I moved to Bengaluru after my marriage in 2003 and have been living in Banashankari ever since. We never moved from here. The one thing I remember about Bengaluru is that it was very green when I first came here and there was hardly any traffic. It was a lot easier to get around and the weather was cooler. Sadly, over the years, the city has changed so much. Traffic has increased, trees have been cut down in the name of development and the population has increased drastically. I see an influx of people in every part of this city. There are people everywhere and I find the city is getting crowded everyday. No matter where you go, you will see people and more people everywhere – be it at parks, lakes or restaurants.

Our residential area had so many empty sites when I first moved there. Now all I see is huge commercial complexes. Those days we could hear birds chirp in our garden and our home was also visited by monkeys. Now all we see is concrete buildings and hear traffic snarls. The main road in front of my home is now going to house the metro. So, more trees are being cut down to make the new flyover. It is good to have the metro as it connects places and cuts down on traffic. What’s heart breaking is the number of trees that have been cut down to accomplish this project.

There are also many ups in namma Bengaluru. One is the numerous Bengali associations that have come up. When I moved here, there were hardly any Bengali associations or Durga pujas. Now you are treated to so many Durga pujas happening in and around our city. We also have so many options of the festive food. Initially, I would travel all the way to the Ulsoor Bengali Association. Now I go to the one on Bannerghatta Road as it is closer home. I have always loved Bengaluru and the various festivals that are celebrated here.

I love the food we get here. The typical uppittu, the Bengaluru breakfast places like MTR, Kamat and Halli Thindi. I specially love the Davangere benne dose. I love the people of this city. I find it to be a nice cosmopolitan crowd, which is calm and friendly.

We have people living in harmony – be it a software engineer from outside, the typical Bengalurean or the expat – they all blend in well, each with his/her own culture and lifestyle.

The city has many options when it comes to entertainment. You can take off to Koramangala, Sadashivanagar or Basavanagudi, and you sure will find something unique to that particular area when it comes to food, culture and people. If you go to Whitefield you will get that ex-pat experience, at Gandhinagar, you get the old Bengaluru charm, and so on.

The only thing that bugs me about this city is the traffic situation. I hope it improves and that we plant more trees so that we can enjoy the city as it was. I wish we could take off on long walks amidst the lush greenery that this city was once known for.

(As told to Shilpa Sebastian R)

This column features the city through the eyes of a prominent Bengalurean

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Entertainment> Movies / by Shilpa Sebastian R / May 24th, 2018