Sometime back, a work related trip took me to two completely different worlds in the same city – one, a software giant’s well designed campus, and the other, a market area. I’ve been in Bangalore now for 6 years now, but still can’t claim familiarity with a lot of places.
The tech park was exactly as I had pictured it, from the large amount of written matter dedicated to it regularly in newspapers. Large and well laid out, with its own studio, food courts and bustling with activity. The activity is not techies just slaving in front of monitors, though I am sure that happens inside too, but having animated conversations over cups of coffee, cycling between building blocks, discussing a cultural activity happening in the next few days, and some even watching the world go by.
Gandhi Bazaar isn’t exactly the most written about place in newspapers, probably because its residents are not as appealing to the readers of the newspapers I read. But it is bustling nevertheless – the granny in the bullock cart surrounded by flowers, multitudes of roadside sellers, trading everything from vegetables to fancy jewelry to toys to clothes, a lot of happy, smiling faces drifting in and out of shops. I saw faces that just blended into the surroundings and others that didn’t perhaps belong there. (like me) From where I stood watching, I couldn’t see any branded outlets around that I recognised, but in the vicinity you could get the best coffee and masala dosa. Pleasures of a different kind, but great ones nevertheless. Anything more would sound condescending.
These are two worlds separated by a few kilometres, but almost isolated from each other, both worlds unto themselves, oblivious to each other, except for the few who occupy both. I can imagine the young local huduga who is now a techie and handles both worlds with ease. I feel happy for him, and hope he realises how lucky he is to be part of both these worlds – one that helps him stay grounded and the other that helps him fly high.
One planet, so many different worlds, and so many different stories. A lifetime wouldn’t be enough to experience. This thought created a sense of deja vu, and sure enough, a search yielded this post. I guess the lessons of Nude Ellie are seeing a change of perspective.
until next time, deja view 🙂
and on the blog today ‘world views’ https://manuscrypts.com/test/?p=1545
it has happened many times, that while driving around Hyderabad I stumble upon some new place that just seems to blend in with the surroundings and you would surely miss it if you stick to main-roads. a wrong turn, or trying to take a shortcut down a lane, or sometimes plain chance leads to a totally new world within the city 🙂
Dare I say it that there are few hudugas or hudugis who experience both worlds?
The old Bangalore seems to have been forgotten by the shiny new world that confines itself to the Ring Road for living, working and entertaining themselves. Many people I know, who have lived in Bangalore for 8-10 years or longer, have never been to Lal Bagh or know that Bangalore has a science museum!
Doesn’t bode well for a city to be so disparate and divided.
Lovely.
True everywhere.
Hey.. Gandhi Bazar has a CCD =P I was a loyal customer there once, even though they never used to give us anything we wanted. They never had ice =(
I agree with Shefaly. I visited most of the real landmarks of the city like Lalbagh, science museum among many others, when I came hear as a tourist (from school). Since I settled started working here, I haven’t been to any of these places =(
//I can imagine the young local huduga who is now a techie and handles both worlds with ease.//
Much as I’m not sure what a huduga is, it doesn’t have to be just him. You love a city enough, you’ll know it’s every corner, every kabab/chai stand and 24hr coffee shop in hep restaurants. The latter is once you start earning, of course. Pune used to be like that at least till about a decade ago – everyone hangs out everywhere. Well, let’s say a good chunk hangs out everywhere. If the two worlds have become mutually exclusive, it is indeed sad.
I do see what you’re saying, though – people in one world could well enjoy both worlds, but sadly, not necessarily the other way round.
-g
Sometimes its easily forgotten that there is a world outside the IT Park..
You know, as a photographer my favorite areas in a city are of the latter type. Like Sultan Bazar or Koti in Hyderabad, T Nagar in Chennai or Aminabad in Lucknow 🙂
They have got so much going on, so much colors… so much life!
Kunal: true..every city has multiple worlds…
Shefaly: quite ambivalent on that.. on one hand, i’m not sure whether enough time has passed for the new set (like me) to have completely bonded with the city..on the other hand, with the kind of lifestyles we lead now, I wonder whether we will have the time, or make the effort..
austere: exactly 🙂
balu: missed it 😀 and same here on the landmarks.. (read my reply to shefaly)
gauri: huduga is just kannada for ‘boy’.. you could love a city – in fact, most of us love Bangalore.. but for now, thats limited to the part we live in… which is why to me, there’s a difference between that and being able to live and work in a city that you’ve grown up in..
Maan: unfortunately so
Abhishek: i can imagine.. its also a probability that many of the residents in those areas will look at the malls and IT parks with awe 🙂