The illusion called Bangalore- 1

I am usually a cheerful person, but the 1 hr 45 min ride from home to work to travel a distance of about 25 kms in bumper to bumper traffic was enough to make the cheeriest soul grumpy!

Bangalore is an extremely difficult place to live and work. It is only the the weather, which is pleasant through most of the year that makes it compelling to overlook the awful roads, the construction rubble everywhere, drivers on the road who have no road sense whatsoever, poor work ethic and the rampant corruption.

It appears as if growth in the city has slowed down visibly in the last 18 months. Except of course, the government PR machinery and the wonderful Times of India that probably have their head deep inside sand and are yet to acknowledge the stagnation of a city with a lot of potential.

Its probably a standing joke to check what futuristic building/ flyover/underpass/road/etc.... the Times prints on page 2 and 3 daily which is along the lines of the regular tease on page 3 of most tabloids. Yesterday it was the picture of an underpass on a road that first needs to be relaid, and one I have to pass through to get to Bangalore. That the underpass work is expected to be completed in 2-3 days is most ironic.

This much touted "Silicon Valley" of India has a good percentage of non Kannadigas who have made the city their home. But it is a little odd that all government documents and bus signs are only published in Kannada. I am sure the bureaucracy has its own reasons for doing so but what I would like to know is why then go on and on about Bangalore being the Silicon Valley? I doubt a visitor from the real Silicon Valley would be able to use the public transport here. And what about when a non Kannadiga on the roads needs to use the bus to go somewhere?How is he/she supposed to get to his/her destination? I also have no idea if any of the official documents we have signed state what they are supposed to state or are actually something totally random. And while we are on this subject, why should the recently concluded Bangalore IT.in have been conducted in English? Why not compel all CEO's to speak in Kannada while in Karnataka?

So why do we continue to live in this city if its such an unpleasant place to stay in? One reason is the undying hope and optimism that people have about things improving. Another reason is that Bangalore is a really cosmopolitan city because people from all over the country and from many parts of the world have settled here, mostly seduced by the wonderful weather.

More on this another time...