Last week, while I travelled by auto through sheets of rain and a frustrating traffic snarl, the kind and wise auto driver asked me. “Do you know what is more valuable than money these days?”….Time. This pertinent observation set off a series of conversations with friends, particularly those born and raised in the city and die-hard Bangalore fans, about how an increasingly commercialised Bengaluru, with traffic as a major problem, has changed the way we meet up.
We overhear conversations with references to Koramangala being too crowded, Indiranagar having the most number of restaurants. About how Malleshwaram, J.P. Nagar, Jayanagar, Basavanagudi and Banashankari still retain the old charm of Bangalore. About how maddening the traffic is at Silk Board Junction during peak office hours and how inconceivably far the airport is.
Paul Fernandes has captured the heart of Bangalore in his stunning illustrations. He says: “Brigade Road was pretty much the centre of the universe in earlier times. It was the closest place for most Bangaloreans to go to the movies, to restaurants or just hang out. Most of us walked or cycled there with ease.”
Does he agree that traffic is an obstacle to catching up? “Certainly. In the Bangalore of yore you could walk into a friend’s or neighbour’s house and be welcomed to spend the day ‘catching up’. Today most cars are equipped with sophisticated communication and entertainment systems where you can catch up and chat with friends stuck in a mile long traffic jam.”
The Bangalore of yore, he adds, had a unique character and feel to its meet - up places. “There was much use of open spaces, garden pubs and restaurants, for its agreeable climate/weather which one misses a lot.”
(A Paul Fernandes illustration)
DJ Ivan, who has witnessed the change in the music scene over the last two decades, reminisces about the days when The Club in Mysore Road was hugely popular during the late 1990s.
“People used to travel to The Club at 11.30 p.m. and we used to party till 4 a.m. Everyone listened to the same music, mostly classic rock. There was no Bollywood.” He says now times have changed a lot. “The options now are amazing,” says DJ Ivan, and laughs, adding: “Now people don’t want to go till central Bangalore!” Does he long for earlier times? “I never look back and feel nostalgic. Things were more unified back then. Now, the crowd is different, the music different, but I enjoy it.”
Lawyer Rajlakshmi Bura Gohain, who has been in Bengaluru for 13 years, ever since she was a student agrees that traffic has restricted people to meet within their localities.
“I don’t feel like going out to anywhere, except for places within my vicinity, on weekends, because I feel I will never reach on time. When I was in college, we would hang out at coffee shops in Barton Centre. Now there are so many new places, and it’s so much more crowded. There are these lounge spaces with just five tables and no space.”
Rahul, a software engineer, says it depends on where you stay. “If you are in Koramangala, or Frazer Town, you don’t need to go to MG Road. But if you stay on Bannerghatta Road, you have to travel.”
