A stroll through time

A stroll through time
Bangalore is a flaneur’s delight, what with its heritage and its essentially laid-back nature, the reasons why Arun Pai’s BangaloreWALKS has become such a huge hit
MAHALAKSHMI PRABHAKARAN


He knows a lot more about Bangalore than most of us living here. But then, when you take Bangaloreans for walks around the city, sharing the history connected with the decrepit old buildings or even the roads they walk on, like Arun Pai does, knowing Bangalore doesn’t just stop at reeling out facts and historical trivia. It becomes a passion, one where you get others to love the city just as much as you do.
MAKING BANGALOREANS
PROUD OF THE CITY
Ask Arun what he loves most about organising the Bangalore walks day in and day out and he says “What I love most about conducting the walks is the fact that at the end of it I have people coming up to me and telling me that they are proud to be Bangaloreans. The reason why people react so evocatively according to Arun is the fact that “Bangalore as a place doesn’t impose itself on you. The city doesn’t create avenues for people to integrate into it. In Chennai, Bombay or Delhi, for instance, you try to get into the fabric of the city once you start living there. But in Bangalore, you can live on the fringe of the city and not really belong here. Through Bangalore walks, we try to convert a dozen people every weekend into Bangaloreans. It sounds dramatic, but people say that we have changed their lives. You see, there’s a small desire in everyone to want to belong.”
WHAT BANGALORE WALKS
TAUGHT ME
BangaloreWALKS is like a history and culture class on foot. But are there lessons he has learnt by conducting them? Yes, he says and shares some delightful insights about what the whole experience has taught him. “When we started BangaloreWALKS, we thought we would attract foreigners as they would be interested in knowing about a city. In reality, about 70 80 % of people who participate in our programmes are Bangaloreans. In Arun’s view, “People here have a huge latent interest the city and its betterment. And though people complain, there is a wanting to change.”
Talking a bit about the set up, Arun does some frankspeak and says “There is no other city in country where walks are conducted at Rs 500/- It is very cheap in other cities. In Bangalore, a city which is really is not known for its cultural or historical background, we put an outrageous charge and believe it or not, we are
the most successful ticketed walk in the country.
We get calls from organisers in other cities asking us how we do it.” The lesson this has taught me, so he tells us, is that when you have a good quality offering there are people in Bangalore who will value it.
THE BANGALORE
STATE OF MIND
Visitors to any place have a list of must-dos. So, what’s that essential thing anyone visiting Bangalore should do? Arun rather matter-of-factly says “Bangalore is not about things to do.” “Bangalore” he says profoundly “has to be experienced. Like the NY state of mind, the Bangalore state of mind is intangible.”
MG Road and Brigade Road are the only places that every newbie to the city hits as soon as he arrives. Point out that to Arun and he doesn’t bother to hold back his pride for the city’s heart. “There is no metro in the whole country where you can walk for one and half hour doing nothing. In other cities, you have got to have a reason to visit a place. Bangalore, on the other hand, allows you to spend time with no agenda. If you have time to chill and just hand around with no money, MG Road and Brigade Road especially allow you to do that. People just don’t realise how wonderful the central part of Bangalore is. We need to bring awareness among people about this very quality that the city possesses.”
INTANGIBLE GOODNESS
So, what does he like about Bangalore? “Bangalore has a universal appeal. It’s a good mix of the modern and the ancient and makes for a fascinating subject. A person going to another city might not plan to settle there, but anyone moving to Bangalore thinks of settling down here. Why? There is an intangible goodness in the place that gets people to settle here.” Rather than look at what’s not working in the city, Arun enumerates all that the city has going for it. “There are enough good things about the city. The weather is wonderful. It’s got the most livable weather available anywhere in the country. People are crying hoarse that the Garden City is dying but what we don’t see is that most Indian cities don’t have any greenery. Every layout of Bangalore has a park in it; no other Indian city has it.
“We have become champions of the place,” but Arun strongly senses that “unlike other cities, we don’t force immigrants to connect, so they are not sure if they should fight for anything in the city.” “We have to create an irrational pride for the city,” declares this true blue Bangalorean.
HISTORICAL TRIVIA
Did you know that MG Road was part of the battlefield for the war fought between Tipu Sultan and the British Army? Bangalore has been the centre of coffee trading in India. Mayo Hall on MG Road was the place where coffee traders met in Bangalore.