One of the fondest memories I have as a child is when I would ride in the backseat of a car, lie on my back, and look up at the sunlight seeping through the lush green foliage on Rose Garden Road in Jayanagar. I would then sit up, roll down the window and breathe in a lung full of pollution-free goodness. I consider it my immense good fortune that I grew up in this city which, at the time, was a quaint little place with oodles of charm. It was a time when Bengaluru was Bangalore, BBMP was BCC, BMTC was BTS and BESCOM was KEB. A time, when we left our home at J P Nagar thirty minutes prior to the start of a show at the Plaza theatre on M G Road, giving ourselves enough time to grab a delectable icecream sundae at Lakeview. A time, when we blocked our street with bricks to play Lagori with the neighbour’s kids, because clearly, our game was much more important than passing vehicles. The weather, the pace and the people could all be summed up in a single word - leisure.
It has truly been a sensational transformation since then. The advent of IT and everything that comes with it has given this city a remarkable makeover. We are now more cosmopolitan than ever, with a prominent standing the world over. Life is fast and people are many. Today there are tech parks, malls, pubs, clubs, hotels, restaurants, multiplexes, high profile events, performances, concerts and a long anticipated Metro. All the makings of a big bustling city. It did, however, help me realise, that it was not just me who grew up in Bangalore, but Bangalore itself, grew up with me. As I sat in the back seat of an auto one pleasant evening, with the driver enthusiastically narrating to me the climax of the latest Kannada flick, I knew I was still home. (The reader is a resident of JP Nagar)