SD Arvind is known not only as the director of Kannada films -- Jugari, Last Bus and Mataash -- but also as a music composer. The director is also the grandson of the legendary actor -- Narasimharaju. He looks back at his city , Bengaluru, and talks about its good, bad and ugly features.
Where were you born?
I was born in Rajajinagar. Then lived most of my childhood in Kumaraswamy Layout. Actor Ravichandran lived on the ground floor while we were on the first floor.
I studied at St Paul’s School and later we shifted to my grandfather’s place in Jaymahal.
Has the place changed over the years?
No, it still looks and feels the same.
What were the games you played as a child?
We spun tops, played with marbles, gilly danda and also gully cricket. We also flew many kites. We even made our own kites, using gondh and would compete with other children.
We played all the games that were popular 30 to 35 years ago. It was more like community living. Today life is reduced to just messages.
How has our city grown?
It is a totally different world. Those days roads were empty. Commercial properties hardly existed. Whitefield and Hebbal were considered rural areas. If we crossed Yeshwantpur, it meant the city had ended.
The city has grown vertically. The IT sector has changed the personality of the city. Places like Whitefield or Sarjapur don't feel like Bengaluru. You will find the true Kannada culture in areas like Malleswaram and Gandhi Bazaar.
Your opinion about our roads and traffic would be...
Bangalore : Karnataka , 06/07/2013 . Traffic under Silk board Flyover in Bangalore on July 6th, 2013 . Photo : K . Bhagya Prakash
Oh! Flyovers! They have killed the beauty of our city. It has become a mega city and is no longer the small green paradise. Yet, Bengaluru somehow copes with its massive growth.
Everyone can afford transportation – metro and buses, everyone comes here seeking a job, and no matter where we live, we all manage to get shelter, water and live comfortably, despite the haphazard growth.
As told to Shilpa Sebastian R
