Bangalore - old world charm or an urban sprawl ?

I had always been keen to visit Bengaluru although I had been forewarned not to expect much. But I did not think much of these naysayers and brushed it all aside ...  thinking that it was typically a guy thing to be oblivious of your surroundings (as they tend to find all cities the same) ... guess these corporate slaves see little more than just their office, airport and the hotel.

Street Art

My first impression- a modern and well tended for city. The well maintained foliage and wide roads near the airport all give it the appearance of a cared for city. On the way to the city I got busy capturing some vivid street art depicting local history and religion.

As a first timer to this place I was curious to see how this place stacked up vis a vis other metros. What is conspicuous about this place is its greenery, and thus aptly known as the garden city. The tree lined wide boulevards of Delhi might be missing but it boasts of a fair number of parks and gardens.

The eighteenth century Lalbagh, a horticultural garden and a spot synonymous with Bengaluru is a must do. It’s a green sprawl and involves a fair bit of walking, so do wear comfortable shoes because it’s really spread out but truly worth the visit. The garden is host to many tropical and subtropical plants many of which are rare species.

Cubbon Park

Another oasis in the middle of the city is the 300 acres nineteenth century Cubbon Park, it's a great retreat for the weary city folks, with its innumerable trees, natural outcroppings of rocks and some of the trees seem fairly old, as their girth is amazing.

This place is a big draw with morning walkers and joggers. Very clearly; these two parks are to Bangaloreans what Central Park is to New Yorkers.

Bull Temple

South Indians are deeply religious people and the city is dotted with ancient temples. We visited the Bull temple in Basavanagudi. The temple is dedicated to Nandi, the mount of Shiva. The bull idol is huge and fills up the entire temple; it's an awesome piece of sculpture built by Kempe Gowda in the Dravidian style. It has been carved out of a monolithic rock and is one of the most ancient  murtis of Nandi, definitely not to be missed sight. In the month of November- December a groundnut fair is held here and the newly harvested groundnuts are offered to Nandi.

Art Of Living Centre

My husband was very keen to visit Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Ashram which was an hour away from the city. The Ashram is spread out in hectares of land and the day we had gone there was ashtami pujan and was filled with devotees from far. Well I would suggest that it is worth a visit if and only if you are into such modern age pseudo spiritualism ... no offence intended but I personally prefer in the face religious and spiritual feel of our good old temples.

Tipu Sultan's Palace

Tipu Sultan's summer palace is within the city precincts and features as one of the sightseeing options.This two storied structure built in 1791 is made mostly of wood. This building is now past its prime and looks quite forlorn. For such a rundown, derelict palace the entry ticket was rather on the steep side and I guess that explained why the tourists to be seen out here were a handful of NRI’s.

I had heard a lot about Bangalore's salubrious climate ... some folks going to the extent of saying that the summers are also pleasant. The October sun was scorching and there was no balmy breeze blowing, it was killing to step out in the day time and we were left wondering from which angle could this city possibly lay claim to having an ideal climate ... though to be fair this could well be a fallout of the high levels of pollution the city has seen in recent times. Some of the Old timers we met also cribbed about how Bengaluru is no longer pleasant all year round and is quite warm till the rains arrive in late October.

Mahatma Gandhi Road or MG Road and Brigade Road are a shopper’s haven, where you will find all the hip trendy stores.  If you are a highbrow then head to Higginbotham’s, this 166 years old book house is legendary-an institution in itself  and one of Bangalore's landmark for book lovers. Looking for bargains ... then Commercial Street is the right spot ... a shopping place quite akin to Delhi's Janpath or Sarojini Nagar or Mumbai's Linking Road, patronised by college students looking for something which is easy on the pocket.

This is the city which initiated the pub culture and it doesn't seem to have faded if one was to go by the number of pubs peppering this place... Peco's is an iconic pub and one of the oldest surviving ones, popular with the youngsters as a place to hang out in the evenings.

My sense of this place was very mixed up ... in parts it is very cosmopolitan, great buildings, swish stores, lots of greenery but all that is confined to the central area. Once you move away from the posh Central Residency area you realize how haphazardly the city has grown.

Eons ago Bangalore was one of the cities favored as a retirement destination but now calling it a Pensioners paradise would perhaps be a misnomer, its halcyon days are long over and the city seems to be now taken over by the software boom which has resulted in chaotic construction of multi-storied buildings all over Bengaluru and even its suburbs. The city has grown in an unplanned manner and there is little infrastructure to support it.

It is no longer a dream city and is virtually splitting at the seams. The town planners do need to get their act together and clean up the mess. The construction of Metro has been delayed ... and it would take a couple of decades before public transportation eases the traffic snarls that you regularly witness ... traffic is horrid virtually all throughout the day and not just in the morning and evening office hours.

The positives that I took about this place were its people who are very friendly and helpful. It is essentially a simple society. The city is a unique blend of cosmopolitan and traditional culture which exists side by side. Most people know English so language is not an issue here, even the chappie who was chauffeuring us around would pip in, in our conversations about the city.

All in all ... though I was not particularly fascinated by Bengaluru, but it still has some charm ... needs to invest in building its public infrastructure ... that alone could ensure it retains and builds on its cosmopolitan allure.

One month ago: Tea and Coffee Country - Coonoor
Two months ago: A getaway to the Blue Mountains