BENGALURU: In a unique honour accorded to Namma Metro’s Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs), miniatures of two of them find a place in the Dasara Bombe of a senior citizen couple. Their passion for making Navratri come alive annually with a stunning display of dolls painstakingly collected from across the country is well known in the neighbourhood.
No wonder 65-year-old V K Narasimhan decided that the miniature TBMs showcased in his tenant’s house needed to make it to the display this year. And Subrahmanya Gudge, Additional Chief Engineer (Underground Section) at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited, readily obliged to temporarily part with his prized possession.
Seated on the third of the 13 steps along with countless Gods at their home in Ashok Nagar, Banashankari III stage, are the TBMs.
The machines dominated headlines when the underground corridor of the North-South Metro line of Phase I was being built. The cutter head of TBM ‘Godavari’ broke stalling the tunnelling process for a year and TBM ‘Kavery’ created massive cracks in homes in Balepet and ‘Krishna’ moved very slowly owing to the difficult terrain.
A cutter head, screw conveyor and belt conveyor are attached to the Earth Pressure Balancing Machine and the set is encased in glass.
Nalini Narasimhan is delighted over this new addition to their doll arrangement.”It is the highlight of our Navratri this time. It instantly catches the eye of all who have been coming over to see our bombe decorations,” she says. And Gudge’s son, Aniket, doing his Class VII at Bishop Cotton Boys’ School, is more than happy to offer a detailed explanation of the TBMs.
Among the 3,000 toys displayed in their fest are some that have been handed over from forefathers and date over 150 years. Nalini’s nephew Kaushal lent the senior couple a crucial helping hand. Over 500 people visit their home annually to enjoy this visual treat.