Bangalore Dreams

Having lived in the walled city of Delhi for almost 22 years, bearing the sweat and heat in summers, the teeth chattering cold in winters, and tolerating indecent men in public transport/ places, I felt there was no perfect city in India that could provide some respite. Not till I came to Bangalore in 2002. As a collegian I came to this beautiful city of gardens, which my Dad always described as a pensioners paradise, to take possession of our property in Koramangala and rent it. The panoramic view of coconut trees whispering in the cool breeze from my new verandah was intoxicating. Culture and modernity were infused in the right proportion. Every lane had a temple, and we could walk miles together to visit the temples in the vicinity, without getting tired because of the moderate climate. The fragrance of jasmine, the mesmerizing breeze, the English weather, the soul stirring chants of shlokas from temples, the utterances of varied South Indian languages, all with spurts of modernity, gave it a true cosmopolitan outlook. No horrible experiences in BMTC buses compared to the routine experiences of DTC buses; made this city appear so welcoming.

In 2005, I came to namma Bengaluru, bidding adieu to the much detested Delhi forever. They say grass is always greener on the other side. And akin to a frog in a well that knows nothing of the ocean, the blissful Bangalore dreams which I weaved viewing a small glimpse of Bangalore were shattered very soon. Now I found myself drawing stark comparisons between Delhi and Bangalore. So what was lacking in this Silicon Valley?

The graying generation must be certainly remorseful comparing the Bangalore of yester years. Its known to all that Bangalore’s climate was that of a hill station, it could rain any time, and one could do without a fan, but not without an umbrella and a cardigan.

The city was never planned to support rapid modernization. It was a sleepy pensioner’s paradise. The traditional kannadiga’s would cut the roof of the house to let a coconut tree shoot out, leaving the coconut tree untouched. It was a tiled city, the terracotta tiles are not to be seen now, and instead we see glass buildings with no parch of greenery around.
There is no service lane concept, all lanes open into the main road, which proves that Britons did not envisage this city to be the Silicon Valley of India, and Indians are known to extract juice even out of the cud!

Instead of developing urban agglomerations, we made Bangalore hi-tech, within in the available space, by cutting trees, filling up lakes and shrinking 80 feet roads to meager 50 feet. Which is that single road that is not encroached?

The mall culture, the exponentially increasing earning capacities, all feel so good, but where are the subways for pedestrians to cross the roads safely, a traffic light that is in working condition, a planned parking space, and most important law abiding citizens?

We flaunt our Forum, Garuda mall, but we risk entering them either on foot or on wheels. Any piece of land available, a building shoots up I no time, with the approval of corrupt town planners who don’t question how two buildings can be rubbing each other, why the building was not built with enough clearance from the road, how a tree could be cut, why wasn’t ventilation a priority while constructing.

We crib upon Cauvery water issue, but the city lacks water management. A dwelling like National Games Village with about 2000 flats, a block of 28 flats has a common water meter. So even if the neighbor wasted water by not repairing a leaking tap, others pay more than what they actually consumed. How do we conserve water, as defaulters pay minimal and are never held responsible?

Compare this with Delhi, a city that was planned to be the capital of India, where the needs for rapid modernization lead to urban agglomerations which fall under the NCR (National Capital Region). The cities are well interconnected with express roads, for people to commute to Delhi. Even though Delhi is hot, it is still amongst the greener cities, and there are constant attempts by the people, NGO’s and the government to make Delhi green. One can’t dare cut a branch without the approval of the municipality. Delhi has well laid roads, with proper traffic management, water management (individual meters instill a responsibility to consume water meticulously, else end up paying higher), and most important, the people are law abiding. Corruption is omnipresent, but people dare to question authority or sue bribe seekers. It is a litigious society, even if there is a foul play; you can be the whistle blower.

The recent demolition drive in Delhi initiated by Sheila Dixit, to remove all hoardings from Delhi, lock out all illegal constructions, make it an international capital, may have run into a quagmire, with protests and controversies, but what needs to be appreciated is that she dared to do something unprecedented. Consequently she faced defeat in the elections. So if a planned city like Delhi needed a demolition drive, what should be done for Bangalore? Will any political leader follow suit?!

Where did things go wrong? It all boils down to corruption. We are all corrupt. We are all self-centered. Darwinism can be rephrased as survival of the smartest and not necessarily the fittest. While driving if you are smart enough to maneuver the car out of a jam inch by inch, paying no heed to pedestrians or traffic rules, you can survive. Corrupted morals, else how can one become so impassive to others misery? You travel the shortest distance from Koramangala 8th block to urbane Forum, by bus, flaunting the best branded attire and accessories, but you don’t want to pay the justified full 5 rupees ticket fare, instead pay less and travel without ticket, debasing yourself in collusion with bribe seeking conductor. The cold stares are for the people who question this.

As per official records prepared by Lokayukta’s N. Venkatachala, Bangalore is the most corrupt district in the country's fourth most corrupt State. Mr. Venkatachala prepared the report after studying the number of cases booked by the Lokayukta Police under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act between 2001 (the year he took charge) and June 2005. While 135 cases were booked in Bangalore (Urban) district, 22 cases were registered in Bangalore (Rural) district. When asked about the implications of the study, Mr. Venkatachala affirmed that the study revealed that there were more corruption cases in Bangalore, it being the centre of power, and that he did not find any case in Udupi as the people there desist from giving money to get their work done.
There are many cases which do not get registered. There are many cases where we are victims or act as accomplice.

So why blame the city, it is the people who abet corruption. Bangalore has given living to so many people across the country; it is India’s reply to the world as the hub of technology. But with the sorry state of affairs, companies are withdrawing expansion plans and business to other states. The city has reached its stage of saturation; any further tampering with the ecological balance will have dire consequences. If the government expedites the connectivity to satellite towns, some damage control can be done. I don’t regret vacating Delhi instead I started appreciating what I never appreciated about that city in my 22 years stay. Christening Bangalore as Bengaluru will not bring back the yester years, only a strong public will power to preserve this city of gardens can. I still carry the hope that my Bengaluru dreams will see the light of the day, and one day I can say, ‘Mungaru Malena Mast Majja Maadi Bengaluru!”