BENGALURU: What was nice a quiet and quaint neighbourhood in Malleswaram is now a sore sight with horns blaring through the streets and crowded roads with cars and buses. Affected by urbanisation, this part of town too misses the fun and games it had. In an attempt to relive those days is the two-day event called ‘Majja Maadona Malleswaram’, which will see fun activities such as zumba, wall paintings, street games, garage sales, and more taking place.
Malleswaram Social, a community known for promoting such events, is hosting the event as part of Walkable Malleswaram movement. With this, the team aims to make Malleshwaram a walkable 15-minute area once again by claiming service lanes for pedestrians.
Community member Aparna Desraj Urs explains what made her support the cause. “Reactivating dead spaces like the conservancy lanes into community commons open to all is what appealed to me. Bringing back a bit of the flavour, nostalgia, connectedness, and the sensibility of Malleswaram, as seniors have often reminisced about, is the aim of this event.”
Along with painting murals for public visibility as support for the sustainable movement, the event will also have fun activities for one to partake in as a way to highlight the importance of these lanes. Suchitra Deep, architect and founder of Malleswaram Social, says, “This event is a fun way to introduce the conservancy lanes to the residents of Malleswaram, many of whom are unaware of their existence.
We hope to showcase how versatile they are and the many ways they can be repurposed like walking paths, meeting spots for seniors, play arenas for children etc. We are in dire need of public spaces such as these in all our neighbourhoods.” From music performances, painting, gardening to zumba, the event provides a plethora of family-friendly activities for the residents. The event will begin at 7 am and go on too afternoon.