BENGALURU: TICK-TOCK! Good Morning Bangalore! I’ve always wanted to adopt this tag line and since this is my column…what the heck! I’m going with it.
It’s wonderful to be writing a weekly column again after a lengthy hiatus, but this time in a new avatar. This time it’s all about ‘my ooru’, what makes her tick, what ticks her off and the general ‘ticks’ that abound in her space. It’s all about weeding out the weeds in our (ex) garden city and finding the ‘aqua’ that will make her bloom again. So, hop onto a merry, unapologetic carousel ride fellow city slickers, and let’s discover Bangalore’s soul together!
Election fever has gripped the nation and how can our placid city be left behind. Politicians and their ilk were throwing ‘manure’ (I have to be polite!) like it was going out of fashion and I was hoping against hope it meant it would provide fodder for our fast depleting green cover, but no such luck. The sun shone on us relentlessly and a heat wave made even the mild mannered Bangaloreans mutter expletives under their breath. We are thankfully not as colourful in our language as the quintessential ‘Narth Indians’!
All that is fine, but it didn’t explain the poor voter turnout in most areas! The posh Central Business District had the election staff and police personnel swatting flies! What are we, a city of armchair intellectuals? Even a city like Mumbai had the film folk out in full force, prettily posing with their black dotted fingers so the adoring paparazzi could ‘pap’ them. Maybe a couple of page 3 photographers hanging around would have changed the tide here. As for all those Bangaloreans who used the voting holiday as a long weekend getaway, shame on you! You don’t get to gloat if you don’t vote.
After the elections it was business as usual in ‘namma city’. Braving the traffic, poor infrastructure, electricity outrages and lack of water is a given. We are of course, a ‘swalpa adjust madi’ type of city and we have learned to take it in our stride. While the hoi polloi went their way, the glitterati were out to play. There were a spate of flashy parties and events and anybody who was somebody exchanged notes on whether they were invited and if so, the eternal damning question… What do they wear! The Omega black tie dinner was pretty specific about the dress code, but yet we had a couple of rebels in our midst. A black tie does make the men look a wee bit like penguins whilst the women look gorgeous in their LBDs and swirling silks and chiffons. A little unfair but women look gorgeous even wearing sack cloth and ashes n’est ce pas? There was a veritable brand war as the swish set flaunted their Gucci’s, Prada’s, Louis Vuitton’s and Hermès…Bangalore a ‘B’ town? Surely you jest!
Being an ardent gourmand, I firmly believe that our city is turning into a food capital of sorts. The food pallet in this city is wide and varying. One can savour authentic food from all over the world at its best, including the most mouth-watering Indian food too! Give me a ghee-laden masala dosa or an Andhra biryani anytime, anywhere! An enterprising young lady who runs a venture called The Chef Post, Sneha Chandrashekar, organised a mega event with over twenty participating restaurants and hotels to show case the most brilliant translation of seafood on a plate! Chefs of all nationalities vied to show off their skills to a group of special invitees. Good friend and celebrity chef Vicky Ratnani was amongst the discerning audience.
Bangalore is a city of many contradictions, bright lights and marquees and pot holes and bad governance. It’s an art, of being at the right place at the right time. That’s what makes the city tick.
Till next time, Ciao!