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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OTC Road, Cottonpet

This Benglur Street Photoblog is still stuck on OTC Road. And for good reason. Here, facing each other are two kinds of traders. One next to the Dargah that is manned by bearded men in serious discussion about life and music as they also sell lucky stones that ward of evil and bring good luck.  Opposite them is a couple selling junk jewellery with an FM radio blaring the local Hindi music station called Radio One. Who would you expect to make more money? My guess is that the it's those who do not look like traders. 

OTC Road, Cottonpet

Topless at Dharmasthala. Suits to work. Black tees to rock concerts. Bermuda chaddis to the beach. Silk sarees to weddings. Jeans and tee to college. Black lungi to Shabarimala. And here's what some people wore at the Cottonpet Dargah Urs. 

OTC Road

Like every other religious congregation in India, the festival at the dargah at  Cottonpet is also an excuse for people to come together and mix with each other. The original social network. And yes, there's a play area to keep the children busy.  

OTC Road

It's Urs time at the Dargah Hazrat Tawakkal Mastan and now is probably one of the best times to visit OTC Road in Cottonpet. The road is blocked late in the evening to set up the stage and hook up the concert size sound boxes. The music begins late and continues early into the morning filling the air with songs about love. Love for the lord above and his many forms that dot the Old Taluk Catchery Road (OTC). This road probably has the largest number of shrines rubbing shoulders with each other. Starting with the maginficent Dharmaraja Koil Temple on the Corporation end to The Dargah on the Cottonpet end. And that's the route the Benglur Karaga takes.

Yes. The Cottonpet Dargah has a special place because when the city celebrates its most important festival - The Benglur Karaga, this Dargah is a mandatory stop.  

OTC Road, Cottonpet

I got a lesson in advertising from a man without a home from Burhanpur, MP. Like a good ad, he made a pleasant introduction. He smiled at me as I was parking my scooter. I smiled back. With that attire, he had my attention. He looked like an interesting person to shoot. Then like a good ad, we started a conversation. I asked him if he was here for the Urs at the Dargah. He was. He spoke a wonderful Hindi that can only be from Madhya Pradesh. So I asked him where he was from. And then we spoke about the Gateway to the South, as Burhanpur is called. He spoke about how he travels from shrine to shrine, going wherever the man above directs him to go. Then we spoke about religion and when I told him that I was an atheist, like a good ad, he appealed to the decision maker in the home - my wife who is a devotee of the Sai Baba (I have no idea how he guessed that one). Then like all ads, he had an action point. He wrote down a little mantra that my wife could chant. And finally, he told me his name. A very long name. But he told me, not to worry, call me Sai Baba, that's what people call me. So there. Like an ad he gave a brand name that is easy to remember. 

To learn the basics of advertising, the best way is to observe godmen and religious groups. They do the best advertising in the world, not ad agencies. 

Coming soon: More pictures from the Cottonpet Urs.   

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.

OTC Road, Cottonpet

Silver hair, gold ornaments and flowers.
A lady sells flowers, cotton and incense sticks outside the Hazrath Sharfudeen Shah Qadri Dargah on Old Taluk Cutchery Rd. But why is she selling it outside a dargah? That's because this dargah is a major stop for the Hindu Karaga procession, making it popular among both Muslims and Hindus.

Binny Mill Road, Cottonpet Cross

Gujarat in Benglure. Also see Rajasthan in B'lore.

Obiah Lane, Akkipet Cross

Lure of Bangalore Series.
Who? Artists from Rajasthan. Why? To decorate a Rajasthani temple/community hall.

Cottonpet Main Road

The Yellow Cow.

Also from Cottonpet: The King Kongs Fight.

Cottonpet Main Rd.

Original Pic. The first pic has been altered using Picasa (crop, contrast, and saturation).

Related posts: Kaadu Malleshwara Temple, Someshwara Temple, Shiva Temple - DK Rd, The Priest and the Cobra, Caged Goddess, and the Temple on Bangalore City Station Platform (SBC).