I was in a training session. During a break, the people in my table group started chatting. As it is usual in casual conversations in Bangalore, the topic moved to traffic and the amount of time it takes to travel. I was fairly sure I had the bragging right for the longest journey back home. However, what one of the ladies, who had been in Bangalore for years, said startled me. "I live at Kankpura, so it takes a really long time to reach home". I was surprised, but I quickly realized that she probably lives somewhere on Kanakapura road, not in Kanakapura town. I asked her "Do you really mean you live at Kanakapura?" "Yes" "Kanakapura is around 55 KMs from the center of the city, so from here it must be around 70 KMs. Why do you live there?". It was her turn to be surprised now. "No, it is around 25 KMs from here". I was now certain what she meant, but I was in a mood to play a bit. "But you said you live in Kanakapura". She gave me a confused look. I persisted "Do you know why that road is called Kanakapura Road?" "No" "Let's say you lived on Jaipur Road in Delhi... would you say you lived in Jaipur?" She was from Delhi, so she got it immediately. "Oh! is there a place called Kanakapura on that road? Now I got it!". "Do you mean you really didn't know that Kanakapura is a town 55 KMs down that road?" "No".
I am sure she is not the only person who has migrated to Bangalore who hasn't made an attempt to know much about the surroundings. In fact there are huge corporations, including banks, who make this mistake regularly. I live close to Bannerghatta road, so I see plenty of examples of people referring to the entire road as "Bannerghatta", although Bannerghatta is roughly 30 KMs away from Bangalore. For example, the "Bannerghatta branch" of a famous bank is NOT in Bannerghatta. It is in Bangalore, on Bannerghatta Road, at least 10 KMs away from Bannerghatta. There is a 5-star hotel and a huge mall coming up on Bannerghatta Road, 15 KMs from Bannerghatta, which says it is in Bannerghatta.
A lot of people seem to think that the entire road is called "Bannerghatta". The same applies to other towns around Bangalore, the most prominent being Sarjapura. One can see lots of other examples of people who know close to nothing about the state, city and area they live in. Our cities are not melting pots, but salad bowls.
very true!!, my friend
ReplyDeleteOk. I am guilty of this. Then again in my defense I just moved to Bangalore a week ago! :) Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleterightly said, I too have seen making such blunders. Real estate owners advertise apartment saying it is in bannerghatta but it in neither in bannerghata nor in bannerghatta road but some 10 kms off bannerghatta road
ReplyDeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your blog!
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And really, who can blame the outsiders? To score political points, they insist on making sure that road signs and bus stops and even the goddamn bus numbers are in Kannada ONLY. Would it really kill them to show signs in Hindi and English as well? Then perhaps the outsiders wouldn't be so disconnected from freakin Kannada life.
ReplyDeleteI lived for 8 years in Bangalore from 95 to 03 and studied in NLSIU. It's a really schizophrenic city, one that wants and courts modernity and success and merit and a highly educated workforce, but at the same time is so insecure and challenged by it that it does everything it can to force Kannada on them. And let's not forget the tokenism that drenches measures like ensuring that the city with the second largest number of drinking establishments in the world forces all nightlife to end at 11pm.