Namma Bengaluru

(Translated from the local language Kannada as ‘Our Bangalore‘)

Bangalore is the home I find difficult to call a home. I’ve been living here for 2 years, and still everyday, not only do I discover something new about the place but also have a growing urge to move out. For me, it is as much a refuge, as a base camp.

That’s the view from my balcony. You can see svelte shiny offices to huge advertisement billboards to slums in the same shot. Right next to my apartment is a dilapidated abandoned restaurant which is being refurbished. That is exactly how Bangalore appears to me. A small town being refurbished to satisfy the demands of Infotech companies and outsourcing giants.

On first glimpse, it will appear like a city full of thousands of engineers and software professionals living a posh life. Every other day, a new mall or a multiplex crops up in some part of the city. But if you probe further, you will slowly discover another layer of the city. The local Kannada population. Seemingly separate from this IT revolution, yet seamlessly connected to the ‘new’ generation of the city through the interlinks of economy.

However, there’s a third layer beneath, which the above two layers have either completely ignored or forgotten : The Green Bangalore! The part of Bangalore I actually feel home at.  Last weekend, I planned a trip to Banerghatta National Park, a hybrid of a zoo and a wildlife sanctuary, located in the outskirts of the city. This involved three major steps:
1. Looking up the location of the park on Google.
2. Checking the sky to find the usual great weather – an year-round specialty of Bangalore.
3. Haggling with an auto-rickshaw driver about the fare (bringing it down from Rs 150 to Rs 70) – an unfortunate part of the daily routine.

The national park is built into an actual jungle, giving you a thrilling ride as you cross it in a safari bus. However, the animals are actually kept in separate areas to protect them. They are still given the freedom to roam around in large areas of jungle.

We came across herds of spotted and Samba deer, grazing green grass and drinking water from the artificial (yet concealed) water hole.

We also crossed a group of beers who didn’t look like they wanted to let us cross their territory.

And then there were lion cubs growling at us, with their mom watching the buses very suspiciously from a distance.

I will never be able to forget the cold eyes of the royal-looking white tiger.

Finally, we moved to the most colorful section of the park – the butterfly park! There were hundreds of butterflies amongst thousands of flowers!

As I wandered through the whimsical energetic butterflies, I wondered – how different would my city be if everyone in Bangalore emerged from the cocoons of their slow daily routines to explore the energy and color hidden in the petals of the ‘Green Bangalore’?

Leeches and Inner Peace

“Hey, it’s 6:30! Wake up guys! It’s 6:30 already!“.. shouted Deepika as she knocked on our door, and went off waking up other guys in the nearby huts. None of my roommates were awake yet, and I shouted “Okay, okay!” as I fumbled around looking for my glasses on the bed. Apparently, even folks ready to climb the toughest of mountains are not very amiable to suggestions of getting up early in the morning. This was the second day of the trek and the previous day we had climbed almost all the way up a nearby peak called ‘Amedikallu’.

I found my glasses and very carefully placed my feet right into my sandals as I got down from the bed., wary of leeches. Leeches! Those buggers in the forests had a big fiesta on our group the previous day and I was determined not to let them have any more. I slowly wound my way out of room, careful to avoid anything that didn’t look like the stone floor, I stepped out into the chilly morning breeze. The huts were a part of the ‘home-stay’ – an interesting concept which merges guesthouse with homes and provide a lovely atmosphere for a vacation. ‘Stream of Joy’ home-stay, aptly named courtesy the small river flowing next to it, gave a homely feeling despite being in the middle of the jungle. I could hear the river gushing nearby, probably with water so cold that stepping into it, and feeling a shiver down one’s spine would just be a plain fact, and not an idiom.

Our plan for the day was to go to a nearby temple before setting off back for Bangalore. After a couple of delays (ranging from people not waking up to missing bus driver), we finally departed for the ‘Fish temple’ at Shishila. The temple, located on the banks of the Kapila river, is known for its ‘fish spot’ where hundreds of fish accumulate and are fed after daily pujas (prayers). The fish here are known to be sacred and it is even believed that they can cure skin diseases. A few meters away was the entrance to the temple and we were instructed to remove our  shirts before entering the temple. Since we were a bit late in reaching the temple, the daily pujas were over, and the temple was very quiet.

A temple, for me, is a place to clear my mind. To think, to contemplate, to plan. So, I search for quiet and calm. During college days, I used to go to a temple after the exams were over. I used to go in the middle of the night, when the shrines were closed but the temple compound was open. The temple in my college in Bombay, was located on one end of the Powai lake, very far away from the chaos of the hostels, which were along the other end of the lake. I used to sit on a bench there, feeling the breeze gently caress my face, feeling rejuvenated after the tiring days of assignments and exams. At times, I sat there for hours, almost falling asleep with no disturbances around.

“Hey Abhijit, could you move a little bit towards the right? You’re blocking the angle“.. an enthusiastic photographer shouted out to me, as I came out of my reverie. I moved away and feeling a bit bored, I was out of the temple within a few minutes. Though this temple offered me the quiet time I look for, it wouldn’t last forever. There would be more tourists and more prayers. It was time to move on. So, after some more photographs, we also set set sail  for home, for Bangalore.

When we stopped for lunch, there was a buzz going on in the group on how to thank the coordinator. That’s when the topic of ‘bumps’ was started. ‘Bumps’ is a tradition, mostly taught (unfortunately by bitter experience) in college days, when you get beaten up by your friends on your birthdays. Or when you get a job. Or sometimes for no reason altogether. Not my favourite sort of celebration though. It does leave a strong memory behind (and an impression on your behind!). I guess that’s what friends are for.

Bumps were another reason I used to go to the college temple. An hour before midnight, the day before my birthday, I would escape the clutches of my friends to avoid getting bumps. Literally, saving my ass. I didn’t mind the peaceful time spent at the temple either, at least 2-3 hours, before things would quiet down and I could slip back to my hostel unnoticed and unscathed. A good start to the year ahead.

So, right after lunch, as a few folks were grabbing last-minute ice-creams, we moved in swiftly to say our ‘Thanks’ to the coordinator.

I know we went very easy on him, after all, we did feel grateful to him for organizing the trek perfectly. We had a great time trekking. I know he didn’t mind it much either, for we were all good friends now, and each kick to his bum cemented our friendships. It was an unforgettable trip, after all, it’s not easy to forget the image of smiling coordinator, getting kicked by a guy holding an ice-cream bar in his hand.

(p.s. In case you were wondering about the title, let me make it clear – leeches do not have anything to do with inner peace. Something I am very sure of, after this trek.)

Photo credits: Author

Survival tip: How to bargain while traveling in India?

Bargaining is an art. And you’ll need to practise it if you intend to travel in India.

During my travels, I’ve bargained with everyone from trinket-sellers to auto-rickshaw drivers to book-sellers to guesthouse-owners to government officials trying to extract bribes (the bargaining was for the bribe amount!). It’s not for a margin of just 10% or 20%, the final price could be as less as half (oh, by the way, it could be even lesser) of the initial quoted amount. So, you could be saving a lot.

Having grown up in India, I feel I am ‘okay’ at bargaining and self-certified to give free advice. So, here are my tips on bargaining:

1. Do a background check: You should have some idea of the value of the article you want to buy. There’s a chance that a thing which costs Rs 10 is quoted as Rs 50, and you start bargaining from Rs 20, reach Rs 25 as the final price and feel smug about it. So, it’s always better to have a fair idea about what you are buying and how easily it is available in other shops.

2. Do not buy from the first shop you step into: I often end up making this mistake because I hate shopping and want to get it over with. However, often there’s a good range of prices for the same object even in adjacent shops, and the fact that you’re putting a good amount of effort in buying makes it more difficult for the seller to assume that you are just another dumb tourist. Also, at times, the prices are exponentially higher in the shop right next to the sightseeing place and you should check out shops a bit far away as well.

3. Do not quote your starting amount right from the word go: If the quoted price is Rs 100, do not straight away ask for it for Rs 50, the price might be still lower. Delay your quote by saying things like ‘Nah, too costly’ or ‘It’s much cheaper in the shop down the lane’. When you start feeling a decent amount of resistance in lowering the price, then quote your price which should be lower than the best estimate you think you can get.

4. Be careful! : If the final bargained price looks too good to be true, do not start celebrating! Stop and examine your purchase again. If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t. These guys are seasoned sellers and always make a good margin, so watch out!

5. Be ruthless: It’s a dog-eat-dog world, you’ve got to be ruthless. The seller will claim everything from imminent poverty to hunger to near-death. As I said before, he will still be making a good profit out of you. You must not let down your defence, keep bargaining until you get the satisfaction you deserve.

6. Well, try enjoying it: It can be a harrowing experince if you do not do well at it initially and feel cheated. After some practise, when you start getting good deals, you might even start having fun bargaining! Good luck!

Note to self: If this article ever gets published, don’t forget to bargain with the publisher for a good price! 😉