Which Main? What Cross?

Raj Bhavan

2012-01-27T09:24:00.005+05:30

Meeting the governor.

The most interesting part, for almost everyone who had come for the inaugural TS Satyan Memorial Awards for Photojournalism was the chance to visit the Bangalore Raj Bhavan. Since almost everyone were photojournalists and their families, they were all carrying cameras but then, they do not allow cameras in. But, if you get a chance to visit the Raj Bhavan, you should smuggle a small camera in and click.

Yes. it's a wonderful place, to catch the remains of the Garden City but the most interesting surprise is the Governor himself. He gives funny and very candid speeches that do not follow any standard protocols.

For instance, he will tell you stories about how he, a very busy lawyer became a lawmaker, a very powerful ministerial level one, without having to spend money and contest elections because he was close to Indira Gandhi and the Gandhis. It was a great peek into seeing how Indian laws are made in Delhi or any state capital. How leadership works, etc.

He will also tell why he is loyal to the Gandhi family and the "high-command".

He also started off his long speech by telling the audience that he allowed the event to held in the Raj Bhavan because he wanted to the speak to the press (he thinks that photojournalists actually listen?) about his point of view. According to him, and he is right, he is the first citizen of the state, and if he doesn't air his views, who else will.

Since he's appointed from Delhi, and we would ask questions about how he can speak for the rest of the state, he talked about his long association with Karnataka starting with the job he did as a lawyer for Indira Gandhi after that historical Congress split in the Lalbag Glass House. So there were quite a few interesting stories from the Congress years in Karnataka.

Then he talked abut the media and his experience with the new television channels. Here's a story he told: He once called up Rajdeep Sardesai (The Governor knew his father. In fact, this governor seems to know everybody's fathers if he held a reasonably high position in society) after hearing him make a statement about him that was not correct. He called up and corrected him and like a lawyer, presented his side of the story. Apparently, Rajdeep Sardesai told him that he couldn't do anything or offer an apology because he was forced to report that even if it was not true. TRPevam jayate?

These are just a few of the things he said. But the point is that if you get a chance to meet the Governor, do take it up. It's always good to listen to people who can tell good stories.

Raj Bhavan Karnataka.

2011-12-25T09:26:00.005+05:30

Photos by Karnataka Photo News

At the Inaugural TS Satyan Memorial Awards for Photojornalism 2011.

Mysore's gift to photography, the late TS Satyan "captured the common man with uncommon honesty". On his 88th birthday, Karnataka Photo News , India's first online photo syndication agency that brings Karnataka to the world as wonderful pictures has established the TS Satyan Memorial Award for Photojournalism. Awards were given in 6 categories. This blog (along with my other blogs: Mumbai Paused and Indian Road Romeo) earned me the Best Online Photojournalist award.

That category is just one among 6 and the award is for this surprisingly, still less explored medium in the advanced age of the Internet. Clearly, Indian photojournalists have not started using the medium well enough to tell stories. And as we all know, the possibilities are endless. I would like to thank KPN for having this category and I'm sure this category will see the most of the action in the years to come

The winners in the other categories are giants in the field from Karnataka and decades of spectacular images. The categories and winners are:

Lifetime achievement award: Yagna, Mangalore

Best newspaper photojournalist: K. Gopinathan, The Hindu, Bangalore

Best professional photojournalist: Netra Raju, The Times of India, Mysore

Best magazine photojournalist: Bhanu Prakash Chandra, The Week, Bangalore

Best freelance photographer: ‘Regret' Iyer, Bangalore

(story of how he got the name 'Regret' here)

Nominations for the awards came from the Karnataka media academy, Press Club of Bangalore, Karnataka Union for Working Journalists and Photo-Journalists Association of Bangalore.

The award was presented by the Karnataka Governor - Sri Bharadwaj. TJS George, Praja Vani Editor Shant Kumar were the chief guests.

You can read more about the award and event here on Churumuri.com

For Jalahalli, from Mumbai

2011-11-14T17:30:00.002+05:30

Punha Drama

After a gap of more than two and a half decades, I saw a Marathi play again. I was too young to remember the name of the play I last saw but I did see a few Marathi plays back then.

Also, I saw the plays not just in a different city or state, it was in a different age, in a world that no longer exists.

Time Travel

The place was a little township just outside Bangalore, built around one of the temples of modern India envisioned by Chacha Nehru. In the early 80s, the 'public sector undertaking' had a little over 15 thousand employees. Through the 50s, 60s and 70s, youngsters from all over India, came and populated the townships, married, swelled the numbers with the ideal hum do-hamare do family and created an interesting model for national integration.

Outside the main gate of the factory where the thousands marched in and out to the call of siren were some old barracks built during the Second World War and according to the urban legend, housed Italian prisoners of war. There was a Royal Air Force base close by too. In Free India, the barracks were turned to schools that taught students in four 'Mediums' English, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu because during the second part of the last century, the official policy was to instruct the children in their mother tongues. A system that is still followed by BMC schools in Mumbai.

Mother tongues and social glue.

The temple of modern India was a tower of Babel. At the end of the day, the workers stepped out of the factories and returned to their mother tongues. The same barracks that housed the school also housed the different linguistic biradaris. The Tamil Snagam, Kerala Samajam, Kannada Sahitya Koota, Kodava Samaj, Konkani Association, Andhra Sabha, Marathi Sangh and Bengal Association.

The centre of every association was a library, and they had the usual cultural and social activities that made up the social networks of the age before television. Dance, music, language classes, etc. It's surprising now, but there was a time when people had the evenings for themselves.

The centre of the township was the hall. It was called Kalakshetra. On weekends, a giant white screen would be stretched across the stage and they would screen movies in different languages. Amitabh, Rajkumar, Kamal Hasam/Rajnikant, NTR ruled the screens on weekends. So that the others are not left out, English, Marathi and Bengali movies were played once in a while. We used to watch all of them, irrespective of the language. All the kids in the township were multilingual.

Drama Festival

The Kalakshetra was built for one reason, several times during the year, the association came together to compete with each other. The annual Drama Festival was one such event. And that is where we used to watch Marathi play every year, along with the other ones. And we as kids would've already peeped into half the rehearsals already. And it was always easy to slip to the backstage and watch the play from there, instead of having to sit like good children among the boring adults.

So when I got a chance to click the backstage pictures for Time Out Mumbai's Behind The Scenes Special Issue, of Punha Sahi Re Sahi, starring Bharat Jadhav, Bharat Jadhav, Bharat Jadhav and Bharat Jadhav, it was like punha going back to the good old days that I had forgotten.

More pictures of Bharat Jadhav mutiplied by 4 in action, tomorrow.

Church Street

2011-09-28T17:01:00.005+05:30

19s. Headbangalore.

Nearly 20 years back, there was a pub next door to this gaming haunt on Church Street called 19 Church Street. They played heavy metal music.

The basement garage was called Hangar 19 (Inspired by Megadeth's Hangar 18) on certain weekends when local bands like Crimson Storm and Spiritual Warfare played.

Names that are similar to the games these kids are playing.

Kempegowda Bus Station

2011-09-09T00:24:00.004+05:30

ಶ್ರೀ ಮೋಕ್ಷಗುಂಡಂ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರಯ್ಯ Bharat Ratna Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya.

Sometimes it's nice to see a familiar face from the last century.

Ramachandrapura (jalahalli east)

2011-09-04T13:09:00.004+05:30

Listen to the sound
read the echoes
are women machines
boy child machines?

Sanjaynagar

2011-06-09T09:07:00.001+05:30

One among the thousands of wall paintings on Bangalore walls. This one is outside a Government School.

D Rajagopal Road

2011-06-08T16:42:00.001+05:30

Bellary Road - NH7

2011-03-08T17:27:00.005+05:30

A hospital.

Birth, Death and all the pain in between. To ease it, you can buy yourself a comfortable insurance, be good to your family so that they stick around when you are in trouble and if you haven't done these two things, go pray.

Amen.

... I want angels to lift me.

Seri Saar. Nakku nallida mele illi bandu t.... By the way, what's the language they speak in heaven... or hell?

Why so shy?

5th Block, Koramangala

2011-03-06T15:43:00.006+05:30

Group off not Group on. Because in India, Off is associated with discounts.

D Rajagopal Road

2011-03-05T15:25:00.004+05:30

All kinds of new imagery on the streets of Vishala Karnataka. It's now clear that it's a BJP ruled state.

Outer Ring Road + Kumara Krupa Road

2010-03-16T10:55:00.002+05:30

Which Main? What Cross? has moved. The blogger is now posting daily images from Mumbai at Mumbai Paused.

Outer Ring Road

2009-11-26T10:47:00.005+05:30

Best view.

These boys were waiting to have a ring side view of the K1000 2009 race. While the grown up boys who had come to watch had a tough time finding a parking spot for their underpowered toys with flashy stickers, these boys had no trouble parking their single wheeled toys.

Which Main? What cross? has moved. The blogger is now posting daily images from Mumbai at Mumbai Paused.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTES!

NEWS: This blog came a respectable 3rd with 13% of the total votes in the category at the Indibloggies 2008 thanks to your support! (Final Tally and Winners here)

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SJP Road/Mysore Road

2009-11-01T21:01:00.004+05:30

A couple of rare yellow top.

Which Main? What Cross? has moved. The blogger now lives in Mumbai and the current images can be seen here: Mumbai Paused.

RV Road

2009-10-26T22:40:00.002+05:30

A message from another age, in another country, survives in Bangalore. And what your local Goorkha is doing on his nightly whistling rounds.

Cubbon Park

2009-09-25T16:20:00.005+05:30

Goodbye Garden City

Salaam. Vandanegalu.

It's time to say goodbye to daily photographs on this blog. Over the last 3 years, during my second innings in this city, I have seen more of the city than during my two and a half decades long first innings. That is thanks to a hobby called photography that I discovered along with thousands of other foot-soldiers of the digital camera brigade.

Work is taking me to Mumbai, for a second innings there. This blog will now be updated only during my visits home and I'm hoping that it will be often.

In Mumbai, the city that's always on the move, I'm not sure if I'll be clicking as often as I did in Benglur. But if I find the time to click pictures, they will be posted here at

Mumbai Paused

Mekhri Underpass

2009-09-25T12:12:00.001+05:30

Benglur Walls. Painting the new anti-film and political poster look.

Mekhri Underpass

2009-09-23T13:23:00.001+05:30

Benglur Walls. The new look.

Church Street

2009-09-22T15:09:00.002+05:30

Forget Benglur's Mains and Crosses. This is a great place to discover new things and lose your way: At any of the second hand book shops in the MG Road area.

Gavi Gangadhareshwara Temple Road

2009-09-20T19:04:00.004+05:30

Breakfast time at Nammoora Patashaale!

To discover the real India, Gandhi asked us to go to the villages. And luckily for us in Benglur, we don't have to go far. The tentacles of the city spread across and around villages and the Hallis became Nagars and Towns, with pockets that still retain the city's old roots. For example, this is the school at Gavipuram Guttahalli.

Rest House Crescent

2009-09-18T14:57:00.004+05:30

The weather was classic Bangalorean. The smell of last evening's rain filled the air as workers dug up yet another narrow stretch. There was a cool breeze, warm afternoon sunshine filtering through tall trees, slow-moving cars looking for that elusive parking space, a school girl on her bicycle exchanging a love note with a boy from another school, well-dressed executives reluctantly rushing back to work after a large lunch and the smell of marijuana floated in from under the thick foliage of the Rest House Crescent Park. All this and more was happening on the Rest House Crescent Road on a Thursday afternoon but Mr Mazumdar was busy in his own world. He sat on the pavement outside an old Bangalore home, sketching and preserving the building's little details on paper, before it disappeared. He told me that he has been doing this for 19 years now.

HKP Road (Broadway)

2009-09-17T10:36:00.004+05:30

After school, Aslam Tabrez helps his father, who runs the Ramadan period Kabab stall outside Shivajinagar's Beef Market.

S C Road

2009-09-16T16:38:00.004+05:30

Sunbathing.

There are days in Benglur when you can have all four seasons during the course of a day. And here's a man enjoying a brief spell of summer.

Minerva Circle

2009-09-14T17:11:00.002+05:30

Beer of Benglur

Meanee Avenue/Ulsoor Lake

2009-09-13T09:14:00.004+05:30

Which Nallah? What Drain? Series.

It takes a brave heart to step in to the primordial sludge that fills the Gowri-Ganesha immersion tank carved out of the Ulsoor Lake on the Meanee Avenue, Kensington Road and AM Road intersection.

See the full Which Nallah? What Drain? Series here.

Indian Road Romeos and Juliets, the group for street photography lovers on Facebook is having an interesting challenge called 'Emotion on the Street' this coming week. Click here for more details.

Meanee Avenue

2009-09-12T09:36:00.003+05:30

News

Indian Road Romeos and Juliets, the group for street photography lovers on Facebook is having an interesting challenge called 'Emotion on the Street' this coming week. Click here for more details.

S C Road

2009-09-11T11:29:00.004+05:30

Sandalwood Friday Movie Release.

If there's a good movie release, the handicapped (and the aged) blackmarket ticket sellers manage to make a few bucks. Today's bigger draw seems to be a movie called Prem Kahani. With stiff competion from Shivarajkumar's Bhagyada Balegara.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

2009-09-09T10:17:00.002+05:30

The Tale Of Two Peaks. Part 3.

The abandoned quarry at Chickabettahalli is a large bowl spread over over a hundred acres. It is pretty enough to be developed into a public space with interesting walkways, a little lake and clever lighting at night.

But the fact is that the Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road is a four lane road that provides easy access to the new airport to the western part of the city. So it's not surprising that the corner of the bowl is being filled up right now to make way for future development. The cost of transporting mud and filling up this massive crater is probably lower than the market rate for the land or is it one of the site chosen for dumping the Namma Metro earthwork?

Time will tell.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

2009-09-07T20:28:00.006+05:30

Blast hole for dynamite charge.

The Tale of Two Peaks. Part 2

There's nothing as precious as a hole in ground. And the abandoned, big toilet bowl like quarries at Bettahalli, that were once the highest points in Benglur is no exception (read part 1 of the story about the twin peaks of Bettahalli here). For decades, these rocks were blasted, cut and shipped all over the city.

Artha or Money in Kannada.

There was a time when granite was very cheap in and around Benglur. Slabs were used as compound walls, fencing, culverts and you can still see some very old abandoned homes and waiting stations for bullock carts outside surrounding villages like Kodigehalli and Jalahalli that have slabs used as walls and roofs. But as Boomtown Benglur exploded in size, so did the price of this stone. It has money written all over it. And money can move mountains.

Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

2009-09-06T14:03:00.010+05:30

The Tale of Two Peaks. Part 1

Doddabettahalli and Chickabettahalli are two small villages on the newly named Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road (his parents live down the road towards Yelahanka) that connects Jalahalli and Yelahanka New Town. Doddabettahalli's claim to fame is its elevation. The Betta at 962 meters is officially the highest place in the Benglur region. A short walk to the south-west of Doddabettahalli is Chickabettahalli, named after the smaller of the rocky hills.

However, these two spots are no longer the highest places in the city. Doddabetta and Chickabetta have disappeared. The twin peaks have been dynamited and cut into boulders, slabs and jelly to provide the foundation of the houses we live in. You can go to Google Earth and measure the current elevation of the place. It's now lower than the spot behind the Kempegowda Tower at Mekhri Circle.

If you want to visit this place, you can take Route 401 from Yehahanka or Yeshwantpur and get off at the Jelly Machine Bus Stop. You can't miss the quarry.

These pictures were shot within the bowl, the abandoned quarry, that was once the smaller peak or Chicka Betta. This schoolboy who came to check out what I was doing is Phantoosh. (A name also shared by the character in Britannia Treat biscuit ads). He's been in Benglur for 2 years now and lives with his father in his shop on the main road. The rest of the family is back home in Bihar. Phantoosh studies at the local English medium school, where he also learns Kannada.

This abandoned quarry is the community laundry and toilet. It's probably Benglur's second biggest toilet bowl. The quarry at Doddabettahalli would be the largest.

Here are some jaw dropping beautiful pictures clicked by friends who accompanied me and clicked pictures of the place:
Renith Valsaraj
Vivek Dhage

Meenakshi Koil Street

2009-09-04T15:54:00.008+05:30

Lure of Bangalore: Tibetan Traders

It's clearer than the McMahon line - The numbers and lines on the wall separate traders on the crowded stretch near Shivajinagar Bus Stand. This photograph was clicked as they were setting up shop in the morning.

Kanakanapalya Road (Jayanagar)

2009-09-04T11:55:00.004+05:30

My Garden. My City.

Lalbag South Side.

Doddballapur Road

2009-09-02T18:14:00.001+05:30

Noronha Road

2009-09-01T10:19:00.000+05:30

Feast time at Shivajinagar

Gavipuram Guttahalli (Kempegowda Nagar)

2009-08-31T11:02:00.003+05:30

Gavipuram (Cave Town)

Gavipuram Guttahalli (Kempegowda Nagar)

2009-08-30T09:22:00.004+05:30

4-engined jets and spears adorn the Harihareshwara Temple that stands atop the hillock at Gavipuram. The temple was rebuilt in 1976.

And the flying children of Namoora Patahshallay.

Kumara Krupa Road

2009-08-29T12:42:00.004+05:30

New compound wall decorations being erected at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.

Gavipuram Guttahalli (Kempegowda Nagar)

2009-08-28T11:02:00.008+05:30

Sun-Kissed-Beautiful in Cave Town.

Gavipuram (Cave town) is a community built around a cave temple. It's dedicated to a deity who would be at home in a cave - Shiva himself.

The Cave Town is more South Interior Karnataka than the othla concrete town Benglur is. Especially around the high rock formation with a commanding view of Western and North Western Benglur and the Kere (irrigation tank). It still maintains the clean, bright look of the communities that live around old Dravidian temples in the Mysore region (Example: Behind Chamundi temple on Chamundi Hills).

Trivia
Which is the highest spot in all Benglur Urban District?
Answer: It's not Lalbag, Gavipuram, Bull Temple or the tower near Innayathullah Mekhri Circle. It's officially was Dodda-Bettahalli. Altitude: 3,158 feet above mean sea level. It's on the road that connects Yeshwantpur and Yelahanka, just north of Jalahalli East Air Force Station, near Mamu-sab-palya and Vidyaranyapura. It overlooks the vegetable basket of Benglur - the Arkavati Valley (Hessaraghatta).

However, the Betta or hill is now a quarry and I'm not sure if the record still holds. If Google Earth is right, it is no longer 3,158 feet. In which case, I think that the Kempegowda Tower near Mekhri Circle will now hold the record 3,133 ft.

OPH Road

2009-08-27T11:47:00.004+05:30

Colours of India - Lal Masjid

It's the month of Ramadan and Basha Mian says that his vibrant caps are a hit with the people who pray at the colourfully named Lal Masjid.

4th Main, 3rd Block, RMV 2nd Stage Extension

2009-08-26T10:23:00.011+05:30

Streetlit Bangalore Series.

Even though these pictures were shot in the evening, it's life here in the mornings that I'm most familar with.

Earlier, I used to run around this park every morning. And mornings here can be full of life. The entertainment comes from observing the whole cross section of society moving at various speeds around the park and the surrounding tree-lined streets, just like traffic on Indian roads. Some move like loaded lorries, others like bullock carts. There are the flashy, adrenaline filled youngsters zipping by, gawkers like me and stray dogs.

Most people exercise in groups. It allows them to gossip and catch-up with all the happenings in the neighbourhood.

The most talked about topic is politics. Real estate comes next. And in this part of Benglur with its population of politicians/land grabbers, you can get juicy gossip about everybody including its most famous part-time resident, the Chief Minister himself.

The older women talk about their daughter-in-laws and the local ghar ghar k kahaniyan. The expats talk about dogs. The Persians don't walk their dogs, they follow their dogs on a scooter or bike. The kids come to play. There are girls and boys who work in garment factories who come to meet their lovers before the early morning shift. There's a juice walla who sells Bitter Gourd juice. There's a Kannada film heroine from the 80s and her gang of friends and there are women who exercise in bhurkas. There is a retired Government Employee who goes around distributing or sticking posters asking people to join his 'Gandhigiri' initiative. There are men who make strange noises when they flap their hands like a crow having a bath. And there are gangs of naughty old men who block the road if they see a car or vehicle speeding down a road before 8am.

These days, the parks are open until 8.30pm to allow people to spend some time exercising and with friends after they come back from work. And they open at 5.30am.

Chord Road

2009-08-25T10:47:00.003+05:30

Gujarat in Benglur: The Swaminarayan Temple

The architectural style of temples belonging to the sect started by a 19th Century godman from Gujarat - Swaminarayan, adorns the West Benglur skyline.

Outer Ring Road, Nagavara

2009-08-24T08:58:00.003+05:30

35th year. K1000 Rally. The spectators.

Outer Ring Road, Hebbal

2009-08-23T15:32:00.002+05:30

Early winter?

No. It's a group of dying or already dead trees. Waiting to be chopped into firewood.

Langford Road Or Kadidal Manjappa Road

2009-08-22T09:36:00.006+05:30

Trivia time.

The official name for Langford Road is Kadidal Manjappa Road. Kadidal Manjappa was the Chief Minister of Mysore State for a short period (August 19, 1956 - October 31, 1956). Originally from Shimoga District, he is supposed to have been one of the best politicians Karnataka ever produced. Which also explains why he is not well known or famous. It's said that the King of Mysore discovered that Kadidal Manjappa did not have a house to his name and decided to gift him an acre of land belonging to the Palace in Bangalore, to him. Kadidal Manjappa refused the offer (Bewakoopha! Do you know how much that's worth now?!). He was also a lawyer, a writer and was responsible for introducing land reforms in Mysore/Karnataka state.

B Narayanaswamappa Road (Yeshwantpura Market)

2009-08-21T11:38:00.002+05:30

Glitter Bugs.

It's Gowri Ganesha time and next to the crowd of bright and fluorescent Ganeshas are minching new clothes for little girls.

Magadi Road

2009-08-20T12:07:00.003+05:30

Like all Jhatka Gaadi stands, the one on Magadi Road is next to the market. The Corporation Market on Magadi Road got the current building in 1954. However, the market and the adjoining horse cart stand existed long before that.

Meet Amir Jan. He's been working here for four decades and he owns a single horse.

The man on the right is also called Amir Jan. He says that he's been plying carts from this very stand for nearly six decades!

Meet the new generation of horse owners. This Horse Cart Stand has 10 horses and horse drawn carts. Business is not what it used to be, but then, they continue to keep going.

After a nourishing meal, the horses are being prepared for a day on the road. Shubha labha.

Click here to see Final Stand, The Declining Fortunes Of Bangalore's Jhatka Gaadi Series.

3rd Main Kalasipalaya

2009-08-19T10:52:00.003+05:30

Benglur Street Fashion.

Annipura Main Road (Sudhamanagar)

2009-08-18T10:51:00.006+05:30

Spidermen!

1st Main, Kalasipalaya

2009-08-17T11:05:00.004+05:30

It's been raining all night and a day can't get duller than what it's today. But the vegetable mandi at Kalasipalaya is bustling as usual. No Monday morning blues here.

Off Charminar Masjid Road

2009-08-16T08:57:00.002+05:30

Ripening at a banana trader's godown in one of the gallis in Shivajinagar.
For a picture story about bananas from City market, click here.

Dr Rajkumar (80ft) Road

2009-08-15T10:18:00.010+05:30

Hey! Isn't that Vishnu's bed?

Star Signs.

I've very little idea about Western and Indian astrology but I thought that these stone carvings of star signs on the walls of the Shaneeshwara Temple were different from what we usually see in Deccan temples. It stands out like the stained glass work at the Mangeshi Temple in Goa. Something different. This temple seems to be new, very popular and prosperous too. Shaneeshwara or Saturn is supposed to be one of the most powerful gods in Indian mythology.

After Ganesha, Shani is probably the most popular Hindu deity in the city. Even though there aren't many large temples dedicated to him, he's everywhere on Benglur streets, especially in the crowded market areas. If you have seen small shrines with bright painting of a God sitting on a crow, you have spotted him.

Kempegowda Road

2009-08-14T10:27:00.002+05:30

The original Raj The Showman

Down but not out: A transistor radio!

Sandalwood Friday Movie Release: Raj The Showman.

It's the biggest release in Gandhinagar in a long time. Raj The Showman, stars Dr. Rajkumar's son Puneet and his fans are out in full strength. So are the cops. The theater is cordoned off and regular black market ticket sellers wait at a safe distance. College students wait across the road, on the pedestrian overbridge and around the roadside cigarettewallas for the gates to open at 10.15am.

And here's Puneet, the Chikka Showman, doing a Depp.

Evening Bazaar Street

2009-08-13T09:53:00.002+05:30

He makes coal heated irons that continue to be used across the city.

Second-hand cycle spares

Work in progress. Forever.

Which Nallah? What Drain? Evening Bazaar Stretch

This is one of the dirtiest parts of the city and much of it is because of the drain covering work that has been going on many months. If and when the work is completed, we can expect this place to become a lot cleaner.

Charminar Masjid Road + Off OPH Rd.

2009-08-12T14:12:00.003+05:30

A shopkeeper from a lane off OPH Road.

Kneading dough is good exercise. The baker who runs Azad Bakery next to Evening Bazaar.

Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, Rukmini Garden

2009-08-10T12:15:00.007+05:30

Which Nallah? What Drain? Tamil Heartland

So our Chief Minister makes a gamble that seems to have paid off for now. The Thiruvalluvar statue that faces the green Ulsoor lake and stands close to where the Nallah from Shivajinagar reaches the lake, has finally been unveiled. Today, the day after, the security blanket around the statue is thick and the entire area is a vinyl poster-fest with everyone from Ajith Kumar Fans Association to the Government of Karnataka shouting for attention. Thiruvalluvar, about whom I know very little, sits with marigold garlands around his neck and has an expression that says, 'Get me out of this mess da dai!'

Around the corner, Benglur's most famous graffiti - 'Read The Holy Thirrukural' with the addition 'And then the Da Vinci Code' has been untouched.

However, the roadside star-struck small businessmen and women of Rukmini Garden and surrounding areas continue with their business while proclaiming their fan affiliations loud and clear. Like this lady who sells sticker, temporary tattoos and posters out of a shack bordering the Nallah. She is an MGR fan.

Also see, the Shivaji Ganeshan Fan on the parallel cross - here.

Church Street

2009-08-09T10:29:00.004+05:30

No streetlights: A passerby uses the light from his cellphone to view exhibits at Blowup.

Blow up, a street photography exhibition by BlindBoys.org. Church Street. Until 10.40pm, Monday, August 1o.

See street photography on display and where it belong - on the streets. Which Main? What Cross? has also pasted 8 pictures from this blog along with the photographers from Bangalore and across India. If you want to display your pictures, bring your prints along, paste it on the walls of Church Street. The friendly cops from have promised to keep an eye on them until Monday night too!

For more information, call Blindboys at 919833230562.

This is being organised by Blindboys.org. The spectacular new online photography magazine.

Billa, the boy from KGF who sells stickers on Chruch Street for Rs.10, was fascinated by the pictures on display. He had a lot a questions for the exhibitors and he was surprised to find out the each print on display cost only Rs.15 to print. His worry: Blowup was trying to sell the pictures and that would eat into his business.

Picture from Which Main? What Cross? on display. It's on the wall of the building that houses Coconut Grove restaurant.

Evening Bazaar Street

2009-08-07T09:44:00.004+05:30

Which Nalla? What Drain? Series: Evening Bazaar.

Even though it's called the Evening Bazaar, it is open all day long. And it is home to scrap dealers, blacksmiths and stores selling hardware and second hand bicycle parts.

Nala Road

2009-08-06T09:51:00.006+05:30

Which Nallah? What Drain? Series

Lining both sides of the drain from Charminar Masjid Road to Seppings Road are two narrow lanes with markets. The one on the south sells vegetables, meat and other provisions while the one on the north, called the Evening Bazaar (it's open all day long), sells scrap metal, etc. These pictures are from the south side.

Charminar Masjid Road

2009-08-05T10:14:00.001+05:30

Off AM Road

2009-08-04T10:03:00.004+05:30

Lure of Bangalore Series.

Name: Muneer

From: Mangalore
Occupation: Helper at a dry fish trader's godown

In Benglur for 2 years.

Like Bangaloreans, people from Mangalore are multi-lingual. Muneer says that even though his first language is Tulu, he reads and writes in Kannada and can also understand and communicate in Malayalam and Tamil. However, this shy lad seems to be more of a listener than a talker.

See the full Lure of Bangalore Series here.

Off Lal Masjid Road

2009-08-03T10:11:00.002+05:30

Single young male in the city

1st Cross, Seppings Road

2009-08-02T15:50:00.004+05:30

The people of Shivajinagar Series is back. Click here to view.

Sajjan Rao Circle

2009-07-31T11:08:00.014+05:30

Climbing all over the little gopuram of one among many temples that ring Sajjan Rao Circle are little boys created out of cement, like advertisement for couples who seek to have a baby boy.

Bangalore stat: For children under 6, there were only 961 girls for every 1000 boys in 1991. It came down to 937 in the 2001 census.

Beere Devara Gudi Street, Jolly Mohalla

2009-07-30T10:57:00.003+05:30

The Iron Lady of Jolly Mohalla and her workspace.

Ulsoor Lake

2009-07-29T10:06:00.010+05:30

Which Nallah? What Drain? Series: Colours of Ulsoor Lake.

On the left is the calmer, settling and aeration tank where the drain from Cox Town and beyond empties into the Ulsoor Lake. In this separated area of the lake, the muck is allowed to settle and a series of fountains aerate the water. Using gravity, and depending on the flow into the lake, the water slowly spills over a separation wall (shown in the above picture). However, enough nutrients spill over to feed the green algae of the Ulsoor Lake proper (that is seen on the right).

And that's Muniraju fishing on the green side. He catches enough fish everyday to make a living. The fish that will make its way back to a pot in Cox Town, completing a cycle and harvesting what we sow.

Click here to see the full Which nallah? What drain? series.

KR Road

2009-07-28T10:34:00.006+05:30

Cubicle.

Pemme Gowda Road, Marappa Garden

2009-07-27T09:59:00.007+05:30

Found! The prototype for most construction in Namma Benglur.

Assaye Road

2009-07-27T09:50:00.003+05:30

Which Nallah? What Drain? Assaye Road Part 2

See Part 1 here

CIL Road, Matadahalli

2009-07-25T12:31:00.005+05:30

The communist freedom-fighter Shahid Bhagat Singh finds a home outside the BJP local office. And this bust is a perfect example of Benglur's Street Art style (Click here for examples) translated into cement.

Click here to see pictures of for more statues in Benglur.

SC Road / 6th Cross Gandhinagar

2009-07-24T10:31:00.007+05:30

Show Over

Friday Sandalwood Special: Movieland Theatre is getting a makeover or is being demolished.

Click here for more Sandalwood related pics.

MTB Road

2009-07-23T10:35:00.007+05:30

Lure of Benglur Series : Killer Mush. Killer smile.

Name: G K Das
Hometown: Bhubaneshwar, Orissa
Occupation: Hotel Doorman

In Benglur for a year.

See the full Lure of Benglur Series here.

Platform Road, Sheshadripuram

2009-07-22T10:08:00.001+05:30

Brigade Road

2009-07-21T10:04:00.004+05:30

Lure of Benglur Series: North-East Students.

Education is one of Benglur's most important industries and is home for thousands of youngsters from across India, including quite a few from the North-Eastern states. And yes, they are the best dressed people in town.

See the full Lure of Benglure Series here.

Cubbon Park: Hudson Circle Gate

2009-07-20T10:05:00.006+05:30

Decoding our DNA.

The number of trees in the city may not have kept pace with the number of people but the truth is that the city is not called the Garden City for nothing.

Throughout its short history, this city has made its rulers, influential citizens and residents, lovers of trees, gardens, flower and all things green and colourful. The people who created a green city out of a dry, brown plateau that's far away from life-giving rivers that usually spawn cities. (Read The Greening of Bangalore Story by P. Dasharathi here)

Today, to find out the age of a locality in Bangalore, all we have to do is measure the girth of the trees. Visitors to city often go back with stems and seeds of exotic roses and flowering plants they see in the private gardens of their hosts (Or from Lalbag). When Heads of State visit us, we make them plant a tree. These days it's CEOs of multi-national companies. And it's not just Mallige, Soppu and Tarkari that goes in the procession outside the Benglureans door each day, we usually have the men pushing a heavy cart selling plotted plants too.

Even today, the event that draws the maximum number of people in the city continues to be the flower shows that are held twice a year at Lalbag. And thankfully, the cutting of trees is also the only thing that brings the people of the city out on to the streets.

The trees in Benglur may be down, but they are not out because love for trees is something that still defines a lot of what makes us Benglureans.

And finally, here's a treat for your eyes: Flowering trees of Bangalore by S.Karthikeyan

State Central Library, Cubbon Park

2009-07-17T10:27:00.006+05:30

9.30am. Cubbon Park.

Moonsoon havoc in Malnad and the clouds that didn't burst for us in Benda Beantown. For a series of Monsoon 2009 images from outside Benglur, click here.

This post is part of SKY Watch Friday . Click to watch skies from around the world, today.

Pemme Gowda Road

2009-07-16T10:24:00.004+05:30

The walls of Pemme Gowda Road in JC Nagar are not just a colourful treat for people who do not keep their eyes on the road, the shapes and figures you find on this stretch have a style of their own.

Click here for more wall art for Benglur.

JC Nagar Main Road (Munireddypalya)

2009-07-15T10:44:00.007+05:30

A typical neighbourhood photo studio in Benglur.

Digital photography hasn't killed neighbourhood studios in India, it has offered the opportunity to offer interesting new services.

And faster than ever before.

The mandatory display board with a fan+celebrity photograph. Dr. Balamuralikrishna in this case.

Assaye Road

2009-07-14T10:26:00.007+05:30

Creators

Which Nallah? What Drain? JC Nagar to Ulsoor Lake.

Unlike the drain that comes in from Shivajinagar which bypasses the Ulsoor Lake, this drain empties itself into the lake. Ideally, it's only rainwater that should flow through, but in reality there are enough slums and houses on the way emptying sewage and contaminating the water and colouring the lake green.

However, the Assaye Road stretch of the drain is not flanked by homes or scrapyards and just before Ulsoor Lake, the Bengali Association has been allotted a drain side home. These pictures are from the hall by the drain where Ganesha and Durga idols are being made year round in preparation for the festival season.

And like Agujral points out in comments: The idols will end up in Ulsoor lake (not in the dirty drain)

Inner Ring Road

2009-07-13T11:37:00.009+05:30

Recession time message for Benglur's army of back-office workers?

NH3 - Bombay-Agra Road near Igatpuri

2009-07-05T21:57:00.006+05:30

On the road.

Which Main? What Cross? is out of Benglur and will be back on July 14th. Until then, pictures are being updated on Indian Road Romeo, WMWC's Rest of India blog.

1st Main, Kalasipalaya

2009-07-03T11:06:00.009+05:30

Apply glue

Crumple

Paste

Sandalwood Friday Release Series: Sticky Fingers

Finally caught up with the guy who does one of the most important tasks ahead of a Sandalwood Friday release. For the full (and ongoing) series of life around Sandalwood, click here.

1 Road, Ashoknagar

2009-07-02T10:02:00.005+05:30

The residents of Ashoknagar offer a coconut to a bone-dry public water tap to please the forces of nature that produce rain.

Meanwhile in Slumdog Maximum Zhopadcity, the residents face the same problem. See Water Woes by Anil P.

Pampa Mahakavi Road

2009-07-01T10:39:00.004+05:30

Krishna Byre Gowda works for the constituency even after his defeat.

A BBMP Pourakarmika seeks the help of a vinyl propaganda poster of the unsuccessful Congress candidate from Bangalore South to repair her rickety trolley.

New Pottery Town Road

2009-06-30T10:30:00.005+05:30

Three generations of stars stare down at Gandhi Gramam.

Which Nallah? What Drain? Series
New Pottery Town (Gandhi Gramam)

Gandhi Gramam, is situated on a bend in the drain that flows from Munireddypalya (JC Nagar) to Ulsoor Lake. The drains skirts the Defence land and as it enters the congested New Pottery Town, encroachments narrow and choke the drain. No wonder, a few millimeters of rain and the whole place is waterlogged.

That's also why this place is notorious for its water-borne diseases and the residents have well-worshipped shrines to the Christian and Hindu gods who protect children, who are the first in line when diseases strike.

However, the young and old men here have a different set of heroes. Paintings of their favourite Tamil film heroes spanning 5 decades tower above the steeples and gopurams of this drainside community.

See the full Which Nallah? What Drain? Series. Click here.

Pampa Mahakavi Road

2009-06-29T19:30:00.004+05:30

There are real people behind these masks
Vignettes from Bangalore Pride 2009 in today's Citizen Matters - Bangalore

Click here to view

Pampa Mahakavi Road, Basavanagudi

2009-06-29T12:38:00.014+05:30

Bangalore Pride 2009. The Rainbow Parade

I was just a few hundred metres away from National High School Grounds in Basavanagudi to see the beginning of the Bangalore Pride parade when I heard a song dedication from a man named Indraneel, a father, to his son Indrashish, on Radio One. The song: Ma ka ladla bigad gaya. He said that he hoped his son got his 'hidden' message.

Meanwhile, at the starting point of the Bangalore Pride 2009 parade at National High School ground stands a line of Television OB Vans, and hordes of reporters with microphone and cameras running behind colourfully dressed people, most of them in masks to cover their identity. While there were many who wanted to be interviewed, there were quite a few of them who kept hiding from the cameras.

Fidgeting on the fringe is a young couple, mere boys, holding sweaty hands for comfort and debating if they should join the parade for a long time. They didn't. They were put off by the media attention.

The people participating in the parade occupied a corner of the large school ground where hundreds of children and young men were playing their usual dose of Sunday cricket. They continued with their matches while looking and giggling at the colourful crowd that was congregating. Some of them came over and asked questions. They were handed over leaflets that explained what "Bangalore Pride parade" was all about. A group invited a bunch of expats attending the parade to play cricket with them.

Also watching the show unfold were members of the traditional Brahmin families who live next to the Chowltry (wedding hall) across the road. They watched with interest as the crowd slowly increased to a respectable number.

At the Chowltry, where Soumya was getting married to Abhinand, the guests came out from time to time to see what was happening. And when a group of transsexuals, looking for a urinal went into the chowltry, they were chased away.

Finally, after a delay of about an hour and half, the Bangalore Pride Parade finally started marching to the sound of drums and dancing. A colourful, long flag, held high above their masked faces provided the shade.

Cocooned in the crowd would have been a boy named Indrashish. Marching through the streets of the city among people whom he can call his own. Here he could be himself and not what his father or Bharat Sarkar wants him to be.

D Rajgopal Road, Sanjaynagar

2009-06-28T12:39:00.003+05:30

Local gossip, national news, sunday morning movie on the tiny television, smell of talcum powder, cheap after-shave, and the sound of the scissors snipping away. The lazy Sunday morning at a barber shop.

MM Road, East Ground

2009-06-26T11:04:00.010+05:30

The slogans on the walls of the maidan next to the Bangalore East station reflect the spirit of competition at the football tournament held here each year. The prize money can go up to Rs. 50,000 and the best player even wins what's called the Golden Boot. On holidays, the maidan is packed with different set of friends and teams, of all ages, playing tennis ball cricket and football but on a Friday morning, it's the playground of the local Madrassa.

For more pictures of playgrounds of Bangalore, click here.

Sankey Road

2009-06-25T10:32:00.002+05:30

Lure of Bangalore Series

Name: Hanumanthappa

From: Yadgir, Gulbarga Dist.
In Benglur for a week.

It's easy to recognise a person who is new to the city. It's the clothes a person wears and these days you will see a lot of people dressed like Hanumanthappa near construction sites across the city. The men usually wear simple, sweat-soaking, collarless, cotton shirt with a bright coloured band with a simple stitched pattern on the shirt pocket. They are yet to acquire clothes stitched in the city.

According to Hanumanthappa, it doesn't rain enough in his village, called Pulioor in the almost-arid Yadgir Taluk of Gulbarga District. So he's come to Benglur where he has a few family members who work as construction labourers. The 'Biradari' has allowed him to get a job at a construction site, on arrival. And daily wages, which is something agriculture cannot provide. Once he settles down, he plans to go back and bring his wife and son.

Click to see the complete Lure of Bangalore Series.

Dr. Ambedkar Veedi

2009-06-24T13:51:00.003+05:30

For Priyank: This is a monsoon shot for you from Bangalore. I think, the winds clear the air off dust and make the sky extra blue. Bangalore has the best skies in June.

Off Marigowda Road, Arekempanahalli

2009-06-23T10:28:00.008+05:30

The water cycle

Which Drain? What Nullah? Series

Long before the biblical David slew Goliath with a stone, our ancestors are said to have walked across continents with their blunt stone implements and flint stones, burning and killing 'mega fauna'. However, we don't need such old fashioned tools anymore, we just have to use Thomas Crapper's useful invention to kill what remains.

I found this wall in a studio that's housed in a scrapyard, which like all other scrapyards is situated on the banks of a Nullah. This one, the drain that starts from Lalbagh and flows east.

Tank Bund Road, Subashnagar

2009-06-22T10:27:00.003+05:30

Outside the Kempegowda Bus Station is this Tamilian with an interesting hairstyle. He's originally from near Kollegal and sells toys, perfumes and other things that travellers pick up on their way back home after a trip to Benglur.

Hanumanthappa Road, Gandhinagar

2009-06-20T11:12:00.009+05:30

People beginning to gather for the snake show outside Sam Fashions. This happens every Friday morning.

Here are some earlier pictures of this Friday ritual (the day of Sandalwood movie release) when the snake charmer hadn't allowed me to take pictures of the snake : Character Artists Around Namma Theatres.

Guttahalli Main Road

2009-06-19T11:26:00.003+05:30

Streetlit Bangalore

Dickenson Road

2009-06-18T09:03:00.007+05:30

There are said to be 330,000,000 Hindu Gods. Adding 2 more from the Levant will not make much of a difference. However, I'm not so sure if the Pope would approve of the Virgin Mother(in a saree) and her Infant son (in a frock) and the mandatory dots on their foreheads adorning the wall of the roadside Ganapathy Shrine opposite RBANM School on Dickenson Road.

Tank Bund Road

2009-06-17T16:55:00.001+05:30

Bus Art.

See the full Bus Art Series here.

Pormenade Road + Davis Road

2009-06-17T10:59:00.003+05:30

School gates.

Church Street

2009-06-16T15:31:00.004+05:30

By Toutatis! I have a caste mark on my forehead.

Found it outside a store selling new and second hand books.

NR Road + Pottery Road

2009-06-12T11:04:00.004+05:30

Translation: "Excess love is injurious to life/health"

Translation: "Pray for Karnataka"

Susheela Road, Chickamavalli

2009-06-11T10:20:00.007+05:30

Oora Habba, Chickamavalli.

The people of Chickamavalli, that borders Lalbagh, near the West Gate, prefer to retain the social structure of the village that it has been for centuries. They have a small and well-knit community surrounded by the urban jungle called Bangalore. And this week, they are celebrating their togetherness with The Chickamavalli Oora Habba or the Chickamavalli Village Festival.

All the men have taken the day off from work to lend a hand in arranging the festivities. To cook, to manage the various pujas, decorations and crowd at the little shrines that dot the clean, narrow lanes of the 'village'. The children have skipped school and are waiting to play on the swing next to the main shrine. The women have pulled out their best clothes and are doing the rounds of the different shrines with thaali-full of offerings. And more than a few women are parading their daughter-in-laws wrapped in silk sarees and covered in gold, while policemen on duty snore in their patrol vans.

Each Galli in the village seems to have its own character. The Grama Devate Road (Village Goddess Street) is cordoned off with pandals and spicy chicken curry is being prepared. The Venkataswamy lane is where the rice and the vegetable dishes are being cooked. And at the central Susheela Road, the tables have been laid out for the big lunch where the entire village will be served.

The most popular shrine seems to be the one dedicated to Bisilu (Sunshine) Maramma that's on the main road, opposite the Kempe Gowda statue. And can there be a better time than now to have the habba, now that summer is over?

Chicken being prepared for the feast.

Dressed in fresh flowers, silk, gold and stones, the Bisilu Maramma on her chariot.

The protectors.