I have just come back from Bangalore (has it already become Bengalooru, don’t know, but didn’t seem like it, none of the signs indicated so), and to say the least, I have fallen in love with the city. The wide avenues, lined with trees, the beautiful parks spreading over acres of land in the heart of the city, and the somewhat planned atmosphere gives Bangalore a different atmosphere than that encountered in Mumbai. Maybe I am prejudiced as I did not have the fortune, whether good or bad I don’t know, to visit the suburbs of Bangalore, but what I saw impressed me to the hilt.
Considering Bangalore’s now the hub of the IT industry in the country, the local milieu has simply been transformed. What must have been a sleepy manufacturing outpost, a sort of poor man’s Ooty, a pensioners’ paradise, has now become a hot and happening place. The average age profile of the people on the streets of Bangalore must be somewhat around 30-40, definitely not pensioner material. The streets are lined with eateries, malls, glitzy shops, basically all avenues of expenditure, and believe you me, they were crowded like hell!
But even in this entire hubbub, Bangalore retains its quaint charms. The pristine beauty of the parks, spreading over 750 acres in the heart of the city, is a testament to the resolve of the people of Bangalore to value long-term benefits over short-term growth, something the people of Mumbai have just begun to come to terms with. The massive book stores are evidence to the innate desire to acquire knowledge, something Bangalore shares with Mumbai. Sure, Bangalore has its traffic jams, its floods, but what must remember that it is a growing city, and with time, these flaws will surely dissipate. What I saw in Bangalore by way of infrastructure development left me impressed, what with the ring roads, the metro and flyovers.
I have always been a Mumbaikar, and despite all that you may have read so far, I hope to remain one. I feel confident to claim that I can sense the heartbeat of Mumbai. I know the area, at least part of it, by heart, and can assertively direct someone to his/her destination. Whenever I come back to Mumbai, and invariably the flight would land in the evening or the night, I would feel a shudder of delight go through my body. The beautiful sight of the city, looking like a silken or even velvet garment affixed with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and other precious stones, like the endless sky with its attendant stars, always gives me heavenly delight. But if there is one city in India where I would like to settle down, besides Mumbai and Pune, it would be Bangalore. Chennai is nice for arts and culture, but otherwise the city leaves me cold. Delhi is all history and power, but its air is filled with hypocrisy and deceit, suffocating me to the fullest. Calcutta is emerging a livable city, but as of now, it has a long way to go. So right now, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore remain my cities of choice, my beloved cities!
Considering Bangalore’s now the hub of the IT industry in the country, the local milieu has simply been transformed. What must have been a sleepy manufacturing outpost, a sort of poor man’s Ooty, a pensioners’ paradise, has now become a hot and happening place. The average age profile of the people on the streets of Bangalore must be somewhat around 30-40, definitely not pensioner material. The streets are lined with eateries, malls, glitzy shops, basically all avenues of expenditure, and believe you me, they were crowded like hell!
But even in this entire hubbub, Bangalore retains its quaint charms. The pristine beauty of the parks, spreading over 750 acres in the heart of the city, is a testament to the resolve of the people of Bangalore to value long-term benefits over short-term growth, something the people of Mumbai have just begun to come to terms with. The massive book stores are evidence to the innate desire to acquire knowledge, something Bangalore shares with Mumbai. Sure, Bangalore has its traffic jams, its floods, but what must remember that it is a growing city, and with time, these flaws will surely dissipate. What I saw in Bangalore by way of infrastructure development left me impressed, what with the ring roads, the metro and flyovers.
I have always been a Mumbaikar, and despite all that you may have read so far, I hope to remain one. I feel confident to claim that I can sense the heartbeat of Mumbai. I know the area, at least part of it, by heart, and can assertively direct someone to his/her destination. Whenever I come back to Mumbai, and invariably the flight would land in the evening or the night, I would feel a shudder of delight go through my body. The beautiful sight of the city, looking like a silken or even velvet garment affixed with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, and other precious stones, like the endless sky with its attendant stars, always gives me heavenly delight. But if there is one city in India where I would like to settle down, besides Mumbai and Pune, it would be Bangalore. Chennai is nice for arts and culture, but otherwise the city leaves me cold. Delhi is all history and power, but its air is filled with hypocrisy and deceit, suffocating me to the fullest. Calcutta is emerging a livable city, but as of now, it has a long way to go. So right now, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore remain my cities of choice, my beloved cities!
5 comments:
aah...now this is the kind of post i love commenting on.
I'm not sure which city u visited, 'coz bangalore sure as hell doesn't have what you would call 'wide roads'. They were forced to convert many roads into one-ways, 'coz this kept causing traffic snarls.
The ring road u rhapsodize about, is a lovely road, sure, only you can't really see much of it after 7pm, 'coz they dont believe in lighting up their streets- highways or not.
At most intersections or junctions you will find a traffic formation peculiar to this city. Its sort of a circle, with each guy cutting the next one. Result- no1 moves.
Oh and did I mention trucks and autos driving on the wrong side of the road? Mostly coz they refuse to use diversions. Lane discipline is unheard of.
Property prices are flying off the roof, some restaurants/pubs are more expensive than many in bombay, but i'm not convinced that they give u a 'bang for ur buck'.
The streets get quiet and lonely by 9pm (plz don't mention mg road as an argument!). Its difficult to live in this city without a vehicle of your own.
Its a gr8 city to visit, but a maddening one to live in.
The only thing its got going for it, is the weather.
yeah, I totally get it. Each time I go there, I am damn impressed with the city. What they have going down ther is the weather. But that may be changign too with the change in lifestyles...but anyway the city rocks, I'll be there in a week..hehe
every man/woman to his/her own. I was fortunate or maybe unfortunate to not have experienced all that you mention. What I saw left me impressed, and so I mentioned it.
All cities have their darker sides, and if one is to judge a city by its faults, then no city on the face of the earth would ever be termed livable.
nice post - for once lesser mortals like yours truly understand the post and manage to muster some courage to post a reply!
Jokes apart, you seem to present a picture seen by a visitor to any new city. My cousins from north India never stop praising Mumbai's broad smooth and decongested roads, cleaner air, brilliant railway stations. Little do they realise that the stations they see are Vashi, Nerul which are a milion times better than most other stations here. Or for that matter that the roads they see are they relatively better ones. When you are a visitor to any city you are bound to see the better side of it. Once you start living there over a period of time do you realize its true character(good or bad). Which perhaps explains why you and I like Mumbai!!
PS: BTW, why the comment moderation??
As one can observe, my blog is not titled 'Bangalore: A City of Dreams'; it speaks of my impressions abt the Garden City. Admitted that first impressions are generally the last impression, but I agree that should I ever happen to go and reside in Bangalore, I might come to realise some of its more sordid realities.
And I love Mumbai despite having stayed here for the last 20 years, despite all its faults.
And comment moderation is to dissuad crackpots from making any unwarranted comments.
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