Currently I am visiting Bangalore and seeing the winds of change....
Came here on May 8. No one can ignore the huge amount of liveliness all around you. So different from the Bangalore that I saw in 1998. "Economic Boom", the word that is being discussed throughout the world with regards to India and China cannot go unnoticed when you are in Bangalore. Young faces all around with full of energy walking all around.
Huge Malls have come up everywhere... Cafe Cofee Days are at every corner.
May 27, 2006
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Continuing with the previous observation... Its a fun thing to go to a mall such a forum mall and watch the activities of people. Its kinda hep to go to these malls it seems. Well people like go to have a cup of coffee and check out some hot women... :-) Most folks, I heard, just come, do window shopping, eat at the Transit, then generally chill out, find their way through the mind boggling crowd and go home. Hmm?
"Bangalore economy is booming"... You will hear everyone saying... Then you will hear the same person saying, "the traffic is awful", "Bangalore is going to dogs", blah blah blah....
For a moments, even I think, is this "boom" sustainable or is it one of those revisits of the bubble? I dont know. Only time will tell and I will have to observe. But I can definitely see that its a seller's market. No one gives a damn about the buyers. Real Estate is skyrocketing....You can buy a mansion in Austin for the price you pay to get a 2 bed room apartment in Bangalore. Is this justified? Hey!! who cares? Its a seller's market duh....
While I am happy to see lots of jobs being created , I cant ignore the gap that is getting increased day after day between the human beings. You go to Forum Mall, you enjoy a cup of coffee for Rs. 20, you enjoy a dosa for Rs. 40. Then come out , you will see a mother with two kids, one under her arm and one holding her hand, desperately trying to get a rupee or two from you. But what will she get for a rupee? You help her by giving a rupee? Dare you not.... Immediately 10 people will line up.... Thats what I experienced....
So where is all this headng to? Is it a fight for the status? is it a fight for the money? Is it like, "let me see how fast can i get richer"? I dont know. I have to see more as I observe.... IN the meantime I have to be equally open to both positive and negative things. I need to have the power to appreciate the good and criticize the wrong. Get awayed away by negativity or false pride.
When an economy booms, when more money comes in, a visionary plan should lead to an equal development of the community, a more value for life, more access to comforts.
I find it soo difficult to find the answers to these questions yet, in Bangalore. People defintiely have more purchasing power. They are buying cars, houses and all. But I have felt, the compassion, the value for life is degrading. God only save you if you meet with an accident on the road and its probability is very high.
The heart rending scene that I observed yesterday is going to go away from my mind for quite some time. Because may be I am not habituated to this. May be I have to habituate myself. May be when I usually see an accident in USA, the first thing I see is an ambulance rushing to first take the individual to a hospital. Yesterday, suddenly when we were driving , the traffic suddenly slowed down. Soon we realized that there was an accident and soon we saw a person lying on the road. Seems like he met with an accident. All we saw around were police, police vehicle and other crap. Where was the ambulance to rush that poor soul to hospital?
In the middle of all this economic boom, is the supreme value of human life dignity lost in the traffic and the roads?
May 31, 2006
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Damn it.... My laptop adaptor got fried . :-( I was working on my laptop and suddenly a blast in front of my face and smoke started coming out. What the heck was that? I am sure one of those power surges. This morning there fire crackers outside and I realized that some transformer burst ... Be careful with electricity here buddy or get electrocuted... :-)
Keep Reading as I add more of my thoughts...
Interesting Links I found on the web...
Garbage Crisis in Bangalore: by Sujatha Bagal
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2 comments:
Thanks for the link Sastry. Have you moved to Bangalore permanently or is it a temporary move?
You are most welcome Sujatha... That was a very neat article indeed and I thought I will link for wider audience to read too. I think I have moved permanently. I use the word "well" because can we really call anything permanent in this fast changing world? :-)
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