1st Cross, Seppings Road

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

Beere Devara Gudi Street, Jolly Mohalla

The Iron Lady of Jolly Mohalla and her workspace. 

Kalasipalaya Bus Stand

Surviving Trades Of Benglur - The metal cutters. 

Meet Muthu. For 30 years he has been working in a small workshop that's next to the Kalasipalaya Bus Stand. Out of school after basic education, he started off as an assistant and cleaner, then worked his way up to operate machines he was only allowed to clean. Starting withe the cutting (hacksaw) machines,  the lathe and finally the milling machine. Today, he is the partner in the workshop. 

In the age of CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled) Lathe and Milling Machines, this workshop that solely relies on the skills of people is a throw back to the 70s and 80s. That was the age when mechanical engineering ruled. And with establishments like HMT (Hindustan Machine Tools) and BFW based in the city, Bangalore not just produced the machines and tools required for a cash-strapped socialist India, it also produced the best people to operate the machines. 

Today, the land where HMT factory stood has been cut and parcelled out to real estate developers. Most large industries have acquired modern machines but to this day, hundreds of little workshops like this one dot Bangalore. From Peenya to Jigani; Magadi Road to Hoskote. And in Kalasipalaya. 

But what is the secret of their survival?

Computerised machines 'work-out' only if there are large batches of machined parts.  There are many industries in Bangalore that require small quantities and often they might require highly intricate parts that require complex jigs and fixtures and most importantly, highly skilled craftsmen. Also, larger firms out source work to little shops across the city. 

Here. there are many like Muthu who can convert any complex drawing you give them into high precision parts. They often require creative solutions and what is called Indian ingenuity that allows them to make complex things for a fraction of the the actual cost. 

If you walk into a workshop in Peenya, you will be surprised as the kind of clients they have. How do you think India manages to launch satellites to the moon for a fraction of the cost than in  the west? 

The Which Main? What Cross? The Exhibition - Is on until May 31st.

F&B Restaurant, Papanna Street, St Marks Road (on the right, soon after SBI).
Ph: 080 - 40 333 888

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Magadi Road

Fragrance of Bangalore.

Like most visitors to this blog, I'm a desktop traveller. We explore the world by meeting people from across the world online. Unlike regular travel, desktop travel allows the people we meet to see the world we live in too. And for me, this blog about Bangalore streets, adds colour to what I have to show about my part of the world. 

The advantage about being a desktop traveller from Bangalore is that I do not have to explain where it is anymore, be it to people from Thailand or Brazil, Eritrea or Bangladesh. While it is IT and outsourcing that has made Bangalore known to the Western world, for people in other parts of the world, their interaction with Bangalore comes from another product they use everyday - Incense sticks or Agarbhattis. Especially for people in Bangladesh, Thailand, parts of Africa and many parts of the near-east and west. 

Shanthamma - Ambassador of Bangalore. 

The Rs. 1,000 crore Indian agarbhatti industry, with Bangalore as the main manufacturing and marketing capital  is supported by an army of approximately 12,00,000 workers like Shanthamma. The labour intensive work is outsourced to women like her toiling away on the roadside like her or in the many lower middle class localities across the city and outskirts. These agarbhattis hand-rolled by Shanthamma will then be taken to small and medium scale factories to be immersed in fragrances, packed and shipped to all parts of India and the world. 

So the next time you light an incense, chances are they were made with care by Shanthamma. 

The Which Main? What Cross? The Exhibition - Is on until May 31st.

F&B Restaurant, Papanna Street, St Marks Road (on the right, soon after SBI).
Ph: 080 - 40 333 888

Click here to vote

Avenue Road

The Kores Lady.

There were many typewriting schools across the city when we used to write. And just a handful now that we key words in. See the full series of Bangalore Wall Art

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Thulsi Thotta Road

The size of the economy that thrives without a roof in Benglur is any body's guess. But if you happen to go the narrow streets around Chicklalbag, you will find the footpaths and the local playground filled with yellow sieves being dried in the sun. You will also find the people who make them (mostly women). These sieves are woven, coated with a turmeric paste to cover the gaps, dried in the sun and then dispatched to the markets. They are also sold to people who travel the city streets selling door-to-door. Who needs a roof?   

A link from Dhaka, Bangladesh: Lost Professions of Old Dhaka.

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