Hosur Road (Johnson Market)

It's a few meters from the choked Hosur Road, but miles away from its hustle and bustle. And if you want to calm you nerves before you begin a day at work, park your vehicle on Leonard Lane, and elevate your mood with a mixture of caffeine and sugar high, only a sweet Sulaimani can provide.

Good mornings begin with a glass of Ikram's hot brew at Johnson Market.

Ikram at work.

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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15th Cross Malleshwaram / Temple Street

Waiting for the sun.

Which Nallah? What Drain? Pictures of life along  the banks of the drains in Bangalore. 

Downstream from Sankey Tank. 

It's all downhill for the drain that flows down from Sankey Tank. Within a hundred meters from where the drain starts, it becomes a rivulet with all-year flow of sewage.    

Like Cauvery has Talacauvery, this drain has a starting point too. At the beginning of the drain is the Malleshwaram Dhobhi Ghat. The water required to wash the tonnes of laundry from hotels and households in Northern Bangalore comes from the groundwater that's charged by the Sankey Tank. 

These pictures are from the Ghat that operates from a temple that forms the boundary between Malleshwaram and Vyalikaval.   

View the full series of Which Nallah? What Drain?

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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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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St John's Road, Rukmini Garden

Last roar of the Tiger echoes at Rukmini Garden. 

At this humble newspaper stand, the headlines, and the language it is written in, changes according to the news of the day. However, there's one thing that will never change. The pictures of Shivaji Ganeshan that decorate the walls of this wooden box. The owner, who used to work  for 30 years in a cinema that played mostly Tamil movies is probably Shivaji Ganeshan's biggest fan. 

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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Nala Road, Shivajinagar

Like they say up north: Kamal keechad main khilta hain (the lotus blooms in dirty water)

Which Nallah? What Drain? Pictures of life along  the banks of the drains in Bangalore. 

Millers Tank Bed to Ulsoor Lake stretch.

The Nullah that passes through the crowded Shivajinagar begins from the high ground around Kempegowda North Tower near Mehkri Circle, flows down towards the Palace Grounds, Millers Tank bed and snakes towards Ulsoor Lake. Garbage and mostly rubble from the drain repairs impede the flow of water, causing floods every time it rains. 

And when it really pours, nothing can stop the force of flowing sewage and water. This picture from the temple situated next to where the Nallah meets Ulsoor lake seems to be asking the flood waters to STOP!  

STOP the flood waters! Or is the first family of Hinduism promoting the Congress Hand?

The full series here: Which Nullah? What Drain?

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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Nala Road, Shivajinagar

Which Nallah? What Drain? Pictures of life along  the banks of the drains in Bangalore. 

Raja Kaluve (Primary Drain)

Like all Indian cities, towns and villages, it's the life that spills on to Benglur roads that make street photography interesting. While the source of most of this blog's pictures, the mains and crosses, form the arteries of the city, there's an important geographical feature that acts as the city's veins. The city drains. The main ones are called the Raja Kaluve and they are usually in the news when there's excess rain. However, these stinking, black veins filled with garbage,  are no less interesting than the city roads. Its concrete lined banks burst with life and economic activity like this stretch of the Raja Kaluve, called simply as the 'Nallah' in Shivajinagar.  

This is an open to elements 'kennel' that sells 'breed' dogs on the banks of the Raja Kaluve. 

Also see picture of what a drain looks like: Galeej Playboy of the Old Sunkal Road Drain (Double Road)

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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Makkala Koota Circle, Chamrajpet

When he was a little boy,  Chamrajpet Charles used to stand under this Elephant Slide, every summer vacation, and wonder: This Elephant is just like my favourite Uncle Marvin. Big, black, blue and silent from all the thulping from Aunt Mildred and his 13 children, with their running noses. All of them screaming, climbing and sliding all over him!

This slide is at Makkala Koota playground, Chamrajpet. Every generation of kids in this part of Benglur would have spent their summer vacation in this park, shaded by majestic trees, including Charles, if he was a real.  

Listen to Radio One's Chamrajpet Charles here.

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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Hanumanthappa Road, Gandhinagar

Sandalwood Friday Movie Release Series: 
Character Artists Outside Namma Theatres - The Snake Charmer

This guy is a charmer and not just of snakes. Every Friday, the day movies release and the fans hit the streets of Gandhinagar, he mesmerises them with his show that begins at 9am outside Sam's Fashion, opposite Sukh Sagar and National Market. 

He draws in the crowd with stories about how he took his Cobra personally to visit Sandalwood star homes to bless them just before a movie release. The star is usually the one who is having a release that week much to the delight of the fans. 

With a snake hidden in his basket, he engages the crowd with stories of the captive reptile's miracles and roles it has played in movies. He also uses props like pigeons, colourful seeds (blessed ones again) which he hands out to people, to keep the audience glued to his show. 

Once the audience is starry eyed with stories about how stars became stars and made their crores with reptilian blessing, he makes his few rupees blessing the audience. 

But the most interesting part of the performance are the stories around the snake he weaves, before he reveals it to the audience. The climax. (He didn't allow me to photograph the snake - he said that my eyes would be go blind if I looked into the snake's eyes with my camera)

I have seen his show thrice and each time he had a different performance. With his charming way with words and innovation, he would most probably be able to write better scripts than the multiple copies of the same violence filled scripts being dished out these days.   

 

Another character artist found outside Gandhinagar theatres - Dasappa

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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Cockburn Road

Dewar's refuses to change

Pubs hoppers ensure that very few pubs or bars stay in fashion for a long time. And the pubs, bars and restaurants are forever trying to reinvent themselves to changing (and often fickle) consumer tastes. However if you are an establishment that has something that's going right for you, the best thing to do is - refuse to change. And that's exactly what Dewar's Bar on Cockburn Road, that opened in the 1920s, a short hop from the Cantonment Railway Station has done.

The official story however is that the owner of the bar requested his son not to change a thing about the Bar after his days, when he passed away in the early 90s.

The building is the same. The bar behind the counter is the same. The round rosewood table that was originally imported from Singapore looks age proof is the same. The well covered lady selling under the gaze of somarasa drinking gods and goddesses is the same. Even the fans move at the same speed that was set when Bengaluru had the famous Bangalore weather.

And when the power goes off, there's no back up power. The building keeps the interiors pretty cool on the hottest May afternoon.

However, what keeps the place going is the clientele. That hasn't changed much too. The bar is cheap enough for the daily wage earners and porters (coolies) from Cant. Station to stand and drink as patrons who come in petrol-drinking sedans sink into the cane chairs and escape from the world for a short while.

However there is one more reason why this place stays on the must-visit 'kudix' place of Benglur - it's the thindi or food. To be more precise, it's the spicy fare that you get to line your stomach walls as you down your drinks.

The preparation of the food at Dewar's is outsourced to Richard. Richard is an Anglo-Indian, who still calls himself a mechanic from Malleshwaram. While fixing bikes is what he loves most, he makes a lot more money by honing his hobby, cooking, at Dewar's.

The most popular dish apart from the regular chicken dishes is the must-try Fried King Fish. The other popular dishes that draws in the people are the liver, kidney and offal fries. Don't squirm - it's yummy and worth a try. Remember, this is the part of Benglur that relishes - Kutti-pi.

Richard, who studied at St Germain close by, works in this small kitchen, next to the entrance that hasn't changed for ages too.

There's one more thing that hasn't changed. The toilet, that is also the store room for old bottles. The owner refuses to change the plumbing too it seems. However, there are enough buckets of water stored to keep the place stink-free.

Which main? What cross? has been written about in today's Deccan Herald. Read 'Images from Urban Life".

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

Hosur Road (Electronics City)

Temple of modern India

Thank you Chacha Nehru. Thanks to you, throughout independent India's short history, every free market thug, non aligned despot, communist looter, or self proclaimed king who visited Mera Bharat Mahaan using their tax-payers' money have been dragged to Bangalore to visit the temples of modern India. For a long time, the itinerary usually involved a visits to the industrial plants of the Garden City - HMT, HAL, BEL, and the other possible combinations of the shabd mala. This was usually followed by a trip to Lalbag to plant a sapling that lasted a little longer than their visits. 

While the visitor profiles haven't changed much, Benglur has. The only difference is that they are now  dragged to Infosys at Electronics City. And if they plant a sapling, it's usually within its green campus.  

And the pictures you see above are outside the campus. That's the Hosur Road as seen on the reflective walls of the Infosys building. I think that it would be a good idea to make the visitors plant saplings on Hosur Road. 

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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B Street, Fort

Garden City Express. 

They are the moving steel canvasses of India. And the private buses that connect Benglur with neighbouring towns and villages are no less colourful than their counterparts across the country. The Bus Art of Benglur - See the full series here. 

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