Tuesday, November 01, 2016

[ MY BANGALORE, AN URBAN DEMOGRAPHIC NIGHTMARE ]

How Bangalore went from cosy town to an urban nightmare, thanks to a gladiatorial IT boom.

Unlike Silicon Valley, why did modernity and enterprise make Bangalore unbearable.



By T.J.S George.
Before anyone knew what was happening, Bangalore became the global leader 
in Business Process Outsourcing. The world quickly realized that skilled staff 
at salaries of one-quarter to one-tenth of standard rates in the West was not 
Bangalore’s principal attraction—wunderkinds abounded in the region capable 
of handling any challenge from any quarter. Companies like Intel, Microsoft 
and Cisco Systems picked the city for their advanced R&D projects.


An army of whizz-kids soon emerged to turn Bangalore into India’s start-up 
capital as well. Bangalore acquired a newly prosperous, even bohemian, aura. 
The speed at which information technology altered the sociology as well as the
 economy produced an inevitable backlash. While intellectuals such as 
U. R. Ananthamurthy cautioned about newly created problems of identity, 
local activists questioned what was Bangalore and who was a Bangalorean. 
There were campaigns for jobs for Kannadigas. There were protests against 
Hindi signboards. The problem was that IT transformed Bangalore in ways earlier 
bouts of industrialization and immigration had not.


The old agreeable Bangalore was now replaced by an aggressive Bangalore where 
no one had time for his neighbours. Everyone was chasing success as measured by
a new consumerist value system. A gladiator culture took over with the spirit of 
combat as its perennial feature. If the pre-IT immigrants made an effort to merge 
into Bangalore, the new combatants were too disparate to try. They remained 
Punjabis, Rajasthanis, Gujaratis and UP-Biharis, Americans, Canadians, Europeans 
and Latin Americans, Africans, Middle Easterners, Japanese, Koreans and Thais. 
What overwhelmed Whitefield and Sarjapur were only the high points of what plagued 
Bangalore as a whole. Cosy Town turned international melting pot, Bangalore’s 
face turned ugly.


California’s Bay Area did not lose its charm when Silicon Valley became a land 
of miracles. Neither did Boston. Why did modernity and enterprise make Bangalore 
unbearable? The answer was that Bangalore’s elected leaders, administrators and 
builders disobeyed Kempe Gowda’s mother. When the fabled founder of Bangalore 
set out to build his dream capital in the 1530s, his mother gave him two 
instructions: ‘Keregalam kattu, marangalam nedu (Build lakes, plant trees)’.

Gowda made a hundred lakes and lined the pathways with wide, leafy trees. 
Politicians and land dealers of modern times were born to different kinds of 
mothers. In about three decades they filled up 2,000 hectares of lakes, and, 
in the late 2000s alone, felled 50,000 trees. Under their earth movers and 
power saws, the urban sprawl expanded until the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara 
Palike (BBMP) became the largest municipal corporation in the country. 
The population density rose to 12,000 persons per square kilometre. 
The Bangalore Development Authority’s Revised Master Plan estimated that 
the population count would cross 20 million.

Small wonder then that in Electronic City land prices rose by 300 per cent in 
about ten years. According to popular statistics, Bangalore had more potholes 
and dangerous medians per kilometre than any other city. Two of them were patched 
up by the authorities. In June 2015, artist Baadal Nanjundaswamy noticed a water-
filled pothole, unusually large even by Bangalore standards, in the crowded 
Sultanpalya area. He painted its edges in greens and blues, planted a few blades 
of grass in strategic spots and then brought in a life-size rubber crocodile to 
frolic in the water. A year earlier Nanjundaswamy was appalled by the sight of a 
road median the detached granite blocks of which had become a danger to motorists. 
He turned that too into an art installation, the granite blocks shining in bright 
colours with flower stalks and green leaves growing out of them. Locals gathered 
to admire the street art on both occasions. Municipal authorities moved in fast, 
filled the pothole and straightened the median. Citizens who criticized them for 
being anti-art were pacified by those who pointed to the reassuring sense of shame 
displayed by the authorities.


Through it all Bangalore acquired more than a hundred slums accommodating 2 
million people. New-Age gladiators appeared from nowhere and from everywhere 
to take care of slum management and allied businesses. In 2014, Bangalore 
ranked second in the number of murders (Delhi was first), third in robberies 
(after Delhi and Bombay) and third in dacoity cases (after Pune and Delhi).
In this urban demographic nightmare, it was inevitable that group rivalries, 
linguistic antagonisms and cultural confrontations would become a part of life.  
Local voices often  rose against outsiders, especially outsiders who stood out 
as outsiders.

The IT boom and other forces of rapid change had altered Bangalore from within, 
as though unseen hands had reconstituted its DNA. It used to be a city in peace 
with itself. It was now a bundle of contradictions, a battleground of competing 
constituencies, where going forward resembles going backward. Knocked off balance 
by the weight of its own growth, Bangalore was askew. The hand of the potter did 
shake when the IT chip hit him.


Excerpted with the permission of Aleph Book Company from the book Askew: A Short
Biography of Bangalore by T. J. S. George.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

[ Rudrashakthii.]

Initial Report

Dear Ganapathi,

Welcome to Rudrashaktii! Om Namah Shivay!

Your Birth number is 6. It represents Venus.

The day you were born bears great significance in understanding who you are and where your talents lie. The day of birth indicates some special talent you possess. It is a gift to you that will help you along your life's path. Your day of birth is one of your five core numbers, but perhaps the most finite in that it reveals a specific ability that you possess in a marked degree.

Your Destiny number is 7. It represents Ketu.

The destiny number is the sum of the birth date of an individual. This number represents who you are at birth and the native traits that you will carry with you through life. The destiny number describes the nature of this journey through life.

Your Malefic number is 9. It represents Mars.

Malefic number denotes the malefic effects of the planet in question the person tends to be affected physically, mentally and materialistically in life by this malefic planet in your case your facing the malefic effect of the above planet.

Rudraksh Recommendation:
As per as your birth date analysis we recommend you 1 bead of 13 Mukhi, 1 bead of 9 Mukhi and 1 bead of 11 Mukhi. This is three bead combination. All of three beads strung in 1 Mala, in the following format:




We suggest 13 Mukhi Rudraksh according to your Birth Number.

It represents Lord Kaam Deva (Lord of cupids) and Lord Indra (Lord of all gods). This Rudraksha fulfills all earthly desires and helps in attainment of eight Siddhis accomplishments). It has virtues like love, affection, beauty and attraction as its attributes. It is very effective, user of it gets benefit of spiritual awaking and it is boon giving. It is also symbolizes Lord Indra (The ruler of god). It bestows charm, worldly comforts and spiritual success equally. Very rare bead it gives secret wealth and a position of authority to the wearer.

Mantra:

"Om hreem namah namah" - Shivpuran.
"om ksham chaus namah" - Mantra Maharnav.

We suggest 9 Mukhi Rudraksh according to your Destiny Number.

Nine mukhi rudraksh symbolizes Lord � Bhairava Yama (The Lord of Death) and Sage Kapila.�Nine Mukhi Rudraksha is the form of Goddess Durga(Shaktii). It contains the power of Nine Deities or NavDurga. The worshippers of Shakti must wear this Rudraksha to increase their self power and mental concentration. This Rudraksh wearer is blessed with energy, power, dynamism & fearlessness. Persons lacking in self confidence and one who wants to overcome fear and depression should use this rudraksh . This Rudraksha helps to counter the malefic effects of Ketu like mental fatigue, poverty, helplessness, inactivity of mind and body.

Mantra:

"Om hreem namah"- Shiv puran.
"Om hum namah" - Mantra Maharnav.

We suggest 11 Mukhi Rudraksh according to your Malefic Number.

11 mukhi rudraksh also known as a Ekadash Rudraksh� (eleven forms of Lord Shiva).It represents Lord "Hanuman". It is also blessed by Lord "Indra". The 11 Mukhi Rudraksha is regarded as very auspicious in religious rituals and is worn by sages and saints during their meditation.
It is said that eleven face rudraksha helps in washing away all trouble and miseries. Person who wears eleven-face Rudraksh with devotion, achieves Shivatwa.

Mantra:

"Om Hreem Hum Namah" - Shivpuran.
"Om shreem namah" - Mantra Maharnav.



Sunday, April 03, 2016

[ My thoughts with my Wife.]

We will be completing 54 years of our wedded life in another 2 months.If I tell my wife she just smiles just a smile, not a laugh or a big smile.The flashing smile, if it had gone behind a camera shutter, maybe I would keep looking at it for the rest of my life.Her smile told me the story so big that I do not know where she started it and what was that thought but I could make it that it was the Ups in our life with indeed some Downs but not so deep that we could not come out of it.I sold my house since I could not afford the upkeep of a home 35 years old and with the problem of other social society that changed with the age coupled with children getting settled very comfortably we were alone looking at our faces in the mirror of course not looking together.

When we get bored we will go to a pub or a good restaurant of our yesteryears which we enjoyed with our two children who would want a menu card for each of them at once. I enjoyed my drinks and my wife her juice of the seasonal fruit.After lunch or dinner, we will go to the city's most favourite Icecream shop and then to a regular Calcutta pan shop where my daughter will get a free pan.My son will not take that pan even in his dreams even he won't touch.I took to Pan as it was the choice of my Maharashtrian friends in Bombay now Mumbai where I worked in Asia's Biggest Textile Mill of that time. I was a bachelor boy unmarried but having a good friend my college mate.We both studied textiles and his father was a weaving factory owner and my father was a technical officer in a large group of mills having two of their textile mills in our city.

I married in the year 1964 when I was in a textile capitol of south India Coimbatore working in a reputed textile mill belonging to a reputed house known as Tata's of south India. My close friend who was working in another textile mill who was also a junior to me in the Textile College / Institute at Bangalore took up a house on rent which had 2 bed rooms as bachelors we lived there and soon another friend who was taking training in my mills joined us. He being married wanted to bring his wife who was staying in the textile capitol of India Ahmedabad. This was before my marriage. He stayed for few months and got a job as branch manager of a textile mill spares supplier at Coimbatore only and shifted to his big residence. I was with my friend again when I married and told my friend that I will bring my wife and if he gets married we can discuss how we both can stay together.

I had returned after my marriage till my mother wrote to me that she would bring my wife and set up our house. I was eager to start my married life and my friend had no objection. Soon my mother arrived with my wife and did puja's and she prepared food and sweets and stayed with us for some time .She enjoyed Coimbatore as my friend used to take her on his imported BSC 3.5 motor bike and show her some temples when I was in night shifts. My mother was happy that I married the Girl she had selected for me. My wife came from a very orthodox family and very shy in front of me. My idea was to make her a modern society wife so my first thing was to make her move with my friends which I hardly tried. Soon my friend got a job in Calcutta now called Kolkata and he left us with his and my rented furniture. My wife had the full house all for herself. There was no need for that Note book and pencil which was always on the table kept to record the expenses we two family's incurred towards food to be totalled at the end of the month and shared by me and my friend.

My wife was always silent and talked less so I used to call my another friend and allowed him to keep my wife discuss any topic thus she was happy and things went on till she was pregnant after 3 years of our family planning. My parents put too much pressure to stop our FP and they were happy that our family tree would branch out. My dear wife soon left me to go to her parents house so that she is taken all the care needed for safe delivery of the baby. During her stay with me every month she was examined for pre child birth was in perfect order.

I got a post card from my father in law and on seeing the post card I know my wife had delivered a Baby BOY.I had told my father in law to send a post card if it was a baby boy or a Inland letter if it was a Baby Girl

No mobile no pictures only by letters I could be in touch with my wife. Soon I planed to visit my son with his mother. My colleagues and all my mill workers having received sweets knew that my first baby boy was born and my mill manager sanctioned my leave for a week.

I saw my son soon kissed him on his forehead purchased some dresses but stayed in my parents home. Going and coming from my house to my parents in law's house my leave was coming to an end and I was back to my work. Seven months my wife and son were taken care by my parents in law when she came back to join me.

Our Life started with a new face in our colony called Tatabad.