At first glance the title would look like a contest, in a sense it is - for readership!!
I have been reading The Hindu for close to six years now ever since I inculcated the habit of reading a newspaper. My relationship with The Times is relatively recent having started after I moved to Bangalore from Chennai.
This post is an attempt at bringing out my own feelings on reading these two dailies by looking at what they offer the public.
Somnath Chatterjee while speaking on the occasion of the National Press day on November 16 said: “Except for some honorable exceptions, today the political leanings and political predilections of newspapers and TV channels are well known, and these obviously affect dispassionate presentation of news and also views”. Precisely this has resulted in the facts getting distorted and ultimately the public is left with confusion as they are at a loss in discerning which TV channel or newspaper is presenting the facts as they are.
This begs the question: Can facts be laid before the public as they are, without distortion?
Edit pages:
The Hindu’s editorial to this day is being advocated as an everyday lesson in improving vocabulary and reading comprehension skills by trainers of competitive examinations to the aspiring students. Apart from that, it used to attract my attention first everyday. But of late, there is a palpable lack of objectivity so much so that one can feel the anti-right, and hence left leaning editorial policy. This was evidently pointed out by several readers but expectedly the response of the reader’s editor has been that he has little influence over the editorial policy. I feel sad that this has led to the loss of ‘impartial and objective’ feel of the column.
On the other hand, the op-ed articles have class written all over them and this is because the paper has some of the best writers writing for it. Their columns are a pleasure to read and one can’t help but be marveled by their in-depth knowledge over what they report. Some noteworthy names include Harish Khare, Nirupama Subramanian, Vladimir Radyuhin, Siddharth Varadarajan, Pallavi Aiyar, P S Suryanarayana, Ramesh Thakur, P Sainath and Praveen Swami.
The Times of India on the other hand does not to my knowledge captivate the reader to that extent with its editorial. But my humble perception is that its leanings are a bit difficult to discern just from the editorials alone.
The pieces that stand out and attract good readership are the regular ‘The Speaking tree’ which has discourses by spiritual gurus apart form several motivational writings. The sacred space with some shrewdly drawn choicest inspirational quotes is another of my favorites. The two distinctly different views (Times view and counter view) provide the reader enough room to see issues from opposite perspectives immediately. It would take me some time to appreciate more the regular writers as I feel my experience is a trifle short. But the Sunday columns by Swapan Dasgupta, Shashi Tharoor, Ankleshwar Swaminathan Iyer, Shobha De and Jug Suraiya certainly hold my interest.
Finally sample this to know the starkly different editorial stands…
On Nandigram, the following is how the editorials of the two dailies read:
The Hindu: “The Governor’s public statements on Nandigram both challenged the wisdom of the government’s approach and came down on the side of the critics of its action. Further, Mr. Gandhi laid himself open to the charge of remaining silent when the supporters of the Left Front were at the receiving end. His conduct through this crisis has been constitutionally indefensible. The Central government, which depends on the Left for survival, has eventually responded to the request by the Government of West Bengal by releasing a battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force for deployment in the Nandigram region.”
The Times of India: “There are reports that the state's law enforcement machinery blinked when organised groups took human shields and 'recaptured' land and erstwhile homes of CPM workers who had been driven out of Nandigram by the Save Farmland Committee (SFC) activists. The immediate task before the government is to open a dialogue with all the aggrieved people in Nandigram. CPM leaders can lecture the governor on constitutional propriety after that.”
To conclude this comparison, I cannot but help draw attention to what Sevanti Ninan who regularly writes on ‘Media matters’ for The Hindu magazine had written in his article titled ‘Polarised coverage’ relating to the reportage on Nandigram: “Is the CPM the chief perpetrator of the current violence as The Indian Express, The Times of India and The Telegraph among others have reported? Or is it the Maoists and the Trinamool as The Hindu has reported?”
I consider it beyond my abilities of discernment to take either side.
Bangalore times V Metroplus:
The Hindu’s Metroplus is like a conservative maiden clad in a sari who expects the reader to probe and exact what he wants while BT is like a contemporary lass who draws the reader in…
On a more serious note, the Metroplus team needs to do more if it wants the readership of the Bangalore junta. It doesn’t even have the movie listings in the city which by contrast the Chennai edition provides. I wonder why this difference? BT makes no bones about what its focus is on. Covering the latest rumors mills, scandals and gossips, it is Page 3 happenings all the way…
The Hindu magazine v Times Life:
The Hindu magazine is a joy to read. With articles by Kalpana Sharma (Women’s issues), Sevanti Ninan (Media matters), V Gangadhar (Slice of Life) and many others, it has something for all age groups and classes to look forward to.
By contrast, The Times Life is aimed at the youth and the average upwardly mobile urban middle class Indian.
Another area where The Hindu emerges a clear winner is in the literary review section every month. It has interviews of established novelists and reviews of the latest releases – fiction and non-fiction, English and vernacular.
Miscellaneous:
Prominent difference also lies in the presentation of news. While The Hindu falls under the classical school in this regard, The Times of India is more favoring experimentation with a tad more success. Right from photographs to headlines of news stories, The Hindu feels it is better off being classically stylish. But it has not been without its cost.
The people in Bangalore prefer The Times of India more to The Hindu. The reasons are manifold. They range from the perception of The Hindu by some sections as more of a ‘Chennai based daily also published in Bangalore’ to its old school style of reporting.
The Hindu can do much better in some areas while The Times can also improve in some areas. If they do so, ultimately the common man in the street who awaits his newspaper by his side before his first sip of coffee is the beneficiary.
I conclude this post with the following words of George Orwell that have in them something that our journalists need to bear in mind: “A writer must never be a loyal member of a political party”.
Because if he is, it is objectivity that suffers…
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
To my friend, Mani!!
I am indebted to have found you,
Thank you God for being magnanimous…
With your sweet smile, you have
Made me smile many a time.
With your soothing words, you have
Consoled my soul many a time.
With your uncanny witticism, you have
Given life to my life a countless times…
With your amazing memory, you have
Sprung many a surprise…
With your words of wisdom, you have
Raised my hopes many a time…
In your presence, I transform into
A different and better being…
Let this birthday herald a year
Of richer and happier experiences!!
Thank you God for being magnanimous…
With your sweet smile, you have
Made me smile many a time.
With your soothing words, you have
Consoled my soul many a time.
With your uncanny witticism, you have
Given life to my life a countless times…
With your amazing memory, you have
Sprung many a surprise…
With your words of wisdom, you have
Raised my hopes many a time…
In your presence, I transform into
A different and better being…
Let this birthday herald a year
Of richer and happier experiences!!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Night-mare on wheels
Of late, the TN Government is going all out to ensure that the buses it operates are eye-catching to the potential passenger. This has resulted in ‘DVD – audio’ and ‘DVD – video’ long distance buses. I implore the Government to prefix ‘Board at your own peril’ signs to them. For traveling by these buses is nothing short of a exhausting and patience-sapping experience.
It is one thing to go to a cinema hall and see movies like ‘Paruthiveeran’, ‘Aaru’ and ‘7G Rainbow colony’ and a totally another thing to be forced into seeing these movies whilst traveling. It is not that I blame the filmmakers but the work of the censor board becomes pointless. The whole journey loses its charm if loud music and crass uncensored in-your-face dialogues blare at the passenger.
Imagine sitting in a bus while Priyamani pleads with men who attempt to rape her. The opinion of the passenger is rarely solicited and the volume level is always at the maximum much to everybody’s annoyance. One can’t even hear what the person sitting next to you is trying to say!!
To top it all, the cheap songs have subtitles as if to aid people poor at understanding Tamil. One sequence read ‘If I give you big fish, you ask for exotic fish’…
Please, stop this harassment!!!
It is one thing to go to a cinema hall and see movies like ‘Paruthiveeran’, ‘Aaru’ and ‘7G Rainbow colony’ and a totally another thing to be forced into seeing these movies whilst traveling. It is not that I blame the filmmakers but the work of the censor board becomes pointless. The whole journey loses its charm if loud music and crass uncensored in-your-face dialogues blare at the passenger.
Imagine sitting in a bus while Priyamani pleads with men who attempt to rape her. The opinion of the passenger is rarely solicited and the volume level is always at the maximum much to everybody’s annoyance. One can’t even hear what the person sitting next to you is trying to say!!
To top it all, the cheap songs have subtitles as if to aid people poor at understanding Tamil. One sequence read ‘If I give you big fish, you ask for exotic fish’…
Please, stop this harassment!!!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Indian Idol - Dreams happening!!
Sony TV would have little expected the response that the third series of Indian idol has generated among the public. The TV show has directly managed to achieve what was urgently needed – to bring a region that has long been neglected by the mainstream media and the press into the limelight at least for a few weeks.
What talent shows like Indian idol do is offer the Indian public some change form boring television serials that constantly show the Indian women in extravagant attire and long bindis backbiting and plotting against each other. I have little knowledge of music and am in no position to comment on the relative talents of singers who were part of this series and compare their abilities with people who were part of other like shows.
I vaguely remember watching the first series of the show and how the song ‘Mohabatten Lutaoonga’ was on everybody’s lips. Abhijeet has had some success so far but a start was made for Indian television nevertheless. I did not watch the second series but when this third series started, I was glued to it right from the preliminary stage of the show.
The show had its share of drama with Richa and Suhit – the former, a girl about whom the public seemed undecided as they could not figure out whether she was childish or putting on an act and the latter a stylish Delhi lad who had the attitude but not the matching talent to get him through. Ankita and Chang are two contestants the public would have found hard to vote out because of their very personalities. Ankita, a STD XII student made almost every judge dance with her boyish approach and choice of songs. Chang, a professional dentist whose ancestors are Chinese impressed all the judges with his mastery of pronunciation and originality of voice.
Among others, Abhishek from Bangalore could have been a dark horse but had only himself to blame for getting voted out. Parleen had a charming personality but couldn’t raise his standards when it was required. Deepali and Charu were unlucky to be voted out early in the finals. I was most impressed by Deepali as she was able to live up the judges’ expectation but couldn’t influence the public voting to stay in the contest.
Each contestant that made to the top twelve deserved their place. From there, it was one elimination each week ending in a final that saw three young boys vying for the top spot.
Most girls felt that the talent of the boys who made it to the finals was superior while the views of the boys was more in accordance with the judges and ultimately this got reflected in the early elimination of many girls.
Emon with his likeness to Sonu Nigam certainly deserved his place in the top three. Amit Paul from Shillong was too good in every department in which the contestants were judged but had to be satisfied with the second place ultimately. Prashant Tamang, a police constable from Darjeeling with no professional learning has finally bagged the title and his triumph means the north east has finally something to cheer.
The response and enthusiasm that the contest has managed to inspire in the people there makes one feel that it is still not late to make an effort towards lending an ear to their genuine concerns and addressing them.
The Indian public’s response to the show is understandable as they see ‘one among them’ trying to live out his/her dreams. So, the public laughed and cried with the contestants and discussed their favorite idols’ in their living rooms. It gives the common man hope that if he dreams big and works hard, his dreams too can one day see the light of the day.
What talent shows like Indian idol do is offer the Indian public some change form boring television serials that constantly show the Indian women in extravagant attire and long bindis backbiting and plotting against each other. I have little knowledge of music and am in no position to comment on the relative talents of singers who were part of this series and compare their abilities with people who were part of other like shows.
I vaguely remember watching the first series of the show and how the song ‘Mohabatten Lutaoonga’ was on everybody’s lips. Abhijeet has had some success so far but a start was made for Indian television nevertheless. I did not watch the second series but when this third series started, I was glued to it right from the preliminary stage of the show.
The show had its share of drama with Richa and Suhit – the former, a girl about whom the public seemed undecided as they could not figure out whether she was childish or putting on an act and the latter a stylish Delhi lad who had the attitude but not the matching talent to get him through. Ankita and Chang are two contestants the public would have found hard to vote out because of their very personalities. Ankita, a STD XII student made almost every judge dance with her boyish approach and choice of songs. Chang, a professional dentist whose ancestors are Chinese impressed all the judges with his mastery of pronunciation and originality of voice.
Among others, Abhishek from Bangalore could have been a dark horse but had only himself to blame for getting voted out. Parleen had a charming personality but couldn’t raise his standards when it was required. Deepali and Charu were unlucky to be voted out early in the finals. I was most impressed by Deepali as she was able to live up the judges’ expectation but couldn’t influence the public voting to stay in the contest.
Each contestant that made to the top twelve deserved their place. From there, it was one elimination each week ending in a final that saw three young boys vying for the top spot.
Most girls felt that the talent of the boys who made it to the finals was superior while the views of the boys was more in accordance with the judges and ultimately this got reflected in the early elimination of many girls.
Emon with his likeness to Sonu Nigam certainly deserved his place in the top three. Amit Paul from Shillong was too good in every department in which the contestants were judged but had to be satisfied with the second place ultimately. Prashant Tamang, a police constable from Darjeeling with no professional learning has finally bagged the title and his triumph means the north east has finally something to cheer.
The response and enthusiasm that the contest has managed to inspire in the people there makes one feel that it is still not late to make an effort towards lending an ear to their genuine concerns and addressing them.
The Indian public’s response to the show is understandable as they see ‘one among them’ trying to live out his/her dreams. So, the public laughed and cried with the contestants and discussed their favorite idols’ in their living rooms. It gives the common man hope that if he dreams big and works hard, his dreams too can one day see the light of the day.
Chak De - A refreshing start
When my friends suggested that I see ‘Chak De’, I thought ‘why should I?’ as at the outset it seemed like another masala movie in which the aged hero romances girls half his age.
The first half of the movie is a little too dramatic but the second half more than compensates with its doses of reality. Hindi cinema has of late made some bold starts with respect to the subjects it has chosen to handle but they have not been met with expected appreciation and encouragement. Movies like Swadesh, Black, Water and Omkara have proved that our filmmakers are not afraid to experiment at the cost of commercial losses.
Chak De does what very few movies have managed to do. It has the potential to make the average Indian movie-goer question his stereotypical mindset when it comes to the abilities of the sexes.
Shahrukh deserves some praise for boldly accepting to play the hockey coach of a girls’ team. In his own style, he has done credit to the role and is in most part responsible for the movie’s success. The hockey stick wielding girls have fit their roles perfectly and one is able to believe when they doubt their abilities and cheer when they defy stereotypes and beat odds.
What is the reaction of friends, lovers and parents when women want to make it big in their careers? What is the status of a sport that so badly needs encouragement if it has to be in the nation’s consciousness? Ingrained societal outlook is challenged in the movie and that is why it deserves to be seen.
The girls have managed to portray emotions to the right degrees and the viewer is forced to cheer and laugh with them when they prove to the world that if they believe in themselves, they can accomplish what they aspire to. Special mention should be of Vidya Malwade and Chitrashi Rawat who play the Captain and young forward respectively.
The first half of the movie is a little too dramatic but the second half more than compensates with its doses of reality. Hindi cinema has of late made some bold starts with respect to the subjects it has chosen to handle but they have not been met with expected appreciation and encouragement. Movies like Swadesh, Black, Water and Omkara have proved that our filmmakers are not afraid to experiment at the cost of commercial losses.
Chak De does what very few movies have managed to do. It has the potential to make the average Indian movie-goer question his stereotypical mindset when it comes to the abilities of the sexes.
Shahrukh deserves some praise for boldly accepting to play the hockey coach of a girls’ team. In his own style, he has done credit to the role and is in most part responsible for the movie’s success. The hockey stick wielding girls have fit their roles perfectly and one is able to believe when they doubt their abilities and cheer when they defy stereotypes and beat odds.
What is the reaction of friends, lovers and parents when women want to make it big in their careers? What is the status of a sport that so badly needs encouragement if it has to be in the nation’s consciousness? Ingrained societal outlook is challenged in the movie and that is why it deserves to be seen.
The girls have managed to portray emotions to the right degrees and the viewer is forced to cheer and laugh with them when they prove to the world that if they believe in themselves, they can accomplish what they aspire to. Special mention should be of Vidya Malwade and Chitrashi Rawat who play the Captain and young forward respectively.
A movie well worth the time spent…
Maximum City - Reality revealed
It was with a little hesitation that I started ‘Maximum City’ by Suketu Mehta for I am not much of a non-fiction lover. But, the first person narrative soon drew me in and I was deeply satisfied when I completed it.
The book starts with the longing of the author in his childhood to be back in Bombay. When he does come, he has to adjust to the Indian way of how things move. The manner in which he has described the lack of proper planning of flats offers an insight into how people are duped by the builders and the maintenance staff into paying for stopgap facilities endlessly.
Each of us would have seen many Bollywood movies where the hero comes to the city with high hopes and aspirations and triumphs in the end beating innumerable odds. There is a difference though in the lives of such people one comes across in this book. They are strange, have dreams, tire hard but reality wins ultimately. Gang lords, hit men, politicians, slum heads, police men, actors – one gets a glimpse of their routine and interesting lives in a sense that is totally different form the movies.
Many of us would have come across such characters but it needs the observation of a writer to convey how dangerous and unpredictable a life they lead in a city that cares little for its citizens but ceaselessly accepts many people like them into its fold. As one reads the interactions of the author with such people one gets a vision of Bombay that is chilling, sad and ruthless.
What drives the bar dancers, encounter specialists and the gang lords of the city to behave in the manner they do? How does one change gangs and give oneself up to the demands of his leader? How does a woman begin to love the attention that she gets by dancing even as yearning and hungry eyes watch? What sort of a life does she crave and long for and why does she become susceptible to fits of depression?
How does a superhero come to terms with his sudden imprisonment? How do political parties exploit the poverty and innocence of loyal and ignorant folk? What are the fears of the city’s rich even as they try to hide their wealth for fear of extortion? How do warring gang leaders manage to evade the law? What goes on in the mind of people who abandon their homes and hope to make it big in the cine field? The questions that the author has posed and tried to answer with the help of people he has met are endless…
There are passages in the book in which the human spirit triumphs and there are some in which the characters are doomed to their sorry destinies. On the whole, the book is a great read if one has some patience and interest to know about how lives are lived in India’s most populous city.
The book starts with the longing of the author in his childhood to be back in Bombay. When he does come, he has to adjust to the Indian way of how things move. The manner in which he has described the lack of proper planning of flats offers an insight into how people are duped by the builders and the maintenance staff into paying for stopgap facilities endlessly.
Each of us would have seen many Bollywood movies where the hero comes to the city with high hopes and aspirations and triumphs in the end beating innumerable odds. There is a difference though in the lives of such people one comes across in this book. They are strange, have dreams, tire hard but reality wins ultimately. Gang lords, hit men, politicians, slum heads, police men, actors – one gets a glimpse of their routine and interesting lives in a sense that is totally different form the movies.
Many of us would have come across such characters but it needs the observation of a writer to convey how dangerous and unpredictable a life they lead in a city that cares little for its citizens but ceaselessly accepts many people like them into its fold. As one reads the interactions of the author with such people one gets a vision of Bombay that is chilling, sad and ruthless.
What drives the bar dancers, encounter specialists and the gang lords of the city to behave in the manner they do? How does one change gangs and give oneself up to the demands of his leader? How does a woman begin to love the attention that she gets by dancing even as yearning and hungry eyes watch? What sort of a life does she crave and long for and why does she become susceptible to fits of depression?
How does a superhero come to terms with his sudden imprisonment? How do political parties exploit the poverty and innocence of loyal and ignorant folk? What are the fears of the city’s rich even as they try to hide their wealth for fear of extortion? How do warring gang leaders manage to evade the law? What goes on in the mind of people who abandon their homes and hope to make it big in the cine field? The questions that the author has posed and tried to answer with the help of people he has met are endless…
There are passages in the book in which the human spirit triumphs and there are some in which the characters are doomed to their sorry destinies. On the whole, the book is a great read if one has some patience and interest to know about how lives are lived in India’s most populous city.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Beginning to love Bangalore
As a gentle cool breeze disturbs the leaves, I rewind the tapes of my memory and find myself a little afraid and a little excited but ready for a new chapter in the book of my life. I had come to Bangalore to make it my new home. As thousands of Indians have done before and are doing now, Bangalore was ready with its inviting climate to wrap me and welcome me.
The Inevitable:
Certain things happen unconsciously or rather semiconsciously in the mind that it takes a while to appreciate that they have actually happened. Ever since I set foot on Bangalore, my mind started to compare the life here with that in Chennai though I never deliberately tried to draw comparisons.
All through my school and college life, I have observed the life in Chennai closely. The city has a ‘conservative and traditional’ tag attached to it though it is breaking out of its shell to join the ‘truly cosmopolitan’ league of cities.
What would a person’s feelings be if he is constantly or for the most part of the year living in 35+ degrees and high humidity? The relentless sun and the inescapable heat together make a person irritable. On the other hand, if there is a pleasant breeze teasing one’s skin all through the day and one can’t exactly tell the time without a watch just by feeling the heat, one tends to have a more pleasant countenance. To me, that sums up the difference in the attitude of people in Chennai and Bangalore. That is also the reason why people easily settle down in Bangalore more than Chennai.
A sense of belonging:
As a person changes address, he carries with him a baggage of emotions and attachments some of which can be shrugged off with little effort while some remain in place. If one constantly looks at things with a fault-finding comparison lens, one can easily find a lot of things to be dissatisfied with. I was from the beginning determined not to fall into this trap.
Very few cities in India can boast of a diverse mix of culture that adds to the charm and attracts people from all walks of life. IT has done exactly that to Bangalore. It has made the city home to such a cross section of society that I’d not be exaggerating if I venture to describe it as an urban Indian microcosm.
Right from a person who ekes out a living by ironing clothes to a person manning the counter of a supermarket, every person knows another language on top of English and Kannada. This language factor plays an important role in putting a newcomer to the city at ease.
Exploring the city:
The thing that struck me first in the city is the large number of malls. Every street corner seems to have one and all of them boast of as being one-stop shops. While people find it easier to shop in these malls and have a wide variety to choose from, more often than not, they end up buying more than what is needed.
The very first week in the city I went book-hunting to the Sapna book house. It lived up to what I had expected. The collection was astoundingly impressive and like every avid book lover, I felt even a whole day wouldn’t be enough just to browse through it. Sadly, the British council library here is not stocked as good as Chennai.
The forum is a good place to hang out especially if one doesn’t know what to do during the weekends. The Ragiguda temple close by is so beautiful that I have made it a habit to visit the temple at least once every week.
I live in Jayanagar now which is around ½ hr travel under ‘normal Bangalore traffic conditions’ from the Majestic bus terminus. The place is a residential area with well planned roads and trees that, perennially, one feels the whisper of Mother Nature even as the traffic creates a continuous hum.
As I return after work, the sun bids goodbye for the day and twilight sets in. A feeling of romance sets in if rain decides to pay a visit during that period of dimming natural light. As I hum songs and walk, I observe a father playing shuttle with his son, a little girl fast asleep in the lap of her mother who is busy selling vegetables to an old lady, children coming out after their classes form the Urdu school…
(To be continued)
The Inevitable:
Certain things happen unconsciously or rather semiconsciously in the mind that it takes a while to appreciate that they have actually happened. Ever since I set foot on Bangalore, my mind started to compare the life here with that in Chennai though I never deliberately tried to draw comparisons.
All through my school and college life, I have observed the life in Chennai closely. The city has a ‘conservative and traditional’ tag attached to it though it is breaking out of its shell to join the ‘truly cosmopolitan’ league of cities.
What would a person’s feelings be if he is constantly or for the most part of the year living in 35+ degrees and high humidity? The relentless sun and the inescapable heat together make a person irritable. On the other hand, if there is a pleasant breeze teasing one’s skin all through the day and one can’t exactly tell the time without a watch just by feeling the heat, one tends to have a more pleasant countenance. To me, that sums up the difference in the attitude of people in Chennai and Bangalore. That is also the reason why people easily settle down in Bangalore more than Chennai.
A sense of belonging:
As a person changes address, he carries with him a baggage of emotions and attachments some of which can be shrugged off with little effort while some remain in place. If one constantly looks at things with a fault-finding comparison lens, one can easily find a lot of things to be dissatisfied with. I was from the beginning determined not to fall into this trap.
Very few cities in India can boast of a diverse mix of culture that adds to the charm and attracts people from all walks of life. IT has done exactly that to Bangalore. It has made the city home to such a cross section of society that I’d not be exaggerating if I venture to describe it as an urban Indian microcosm.
Right from a person who ekes out a living by ironing clothes to a person manning the counter of a supermarket, every person knows another language on top of English and Kannada. This language factor plays an important role in putting a newcomer to the city at ease.
Exploring the city:
The thing that struck me first in the city is the large number of malls. Every street corner seems to have one and all of them boast of as being one-stop shops. While people find it easier to shop in these malls and have a wide variety to choose from, more often than not, they end up buying more than what is needed.
The very first week in the city I went book-hunting to the Sapna book house. It lived up to what I had expected. The collection was astoundingly impressive and like every avid book lover, I felt even a whole day wouldn’t be enough just to browse through it. Sadly, the British council library here is not stocked as good as Chennai.
The forum is a good place to hang out especially if one doesn’t know what to do during the weekends. The Ragiguda temple close by is so beautiful that I have made it a habit to visit the temple at least once every week.
I live in Jayanagar now which is around ½ hr travel under ‘normal Bangalore traffic conditions’ from the Majestic bus terminus. The place is a residential area with well planned roads and trees that, perennially, one feels the whisper of Mother Nature even as the traffic creates a continuous hum.
As I return after work, the sun bids goodbye for the day and twilight sets in. A feeling of romance sets in if rain decides to pay a visit during that period of dimming natural light. As I hum songs and walk, I observe a father playing shuttle with his son, a little girl fast asleep in the lap of her mother who is busy selling vegetables to an old lady, children coming out after their classes form the Urdu school…
(To be continued)
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