BRED IN THE BONE

BRED IN THE BONE

Parthasarathy N S resurrects a city he has known since it was little more than a big village, and talks of how ‘You can take me out of Bangalore but you cannot take Bangalore out of me’



My childhood memories of Bangalore are reason for much boasting about its wide roads, motor vehicles and the longish tonga ride we took from the railway station to Cooke Town. Sounds like a different Bangalore, doesn’t it?
It starts with my earliest memory which dates back to 1968 when I was all of seven. It used to be a ritual to vacation at my grandfather’s house in Cooke Town, a ritual we looked forward to because of the various sights, sounds and cityscapes I got to see on the way and that I would later brag about in school. We would arrive at the Bangalore city railway station from Guntakal at 5 am and hire a tonga which used to carry our whole family of five for the hour’s journey. I would spend a few anxious moments determining if I would get the prime seat, the one next to the pilot! Most often I would manage to. After a few years, we graduated to using the BTS bus Route 5 from the railway station to Frazer Town (where my grandparents moved to later). Though I enjoyed the speed of the bus, I missed my tonga rides.
LIFE ON THE BUS
Life has changed a lot and the city has grown within me too. Regardless of all the complaints, I love Bangalore and yearn for it every time I have to leave the city for extended periods of time. One such was when I left to study at BITS, Pilani and IIT, Kharagpur in the ’70s. I returned in the ’80s and from then to this day, Bangalore has left me with many interesting anecdotes that many old timers can relate to as well.
As part of my graduation studies, I chose to do my project on National Aeronautics Limited (NAL) on Airport Road — this is timed 1980. For this I had to stay at my grandparent’s, but instead of being happy, my grandfather was aghast. NAL on Airport Road is so far away there won’t be a soul to help you come back home after work at 5 pm,” he had thundered. He relented when I told him that I will be using the NAL buses. Talking of buses, those days, evening and morning traffic was made of buses run by the various PSUs in the city-ITI, BEL, NAL, HMT, HAL- all of which could be seen crisscrossing the several junctions.
INSTANT CONNECT
My professional life took off in the trendiest part of Bangalore. My office faced the famous promenade of M G Road. Commute was easy- a stroll across the road from my house in Jayanagar 5th block and after a 20-minute bus ride costing Rs 2, I would be at work. Feeling jealous? On New Year’s eve, we used to participate in a crazy game-roll on M G Road from one end to another! When I graduated to a rickety two-wheeler, I remember the long ride from Jayanagar to Jalahalli to drop my wife at her work place was such a thrill.
Coffee and masala dosa at Indian Coffee House is something I miss even today. Eating out was common and we were spoilt for choice-Sreeraj, off Lavelle Road, Amravati and the famous Lakeview on M G Road. Conveniences were limited in those days. I remember during an emergency when I had to make an STD call at 11 pm, there were only two places from where we could make such calls, since I did not have a phone at home, the Central Telegraph Office and an STD
booth in Majestic. Think of the communication revolution we have seen in 20 years.
THE BANGALORE WITHIN
Bangalore’s weather is much talked about and even today my parents take a winter break to Mumbai to escape the chill. To enjoy the city, it has to be experienced right from knowing its history (I would strongly recommend
taking the Victorian Bangalore
Walks - www.bangalorewalks.com), to being cheered by the colourful bougainvillea blooms on many roads, the chirping of the birds early morning or feeling refreshed with a jog in Cubbon Park in the mornings or lazy stroll in Lalbagh.
In the years to come, I look forward to the Metro for a cleaner and greener commute. Many parts of M G Road are to be reserved for pedestrians, there will be more avenues to experience art, music and theatre and it will all help retain the much needed lungs of the city. Bangalore has given me a lot including my wife who was born here. You can take me out of Bangalore but you cannot take Bangalore out of me. You can either cry and feel the pain of a city crumbling or search and experience the many small things that make Bangalore so special. I choose the latter.
Parthasarathy N S is COO, MindTree Ltd