Is this the same Bangalore we used to love?
2 Comments Published by Apocalyptus on Friday, July 14, 2006 at 12:39 PM.
I love Bangalore. Like thousands of others I just love this city. No, I am not a Bangalorean by birth. Nor did I do my schooling here. Still I love this city. Well..I used to LOVE Bangalore before, and now I just love it.
Why?
Because, Bangalore wasn't like this before.
Nor was it like this.
The TOI correspondent writes :
'A 30-year-old photographer had to stop near on Hesaraghatta Main Road at 11 pm because his scooter ran out of petrol. As he was refuelling, three policemen allegedly asked for his papers. He was then frisked and whatever money he had on him was taken. He was assaulted and taken to the Vidyaranyapura Police Station. There, another police officer kicked him in the head and the photographer was injured to the extent that he needed two stitches. He was taken home by the police at around 12.30 am.'
In one of my earlier posts, when I had criticized the Bangalore Police, I got quite a mouthfull from many Bangaloreans. Unfortunately, I have removed that entire post from my blog to avoid any further abuse by Kannadigas and therefore won't be able to provide a link to it. Later, even the portion about Bangalore cops in this post got a couple of strong reactions. Aren't the cops expected to protect citizens instead of looting and abusing them?
Since I wasn't born and raised here, the localites visiting my blog think I find nothing right about the city and I hate it. Let me tell all of you that it is completely UNTRUE. Because I love this city so much I think and I believe I have the right to express my concern and disgust about the shortcomings it has. More so because there is hardly any intiative taken to improve matters. Ever since Mr H.D.Kumaraswamy has taken over as the CM of Karnataka, the road-repair-work has become amazingly faster and things have started improving drastically. But the heavy traffic conjestion is still there and so is rash-driving. With time, may be another 5-6 years down the line the metro rail will be functional and all major roads will become broader much to the delight of the commuters. But rash-driving can not be done away with only CM's initiatives. People and mainly the Traffic Police have to be more active to handle that. In many places, where a traffic signal is required (for example,The 'T' junction near MEG Military Gate on Kensington Road, Kallahalli, Ulsoor ), there is nothing. Not even a couple of speed-breakers which at least can force the drivers/riders to slow down a bit and use their brakes. If it isn't encouraging rash driving, then what is? And, in places where not much traffic is there we get to see red-lights with a stoppage time for 200 or more seconds leading to unnecessary conjestion and rash driving. This is POOR traffic management.And this is getting worse everyday.
For how long is this going to go on? Are we forever going to sit, watch and let it be like this? Is that really all we can do?
For how long the bangalore traffic Police will remain inactive , harass common people and make headlines for all wrong reasons?
Labels: Bangalore, Fun, serious, South India
Very interesting blog. Don't know how I came upon it, maybe from Arnab's blog. Whatever, you have touched a sore point here. I tend to mostly agree with what you have said here.
Every day as I drive from Cubbon Road to Indiranagar, I am unfairly reminded of the beautiful city around five years back. It would be rather stupid to believe that things have stayed the same. Things have worsened. Why so?
* Too many companies coming here allured by the climate, in spite of rising real-estate prices (call it exorbitant!)
* Too much disparity between the haves and the have-nots. At some point of time, Bangalore was more like a sleepy town, and the people were happy. Then came the IT companies, with their employees, who just made life extremely tough for the common man, who had never seen it this tough. Leads to resentment, which at some level is valid and sometimes turns rabid.
Finally, regarding the outbursts on your blog; I wouldn't pay too much attention to it. It happens all the time; Virtual reality is a dangerous thing, and makes most people say things which they would not have said or done in real life. Most of us (Bangaloreans and non-Bangaloreans alike) have a shade of Mr. Hyde in ourselves, the net gives this part of the personality a wide field to perform.
@ Sandipan : Nice to know that you agree with my view. In fact, not only in the cyberspace but also in our day-to-day lives most people (ones with impartial and unbiased mindsets) would agree with this viewpoint. What adds to my (or our(?)) concern and disappointment is the shameless regional discrimination and misbehaviour shown by some (not all) localites.
I hope things will change. They have to. The sooner the better.