For a change today I read the newspaper and one of my favourite ladies was the editor for Times of India, Sunita Narain. Read about her at this link.
My mind stopped at just one article – that Bangalore had 625 lakes !!! Today it has 17 lakes only down from 51 in 1985. The Kempegowda bus station today stands on an erstwhile lake …. Bangalore is a city with a really bad karma. Everything has been on a slippery slope in the last 15 years. The IT boom is the only silver lining if at all, it has brought money into Bangalore but the damage is far more.
The roads are choked, you can’t breathe through the smoke … The famed weather is a lot hotter, no monkey caps needed during winters, the lakes have dried up, the beautiful MG Road lost the line of trees and in its place an urban monstrosity called the metro (Louise Hay talks of forgiving, I can’t forgive whoever changed the iconic MG road’s face) and high rises everywhere. To top it all, a state government that went from being held up as an example for good governance to being the most corrupt and slow moving 🙁
I know there are citizens of the city that are working towards bringing back the old Bangalore, with the vibrant culture and the amazing green cover and the many lakes … Maybe we should rename the city Bangalore from the Bengaluru.
I have a more personal connection to the city – it was my dad’s favourite city. He started his career there and his last posting was again Bangalore. He also passed away in his favourite city ! Also my soul sister is from Bangalore. So all the damage hurts more.
625 lakes to 17 lakes – what a price to pay for “human” development :(:(