanged rings and took their first steps into holy matrimony. It’d been a long time since I’d been to a church wedding and thus it made a great experience.

    And then the choir started, a sound that shattered the alternate silences and the monologues of the priest. A sound that transported me into a different plane, and gave me a glimpse of what they might have envisioned when they made religion and with its temples and churches. Yes, you didn’t need a special place to pray, you could do it anywhere, but this was a place of tranquility that would help man to converse with his maker. An atomosphere of serenity thatwould help him to hold on to his faith amidst the chaos around him.

    Meanwhile, less than a hundred metres away stood a massive structure, a mall in the heart of Bangalore. The huge population that thronged to it made it seem much smaller than it actually was. But, as soon as they entered, they were transported to a world where they could forget their worries and shop and dine to their heart’s content, a world of opulence and harmony. A world that sucked them into its chaos, but made them happy.Two worlds, separated by a few metres, and separated by a distance that each one must travel on his own.


    until next time, to be worldly and wise….

  • Gubbare

    The heartwarming picture of a little girl holding balloons, while the uncaring world rushed past her, on the busy road. He remembered how much fun balloons and childhood used to be. But wait, there was something wrong with the picture- she wasn’t looking too happy. Was it only because no one was buying her balloons?

    until next time, hot air all around

  • Walk of Life

    What perhaps distinguishes our species from others is the straight backed walk we have… the only things that come close are the other primates.. even from a human growth point of view, parents are always waiting for the baby to stop ‘toddling’ and walk…
    In today’s cubicle to couch existence, there is very little walking we do.. no, moving between cubicles or climbing stairs is not the kind of walk i am talking of… a couple of kilometres of walk was more the kind i had in mind…i have always liked walking, but usually never find the time.. yup, my natural laziness does its bit too :).. and so when i do get the chance, and find that i had a lil time to spare, i go ahead.. and walk..
    almost a year back, when we shifted house, i had a chance… its amazing how you can ride along the same roads for 3 years, and still notice things only when you walk… the little bylanes, small shops, and most importantly people.. almost at the end of the walk, i saw the flyover… another symbol of bangalore’s development and human progress in general… it had a sign that said a lot about our existence – no walking on the flyover..
    last week, when i went to kerala, i wanted to take another walk, in time and by foot, through the roads of the city i grew up in… i could do it only in part, and therefore didnt get to see how much it had changed… maybe its good in a way, i wouldnt have wanted to see how much i had changed..
    until next time, keep walking

  • Saamne yeh kaun aaya, dil main hui hulchul

    Every major city in the world has seen this as part of its lifecycle, a large number of people flowing into a city because of its potential to grow and accomodate.. and not just accomodate, but create chances and opportunities for the people who flow in… Bangalore is in such a state now..
    Some of these people justify their decisions totally, and equal the heights to which the city grows.. i dont have a problem with them.
    Some of them just about manage to hold their own, living in an unfeeling, ambivalent way, i dont have a problem with them either.
    The worst cases are those who fail to even hold on, and end up not even having a chance, idont have a problem with them at all..
    And then there are some from within the last set, who, in their state of despair, choose to end their existence..i dont have a problem with that too..
    i have a problem with those who choose to do the above in front of my kinetic honda, every day!! it has come to a point where i believe its a conspiracy to get me to their state..
    until next time, driving me crazy!!

  • Bratocracy

    The last week saw Bangalore witness the social unveiling of two potential prodigal sons – one, the son of a fashion designer/ page 3 fixture and the other, the son of the chief minister and the grandson of a former prime minister/ current state kingmaker/ humble farmer.
    Adam Bidappa, son of designer and page 3-proclaimed fashion guru Prasad Bidappa- decided to expound four letter wisdom to cops who were trying to enforce the 11.30 deadline. the policemen, who, in the best of times are not great conversationalists, waited for Adam to get physical and then decided to let their lathis do the talking, and shut up Adam, verbally and physically… Like father, like son, would be a fair thing to say, since the dope on Prasad is that he had been shaken up a bit when he was in Dubai last, for possession of well, dope…. adam’s famous last words- do you know who i am?
    Nikhil Gowda, son of chief minister Kumaraswamy and grandson of former Prime Minister and self proclaimed humble farmer Deve Gowda (made famous by photos of him sleeping on the dais), landed in a sports car and created a scuffle in a local hotel, and later claimed that he was beaten up by the hotel staff.. the government machinery is (for once) working in top class speed to make sure the case is hushed up.. the famous last words were “Do you know who my father is ?” (though i wonder why there wasnt a auto retort for that from the hotel guys who were mallus – if you dont know, how are we supposed to know?)…
    and so, in the world’s largest democracy, in a city whose worth is being built by an IT meritocracy,a new setup is being made – bratocracy…

    until next time, a class apart..