STREET SMART – CUNNINGHAM ROAD

STREET SMART – CUNNINGHAM ROAD
The place for big brands
Deccan Herald

Cunningham Road reflects the new face of Bangalore. This upmarket road is the showcase for some of the top national and international brands. It begins from the S G Balekundri Circle, where the Ambedkar Veedhi ends and joins the Chowdaiah Road near on one side of the race course. It is about two kms in length.

Cunningham Road is named after Francis Cunningham (1820-1872), an officer in the Madras Army, member of the Mysore Commission, and a literary editor. Son of the poet Allan Cunningham, Francis and his brother Alexander Cunningham spent most of their working lives in India.

In his army service he distinguished himself as a Field Engineer during the 1st Afghan War. In 1850, he was posted to the Mysore Commission, headquartered at Bangalore as Secretary to the Commission and was acting as a deputy to Sir Mark Cubbon, the Chief Commissioner at Bangalore. He played an active role in developing the Horticultural Gardens at Lalbagh and undertook many constructions such as the bungalow for Sir Mark Cubbon in Nandi Hills and another bungalow known as the Balabrooie (on Chowdaiah Road).

When Cubbon retired and left Bangalore in 1861, Cunningham stayed on in a private capacity, lobbying on behalf of the deposed Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar III, arguing that he should be allowed to adopt an heir and that the kingdom should be restored to him. As Cunningham was an extremely effective writer, this caused endless headaches for the next Chief Commissioner, Lewin Bentham Bowring. Cunningham died in England in 1872.

A lot of experimentation in respect of traffic flow has taken place on this road. In the not too distant past it was a two-way road. Then it became a one-way flowing in one direction. Then the authorities felt that the traffic show flow from the opposite direction. At present the traffic flows from the Balekundri Circle and joins the Millers Road.

There are a number of restaurants on this road to suit all budgets and tastes. Ramana’s serves satvik vegetarian cuisine. There is Infinitea brewing a wide variety of exotic teas. The other brew houses are Barista’s and Cafe Coffee Day. There are trendy joints like Orchids and Roses, Java City and Casa Picola. Even if you have a tight budget there are economical places like Hotel Chandrika and the darshini type Sanman Vegetarian. Pizza Hut was one of the first multi-national food brands in the City to set up base on this street. For mall rats there is Sigma Mall where is another multinational brand - McDonald’s besides there are two supermarkets - Foodworld and Queen’s Supermarket. The Wockhardt Hospital and Heart Institute is a landmark on this Road.

In the midst of modernity there is a quaint stone building with towers - the Seventh Day Adventists Church. The Hatworks Boulevard is an elegantly restored 145-year old colonial bungalow earlier known as The Imperial Hat Works. It is just metres away from the main road. Today it is a boutique for top-of-the-line brands.

This road is a paradise for lovers of art and artifacts.

Shreen Malani’s Renaissance Art Gallery is located in Westminster Building. Abstract Art Gallery, located a little inside from the main road also has prints and frames. Jamal’s is famous for carpets and handicrafts, while Maharaja’s is known for carpets and furniture. Svisti is a textile and art and craft museum. The craft kiosk of Can Art promoted by Canara Bank displays and sells handicrafts made by traditional artisans. The Cottage Industries Exposition is housed in a heritage building.

Old order changeth yielding place to new. More buildings are coming up and more brands are crowding on this road. Nothing is permanent, except change on Cunningham Road.



WORLD WALK

Cunningham Road is a tiny window to the world. Here’s how. If you look around on the street, you’ll realise there are buildings with interesting names that are borrowed from other countries. There’s Imperial Court, which reminds you of the days of the Raj. There’s Cunningham Apartments, which was (obviously) named after the street.

Walk further and you will spot the MSIL office - a slice of Mysore state. There’s Centurion Bank which can probably capture an entire century. A new building Sheriff House has just come up opposite Foodworld - the term sheriff brings images of tough policemen from the Wild West! Then there are Pizza Hut and Domino’s serving pizzas, an Italian cuisine ‘import’.

Continue walking, you’ll see Deccan Aviation - images of the Deccan plateau from the India map jump straight out of your geography class in school! There’s an emporium selling Persian and Kashmiri carpets. Further up is the swanky Sigma mall - sigma is a Greek symbol. Next up is H M Geneva House - the name coming straight out of Geneva, perhaps?

Shortly, you will come up to Westminster - again from London - and you will soon find yourself “back in namma Bengaluru” with the smells of idlis-dosas and other eats wafting out from the kitchens of Hotel Chandrika at the junction of Cunningham Road and Miller’s Road. Now, isn’t that small little tour of the world by itself?