Being born and brought up in a metropolitan city, I always thought the rest of the metropolitan cities of India would be just as sweet and beautiful as my Kolkata. I came here to Bangalore, the city of Gardens to add a new chapter to my book of life.
The days passed into weeks and then they added up to months to almost a quarter. I had seen things in this city which enticed me and kept me thinking. Every city has its own life and its own beauty, but behind every beauty, there remains a spot which some cities try to hide, while others try to outgrow them. Trust me, Bangalore was a beautiful city for any man without any dark spots. And over the years, men themselves have brought scars to this city.
For me, the biggest issue eating away the health of the city was the time spent in traffic jams. Yes, so simple and harsh words to hear. Like a dreamer of my sorts who even finds a life in that Jam, I saw a very happy husband cursing at the signal on his bike. I saw chilled out people listening to their favorite tracks while rolling their windows up. Commuters either being batted or sitting on their seats looking at the world outside. While some men were trying to earn their bread by dare devilishly walking through all obstacles under the sun to sell something. But these dreams get broken when you are stranded for almost an hour on the road due to this traffic.
The roads are overpopulated by vehicles, with the growing boom of IT industries and dollar converted rupees, every face has got its individuality, its own vehicle. Some don’t understand, the more the traffic, the warmer your city gets. That brings me to my second point, the growing heat in one of the coolest places to live in. You see the old residents of this city huffing and puffing and not being able to recognize the place they grew up in.
Let’s talk about the things that all of us choose to ignore willingly. Waste is the outcome of our luxury. With the advent of population, the waste management of this city has gone to the dogs and literally to the dogs. From dogs, I remember, without proper sterilization campaigns, Bangalore will be soon renamed to the City of Dogs, with a gang of 4-5 dogs sitting at every cross of this city. From City of Gardens to city of Pubs, this generous city has given us the freedom that no other city in this diverse nation can even promise to.
This city is one of the safest cities for girls, you can ask any North Indian woman staying in Bangalore and you will know. I almost forgot to tell you the story of sudden darkness of the city, there are footpaths and there are holes. You remember the Game of Mario? If you don’t know when to jump, you are dead. God Forbid, if you are walking with your eyes on your large IPS display of your cell phone, you can any day disappear into the darkness. From the darkness, I want to tell you the lives lost in Bangalore just by accidents while crossing the road. Here there are very few pedestrian cross-overs or foot-bridges to assist pedestrians to cross the road.
Let’s come around to another point. When was the last time you saw a starry night? The stars are still there, but all the city lights have killed the skylight. Trust me, these lights are not the street lights which are almost turned off in 50% of the city. These are deafening hoardings that are illuminating the city. There are countries that have banned LED based hoardings. Without any proper licensing mechanism, every inch of visible area is covered by hoardings. The last thing I want to speak about is that for starting a new life here, you need to pay money for the coming 300 days. Yes, 10 months’ rent in advance! Although, a legal rule came out prohibiting landlords to do so, but it went to deaf ears, which refuse to hear anything in front of them. Keeping all things in mind, I still feel that Bangalore is one of the most beautiful cities of this country. Atleast Yet!
Note: This post is a part of our #MyCityMyStory series. To check out more posts from this series, please click here.
