Days of yore: When Bengaluru was still Bangalore
I came to Bangalore in 1986, when Bangalore was limited to Indiranagar in the East, Jayanagar in the South, Vijayanagar in the West and Sadashivanagar in the North.
All areas beyond these were considered as suburban areas and in general were very far. If I took a route number 1 BTS bus, I could almost go around Bangalore and come back to Majestic Bus stand. MG Road and Brigade Road were the only hip places for boys and girls to hang around. Staying in the hostels in and around Majestic, we had the opportunity of watching movies in every movie theatre and eating in every major restaurant.
Today, Bangalore has grown in every direction but the growth is not uniform. Sprawling apartments, malls, multiplexes make it a real global city. At the same time the ever congested dirty roads and its poor infrastructure makes me frown at times.
Nevertheless Bangalore is still Namma Bengaluru. There is no city better than Bangalore in the world. This is despite experiencing living in the world’s best cities like London and New York.
I know there is no logic in this but in Bangalore I can relate to every road and every street. More than anything else, I know at heart I am a true Bangalorean.
On the other hand Bangalore could be a lot better. It deserves better roads, 24 hours un-interrupted power supply, namma metro reaching every nook and corner, better garbage management and treatment.
People of Bangalore should start developing a better civic sense, every one must help to keep the city clean and green, a better traffic sense, a garden for every home and a tree for every Bangalorean.
People across the world must wonder how Bangalore is able to remain a Garden City despite its maddening growth. Access to quality healthcare must become every Bangalorean’s birthright. Every child in Bangalore must get quality.
(The reader is a resident of Bommasandra)