a view from the other side
sanjana's school broke for summer hols. on June 10. and we packed our bags and left for the other side of town... another world, really. banashankari is a quiet suburban neighborhood with spacious bungalows huddling close to one-another flanking shady tree-lined avenues. sometimes i wonder, would 400 sq ft. less have made a huge difference to the house? one 20x20 patch of garden in front would've been so refreshing... regardless, the place is as sleepy and homey as they come.
and so here we are. living out of a suitcase and loving it. but it is a different world. the world of mallige flowers -- not CK One, lots of coconut in everything -- nothing fat free, where fresh veggies come in hand carts -- not cooled and cut and packed, and coffee is filtered, not instant. all in all, it is how it used to be -- simple, hard working and fresh :)
the local grocery store is the traditional barricaded-by-counter-point-desperately-to-merchandise-and-wait-for-service type store, but somehow, the waiting doesn't seem long. you take on the nature of the place... the languor, the easy-going "yen-saar" attitude and get used to having 8-person meals for under Rs. 500... even the trees seem wiser, older and happier... the trrring of a cycle bell in the afternoon just completes the picture of how, probably, bangalore once used to be.
i used to escape now and then to mysore for that feeling of suspended time... but by the sounds of it, may not have that luxury for long. the foraging IT industry has whisked my dear little native town into the frenetic world of electronic mayhem. new highways, wide inner roads, shiny new glass buildings, fewer gigantic trees, lesser breeze, more concrete, more exhaust and... exhaustion. one by one the old will give way to the new .... and not in every case will it be for the better.
for now though, i know, in a little corner of Dewan's road, in a nonagenarian's 90-year old house, i can still play a 1981 travel-scrabble with my 81-yr old dear grandma all afternoon long, sleep on a four poster bed in a mosquito net, and then wake up to her tolling a bell in the puja room, and have the most delicious akki-roti with fresh, home-churned butter...
and in bustling bangalore... still a sleepy green banashankari, where the fresh aroma of 80-20 filter coffee can ably salute a nippy dawn, gives a taste of the other side that is to die for...
and so here we are. living out of a suitcase and loving it. but it is a different world. the world of mallige flowers -- not CK One, lots of coconut in everything -- nothing fat free, where fresh veggies come in hand carts -- not cooled and cut and packed, and coffee is filtered, not instant. all in all, it is how it used to be -- simple, hard working and fresh :)
the local grocery store is the traditional barricaded-by-counter-point-desperately-to-merchandise-and-wait-for-service type store, but somehow, the waiting doesn't seem long. you take on the nature of the place... the languor, the easy-going "yen-saar" attitude and get used to having 8-person meals for under Rs. 500... even the trees seem wiser, older and happier... the trrring of a cycle bell in the afternoon just completes the picture of how, probably, bangalore once used to be.
i used to escape now and then to mysore for that feeling of suspended time... but by the sounds of it, may not have that luxury for long. the foraging IT industry has whisked my dear little native town into the frenetic world of electronic mayhem. new highways, wide inner roads, shiny new glass buildings, fewer gigantic trees, lesser breeze, more concrete, more exhaust and... exhaustion. one by one the old will give way to the new .... and not in every case will it be for the better.
for now though, i know, in a little corner of Dewan's road, in a nonagenarian's 90-year old house, i can still play a 1981 travel-scrabble with my 81-yr old dear grandma all afternoon long, sleep on a four poster bed in a mosquito net, and then wake up to her tolling a bell in the puja room, and have the most delicious akki-roti with fresh, home-churned butter...
and in bustling bangalore... still a sleepy green banashankari, where the fresh aroma of 80-20 filter coffee can ably salute a nippy dawn, gives a taste of the other side that is to die for...
posted by ara at 3:43 PM
6 Comments:
Great to have you back on the blog! By the way, jsut finished reading 'Kite Runner'. Think you'll enjoy it, maybe you've already read it.
planning to pick it up, ashu -- havent read it... am reading the feluda series right now -- a set of simple Satyajit Ray detective books ;)
next on the fiction roadmap ;) is 'house of blue mangoes' by david davidar...
:)ara
great to read another Blog from
you. Keep posting. it is fun reading.
you're tagged! read my blog for details! :-)
We were in Mysore a couple of months back and can't agree with you more on the 'suspended time' bit. Very apt!! Btw, do visit my blog sometime.
parapupudi.blogspot.com
Regards
Bachu
When will you guys be coming back to enjoy some more 'suspended time' and Clue together? ;) Or was it too sleepy and not 'happening' enough? Need to ask our 'Style-bhai' that question! :))
Post a Comment
<< Home