Bangalore Days - Then and Now

Good old Bangalore - where art thou?

Our Bangalore was once known as the Pensioner’s Paradise.  Today, the only paradise that one can find here is Paradise Biriyani!   While we once took pride in its moniker of Silicon Capital of India and Garden City, we now have to sadly accept some of the more realistic tags of Garbage Capital, Traffic-Jam Capital. 

Growing up in Bangalore, we would have full-arm sweaters and half-arm sweaters to combat the cold season that would start from July-August itself and go on till February. But now, sweaters are hardly required. We need full-armed shirts to protect our arms against sun-burn and sleeveless shirts to beat the heat.

Gear up on your running Gear!

Running is now a big rage and serious business in Bangalore. Gone are the days when you just had to slip into a simple pair of canvas shoes and let your feet take over. If you need to run today, you will first have to get yourself a pair of the latest and funkiest pair of shoes from a well-known brand. Next, to match the shoes, you will have to invest in good quality dry-fit clothes (preferably with the brand icon neatly displayed). And obviously, one cannot repeat the same set of clothes everyday. So you will have to buy a minimum of 3 sets – possibly a pair of shorts, a full length track-pant and one that comes till your calf. Next on the list is a hip-belt that can hold your vehicle keys, and a bottle of water/energy drink that you will have to sip every few metres. In addition, you will need an arm-band that will hold your mobile phone while you can run hands- free. The ear-phones are an absolute must: you can listen to the music of your choice as you go about your running business. Finally, you will also need the latest, hi-tech watch to tie around your wrist – not to see the time but to record and analyse your run - time taken, distance covered, speed, calories spent, total steps taken, and such other important details. All this, along with your ‘selfie’ picture will ofcourse have to be shared through your Face Book account. After all, what good is running if your friends don’t know you are doing it!



Another change that you will find in Bangalore is that every locality now

Restaurants galore!

has not only the ubiquitous liquor store but also several medical stores and a vast number of restaurants. Infact today, the restaurant business is possibly the most successful one to be in. You just have to put up a sign-board and open shop; people will come thronging to your eatery at all hours of the day. This makes you wonder if people really cook in their homes and if the increase in medical stores is a natural outcome of the increased number of restaurants!



Also now, with DISK (Double Income Single Kid) or DINK (Double Income No Kid) families, pets - especially dogs- have become very popular. On a morning/evening stroll, you will see middle-aged men holding on to leashes, and taking their dogs for a walk (or is it the other way, the dogs pulling their masters?) Earlier, it used to be children and youngsters who would walk their dogs, but this has changed – it is now predominantly middle-aged men undertaking this task.

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, kids of all ages are busy attending tuition classes and other improvement classes. Between school/college and additional classes, they hardly have time to breathe, forget taking the dog out. Secondly, most young women and teenaged girls stop to admire the dogs and pet them. The men enjoy this indirect attention, and take pride in their dog’s reflected glory! Hence, they voluntarily opt to take the dog out for a walk!

Bangalore's very own motto!

With the growing cosmopolitan outlook, Bangalore has certainly changed in very many aspects. But for the common man, one thing continues – “Swalpa Adjust Maadi!”



Note:  The pictures in this blog post have been sourced from the web, they are not mine.

Living in the Now

----- Published in Women's Era, in the January I 2019 issue

Have you tried to get a reluctant child to exercise? And have you been successful?  If you have, then you certainly have great persuading skills!

Jokes apart, getting my 11-year old daughter to jog with me is a herculean task.  I have to coax her, encourage her, push her and sometimes pull her too.  On one such outing, after plenty of whining (from her end), we agree to alternate between walking and jogging every few metres.   During one such ‘walking time’, my daughter devises a game and tells me to close my eyes and walk, while she will hold my hand and guide me along.

Now, it is my turn to whine and throw excuses -  I am scared that I might fall down. I am moving away from my comfort zone and that is unsettling.   But my daughter is insistent and I finally give in.  I reluctantly take a few steps – my mind is totally out of synch, what with the organ of sight not providing it with the necessary images to navigate the way.  I hold my daughter’s hand tightly and instruct her to warn me if there is a pothole or an obstruction along the path.

I am not sure if I am walking straight.  I can feel my entire body swaying to the right.  That is when the thought hits me – with my eyes closed, I am able to feel every movement of my body.  Every time I raise my leg, I can feel every muscle moving.  I am now more aware of all the sounds around me – an approaching vehicle, a dog barking, sound of brooms sweeping, birds chirping. I am also able to feel every small change in the lay of the road – a slight dip, a small pebble, a sudden ascent. With the eyes closed, my other sensory organs seem to be more active and I am able to sense and perceive a lot more things around me. 

My daughter warns me that we next have to take a step down.  What would have been a normal step with open eyes, now seems to be a ‘big step’ with my eyes closed.  I move my foot expecting to touch the ground but it takes a few micro-seconds more before I actually place my foot on the ground.  Those extra micro-seconds seem more like a minute to me.

This simple game that my daughter devised drove home a few basic truths. 

1. I realised and understood the idea of being mindful, of being in the present, of enjoying and being aware of happenings in and around me.   In our fast-paced lives, in our urgency to reach from point A to point B, we forget to appreciate the path we travel by.   This simple game reiterated the fact that we need to slow down and stop to smell the roses.  We need to be aware and be sensitive to the happenings around us.

2. My initial reaction when she asked me to walk with eyes closed was an immediate ‘NO”.  I was not happy to do it.  Why?  Was it the fear of appearing foolish, the fear of falling down or just the fear of moving away from my comfort zone?  I guess children are more open to try new things.  We as adults, are hardened and do not see the beauty or the enjoyment one can derive from simple acts. 

Let the child in you play with your child

3. My daughter’s little game taught me to loosen up.  It gave me a chance to let out the child in me and enjoy the moment.  In fact, when I opened my eyes, I was all smiles and both of us had a good laugh.

4. And finally I realised these simple moments spent with my daughter would remain etched forever in my mind.  Children grow up all too fast and before we know it, they are leading their own lives.  So, I was happy to be enjoying the time with her and making pleasant memories.   

Next up on my daughter’s activity list is to ‘balance walk on the edge of the kerb’. Would you like to join?  Please do.

Picture Credit - the images used in this post are not mine.  They have been taken from the internet.