Walking history

Walking history

Modelled on the famous London Walks, a Bangalorean takes you through what he calls Bangalore Walks. ANAND SANKAR falls in step with him

History is not staring at you in Bangalore. Please be patient and sink into the past ARUN PAI

WHEN AN ARMY MARCHED The area around M.G. Road might be happening now, but it also saw action as far back as the 1780s when Lord Cornwallis marched his army down the road

I have lived in the vicinity of M.G. Road for the last 20 years. I know it was laid by the British and was once called South Parade. Once a cosy promenade for those who wielded power, it today is Bangalore's showcase of its colonial past and trendy present.

So, when a guy introducing himself as Arun Pai claimed he could walk me through the history of M.G. Road, my eyebrows shot up, inadvertently. But he insisted: "It is easy for me to convince the newcomers; but my biggest challenge is the likes of you."

We met on a cold and cloudy morning at the gates of Trinity Church, the beginning of M.G. Road. Arun prepared me by saying: "History is not staring at you in Bangalore. Please be patient and sink into the past. Lord Cornwallis once led the army on this very road."

Lord Cornwallis is said to have led his army through roughly the same area of M.G. Road in the 1780s when he attacked Tipu Sultan's Bangalore Fort at Kalasipalyam. MG's was hilly back then. If you close your eyes and forget the traffic for a minute, it is possible to visualise an army marching up for the attack. And in 1799, when Tipu was defeated, the mosquitoes drove the British out of Srirangapatna and they barracked in Bangalore Cantonment. Trinity Church was constructed for the garrisoned soldiers.

Memories of comrades

As we entered the church, I was muttering to myself: "Here we go again, another architecture class." But I was told to read the plaques that line the church walls for the next 15 minutes. That is when I realised this walk was more than just buildings.

A plaque at the entrance read: "Church cross erected by First Battalion The Queen's Own Royal Kent Regiment." Inside the church, numerous British regiments — from the King's Dragoons to the Royal Artillery — which fought pitched battles in South India, have their plaques of remembrance. They are dedicated to comrades who died in action. And of course there are those who succumbed to the inevitable epidemics. The only exceptions are one plaque for a soldier who was killed by a tiger in Shimoga and another by the Freemasons for a martyred fellowman.

"Bangalore has always been a city that has attracted immigrants," reiterates Arun. "First it was the Tamilians who settled in Halasuru (now Ulsoor), then the British, and now you have multinationals setting up shop. The single biggest factor for people settling here is the weather."

Bangalore was the only place, other than the hill stations, during British times where exotic flowering plants and trees could be grown all round the year. When you look out from the top of the church tower towards MGs, the fact is quite evident. The expanse in front that is now concrete and glass housed palatial bungalows with sprawling gardens once upon a time. Only three survive now thanks to a couple of gritty owners and a court case. And the green carpet that fills the gaps in concrete is courtesy of another immigrant, this one a German.

Green ideals

"Bangalore is the only city where trees bloom for nine months in a year. The season's colours range from red to violet. It is all because of Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan's passion for gardening and the work done by German botanist Krumbiegal. In those times, if you came from abroad to meet the king, you had to gift a sapling," says Arun.

The immigrant influence did not stop at shaping the landscape. Another German, a missionary, Ferdinand Kittel, though he never lived in Bangalore, stands tall holding the flag of Karnataka in front of Mayo Hall. Kittel's contribution is his monumental 70,000-word, 1,700-page Kannada-English dictionary. His work was comprehensive as it also included dialects from Dharwad, Mangalore and Kodagu and lexicographers use his methodology even today.

Soon we reached the end of our trip through time, and were enjoying a sumptuous breakfast atop Barton Centre. And the discussion veered towards Bangalore's disappearing heritage buildings. This is when I realised that it was but inevitable that the legacy of previous immigrants was being overwritten by today's.

"This city has always been happening. It has been in the middle of different periods in history. What you see now is the imprints of the new generation and it is natural. But it is good that some people are still holding on to heritage buildings despite pressure from the real estate lobby. They sell on a whim. It will be ideal if they are preserved," says Arun.

* * *

Some little-known facts

One of the places from where the attitude of Bangalore was measured was Trinity Church. A small circle on the first step at the entrance marks the spot.

Trinity Church was called Thalavetti Matha Koil, when the British were stationed here. Since the church was exclusively for whites, it was rumoured that locals would have their heads chopped off if they entered it.

Windows in bungalows had peaks called a Bangalore Monkey Top to prevent monkeys sitting on them.

The size of the garden surrounding your bungalow was proportionate to your social status.

Most of the major roads laid by the British in the Cantonment area are aligned with compass bearings.

Bangalore is the only city in India where the trees bloom for nine months in a year.

* * *

Book your walk

Arun Pai had his education in Bangalore and is an MBA from IIM-B. He spent the majority of his adult life travelling around the world chasing a career in India. He says he was stunned by the change when he moved back nine months ago. Thus he decided to start a walk modelled on the famous London Walks, so that Bangaloreans can understand their city better. The walk is priced at Rs. 495 with breakfast and Rs. 395 without. For tickets, schedules and details, visit www.bangalorewalks.com or call 98455-23660.