Annaswamy Mudaliar Road, Rukmini Garden

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

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

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

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

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.

Off Lal Masjid Road

Single young male in the city

1st Cross, Seppings Road

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

Sajjan Rao Circle

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

The Iron Lady of Jolly Mohalla and her workspace. 

Ulsoor Lake

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

Cubicle.

Pemme Gowda Road, Marappa Garden

Found! The prototype for most construction in Namma Benglur.

Assaye Road

Which Nallah? What Drain? Assaye Road Part 2

See Part 1 here

 

CIL Road, Matadahalli

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

Show Over

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

Click here for more Sandalwood related pics. 

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.

Platform Road, Sheshadripuram

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.

Cubbon Park: Hudson Circle Gate

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

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

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)

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

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

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

NH3 - Bombay-Agra Road near Igatpuri

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.