When someone who has seen 43 countries tells you Bengaluru is a “complicated city with growing pains”, one is forced to rethink one’s long-held views about a once-verdant Garden City which became Pensioners’ Paradise and then rapidly Pub City, Silicon Valley and more recently Startup City.
When she comes from Christchurch, New Zealand, one is inclined to take her more seriously, simply because the Kiwis (a popular shorthand for NZ’s residents but a term Caitlin Lester is not particularly fond of) are known to speak their mind, without sugarcoating the bitter truth. In a delightful coincidence, Christchurch is also known as the Garden City.
To me, Bengaluru has long been a simple city of two sections – Pete and Cantonment — and the marriage was a heady meeting of tradition and modernity. But her visitor’s eyes do not see this divide — for her, these areas have completely folded into each other, creating something new and complicated.
“Old and new are inextricably stirred together; guava vendors with carts who have QR codes for payment rub shoulders with software engineers wearing rakhis,” she says.
Nevertheless, one place frozen in time is a restaurant in the Central Business District, harking back to the British era, which sells nostalgia as much as food — think baked beans on toast. She sits in a corner, facing the door like a veteran gun-slinger in a classic Western, soaking in the vibe and trying to figure out why so many people adore the place, perhaps not knowing why themselves, but comfortable with it.
This 38-year-old media studies graduate is in Bengaluru on a fellowship for a short while and is experiencing its chaos (think traffic) and skewed work-life balance (“people work six days a week, leaving little time to explore the city!”). But Bengaluru’s startup energy seems to over-ride all its problems, as more people pour into the city every month, adding to the “immigrant” story. For most people here have journeyed from elsewhere to create a life in this nearly 500-year-old city.
Bustling Bengaluru should be a good counterpoint to must-see places Kerala and Puducherry, which are more laidback and eternal in their vibe.
“I believe we live only once and I want to experience everything,” she says. To that effect, she has been to a comedy show in Koramangala, sought out small art galleries, wandered around KR market, and explored Ulsoor, Jayanagar and Rajendra Nagar, among other areas, on foot. And coming up are a tour of Chickpet market, Ragigudda and Bull temples and the Nimhans brain museum.
In fact, she has been exploring so much, she’s had to get the soles of her shoes, worn out by extensive walking (always the best way to see a city) fixed by a local cobbler. That’s in keeping with her way of life — most clothes are second-hand; she fixes her clothes and appliances herself and, yes, goes to cobblers back home.
This music reporter is also part of a band (keyboards and vocals) and plays the recorder in a baroque ensemble, is a jewellery designer, ceramic artist, one-time gardener and bee-keeper, star of a TV ad and a roller derby player. Dabbling in hobbies comes easily but words have always ruled, a passion handed down by her librarian mother. And chatting with people also comes naturally: “People in Bengaluru are very friendly, keen to talk and help.”
For her, Bengaluru, despite all its attractions, is trumped by Berlin when it comes to relocating, given a choice, to any global city, for its creative scene and proximity to so many countries. “However, Dunedin (population 120,000) where I’ve lived for the past 10 years is where my heart is,” she adds.
A visitor’s perspective of a problem often provides new insights and solutions. We often only see a city struggling to cope with unbridled growth and infrastructure struggling trying to keep pace with it. It’s refreshing to see it afresh with a visitor’s eyes and try making it an Uncomplicated City.
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Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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