Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan Road

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

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.

Off AM Road

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.

MTB Road

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.

Brigade Road

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.

Sankey Road

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.

Broadway (HKP Road)

Lure of Benglure Series 

Name: Zia-ur-Rahman a.k.a. Zia Manipuri

From: Manipur. He's been in Benglur for 3 years 

Occupation: Butcher 

He loves his job, has an eye for style and loves Bangalore. He misses home and says that he would love to go to Manipur for a holiday later this year.

See the full series: Lure of Bangalore

Narayana Pillai Street

The Lure of Benglur Series continues. 

Name: Jeevan

Occupation: Security Guard

Originally from: Guwahati, Assam. (In Benglur for the last 6 months.)

See the full series here: Lure of Benglur
 

Jeevan says, "Bangalore achcha hain!"

Click here to vote

Avenue Road

(Image processed by Abhijit Dharmadhikari)

This is Rahmathullah, from Mulbagilu, Kolar Distirct. He is a Dervesh or Dervish, one among the many wandering ascetics who have decided to live a life of poverty. Behind him is the Dargah-E-Hazrat Manik Shah. This little dargah is tucked away behind a line of small hardware stores on Avenue Road and surrounded by sheet metal workshops and kerosene stove manufacturers. 

This is the identity card issued by Dervesh Welfare Association (Sponsored by the Govt. of Karnataka) and signed by the District Collector of Kolar. Rahamatullah tells me that it allows him to lead the Dervesh life of extracting a living by going from door-to-door without being troubled by the police. He also told me that he will be entitiled to a small pension but I'm not sure if I heard right. But yes, the card helps. 

The Dervesh of Karnataka, like their counterparts around the subcontinent, wander from place to place and shrine to shrine. And thanks to the Urs at the Cottonpet dargah, many of them are in Bangalore at the moment. Rahamatullah and his friends like these Qawalli singers, are camped here.  

Bellary Road

Lure of Bangalore series: Glow friend! A boy from UP selling glowing fashion accessories outside a Khadhi Mela.  

1st Main, Seshadripuram

Lure of Bangalore series: Daily wage workers from different parts of India, waiting for work.

Across India, in every city, there are designated spots where skilled and unskilled workers wait to be picked up by contractors. So if you have are looking for skilled labour or if you have a skill that will earn you a day's work, this place in Seshadripuram and hubs like Jalahalli Cross (Near Peenya) are for you. If you are in Mumbai, you would have seen the major hub on SV Road, near Andheri Station or outside any major suburban train station. 

This is a typical picture of India's Daily Labour Exchange. 

After reading the above, Priyank adds a non-trivial trivia. He says that in Mumbai, the unskilled workers are usually from UP and Bihar and they form a separate group outside MIDCs (Industrial estates). They do the risky jobs and the rate of compensation in case of death is Rs.10,000/- (unverified).  The case can't be very different in Bangalore.  Cheap labour comes from the north these days for most jobs not just in Bangalore, but also in the fields of sugarcane-rich Mandya. 

K R Road

Lure of Bangalore Series: The boy from Mysore making curtains out of bamboo(?).

OTC Rd., Cottonpet

Lure of Bangalore Series

Name: Mangal Singh Yadav. From: Agra, UP. Why? To sell these dolls he makes.
Mangal Singh Yadav has been selling these dolls for 40 years now. He started out from outside Red Fort in Delhi. During the Indira Gandhi regime, when pavement sellers were cleared, he moved to Mumbai. After a long stint there, he is now in Bangalore. However his family members, including his grown up sons, are in Agra. We were happy to note that both of us still carry our expired second class Mumbai local train passes with us, wherever we go.

The rest of the Lure of Bangalore series.

Park Road, Thulsi Thota, Near Majestic

Lure of Bangalore Series:
Name: Veeresh. Where from? Kurnool, AP. Why? Any work.

Museum Road

Lure of Bangalore Series
Name: Priya/Peeya. Where from? Manipur. What For? Wannabe Chef. Works at Hotel Empire as a kitchen hand

Arumugham Mudaliar Street, City Market

Lure of Bangalore Series No 5
Names:Kumar, Santhiran and Keshavan Where from?Krishnagiri What for?Daily wage drillers

Lure of Bangalore Series: Tamil Labourers, Advertising Professional, Bihari Construction Workers.

Curley Street

Lure of Bangalore Series No 3.
Name: Rajendra Prasad Where from? Uttaranchal What for? Works as a Security Guard.

Lure of Bangalore Series: Tamil Labourers, Advertising Professional.

2nd Main, Dollar's Colony

Lure of Bangalore Series no 4: Hard-tops march to work on a Sunday morning.
Where from: Bihar

Lure of Bangalore Series: Tamil Labourers, Advertising Professional.

Residency Rd.

Lure of Bangalore Series No 2.
Name: Tulsi Where from? Coorg What for? Following her dream in advertising.

Lure of Bangalore Series: Tamil Labourers, Security Guard.

1st A Main, RMV 2nd Stage Extension

Lure of Bangalore Series No 1

Smoke stains for the stove used by a family of construction workers. T Tamil labourers who worked here have gone back to Tamil Nadu after the recent threats of violence.

Note: They came back after a month or so.
Lure of Bangalore Series: Advertising Professional, Security Guard.