Crazy city ...
Yesterday I got to spend some time with Zayd, and boy he's grown --- its amazing to see him as a young man. Its like I blinked and he grew up ... no longer is he little Zaydu basha. But as an adolescent, he's focused, organized and has it together. Impressive :) Anyhoo, he took me to the Forum, which is Bangalore biggest mall - with an 11 theatre multiplex [largest in the country], and we saw Batman Begins. It was cool - a little too much violence for my taste, and I was a little put off by the weird East Asian mysticism that seems to come standard with most movies these days.
But let me tell you about the Forum. Essentially, its any-mall-in-the-world, except of course that it has more india-based stores, however -- it is constantly packed. Now, I've heard about this - people have been telling me forever that there is a constant crowd at the Forum, but I didn't expect what I saw. We drove up from the back entrance [smart move, the front entrance to the parking lot is a nightmare!], and there is a line of cars, probably 15 long, waiting to get into the parking lot. The ticket gate thing - you know where you push the button and get a ticket for parking, yeah that thing - is manned by three people, one of whom pushes the button, retrieves the parking ticket, and hands it to you. Yes, I'm serious - there is a person standing by the ticket machine all day, pushing the button and handing it to you. 'nuff said.
Once you find parking, which seemed like an impossibility to me, even though the parking lot that has the capacity for about 800 cars, you maneuver your way to the mall - forget about taking the elevator. When you finally get inside, you're overwhelmed with lights, stores, people - oh my lord, the people -- so many people. Swarms of them, its like post-Thanksgiving shopping ALL THE TIME. Insanity. Most of the people come for the multiplex, which, by the way is VERY interesting --- first of all, there are three different kinds of theatres you can watch the movie in. There's Classic, Europa and Gold Class. Gold Class has the super plush, flat reclining chairs, includes a certain amount of food coupons - food is served TO you- IN the theatre, AS you watch the movie. Classic is the basic set up, the seats recline a little - I thought it was pretty comfortable.
Side note - one thing that annoys me to no end -- cell phones. People LEAVE their cell phones on during the movie [not even on silent], and ANSWER the phone, in a regular tone - to tell the person on the other end that they're in a movie. ARRGGH! For the love of God, if you can tell whoever called that you're watching a movie - you can let the call go, and call 'em back in an hour.
Another interesting aspect of the movie theatre -- there are people that come to you, as the movie is going on, asking you if you want something to drink or eat. WEIRD. Anyhoo, it was an experience - I'd definately go back to the multiplex, but am making a mental note to sit in the middle of the theatre.
Food Court - this place is awesome. There's ALL kinds of food - mexican, mughlai [indian], chinese, shwarmas and falfel, south indian food [idlis, dosa's, etc] desert, subway --
So, this is the new Bangalore. The Bangalore of Old is personified by people like Mohd. mama, and places like the Club - simple, calm, relaxed, patient, sleepy - it was a city where who you were [in terms of lineage] meant more than who you knew, or how much you had. The new Bangalore - well, I'm just beginning to see what its like. From just driving around, I can see that the relaxed pace is gone - there is no patience, no sense of courtesy on the road. I see traces of the calmness in some of my old friends that haven't changed with the city. The ones who stop to take pictures of the Bangalore of Old before its all torn down and converted into one huge store front. And those that wake up early on Sunday morning to feed the pigeons that flock to the Athara Kacheri [Karnataka's High Court - translation: Eight Courts]. The sleepiness of this little town has been slapped out of it - and its running full speed ahead. But here's the problem - this town was never meant to be a huge city. It was never planned to be a huge city, no one anticipated this kind of growth. The answer to the boom has been to develop the old into the new ---- tear down the old bungalows of mortar and brick that we were once proud of, homes and offices that hold a history of what was once the jewel of the south. Put up glass buildings that house people that can't see this city for what it is ... a little town holding up really big names. Names and people change, but history remains the same. What will future Bangaloreans see in their history?
It seems odd huh, I'm talking about all the huge advancements that are being made, but just went on for a whole paragraph putting holes in it [at least that what I hope I did]. Here's why I wrote that paragraph. I was on my way back from visiting Ishaan, and was waiting at a traffic light, and a little boy came up to the car, his outstreched hands open, pleading with me for some money. I didn't have any - and I told him that. I said, I don't have any money to give you [I really didn't]. And I stopped, and thought to myself - how can I even say those words. I'm driving a car with half a tank of gas, I just returned from a filling lunch, and I'm telling this child that I have no money to give him. It would have been better if I hadn't said anything at all. It amazes me - 24 hours previously, I was at the Forum - what I assume to be a multi-million rupee [maybe even dollar] mall, and this child is homeless and on the street. The irony of it.
Here's how I feel, and this is only my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. Instead of building multimillion dollar malls, why not spend a fraction of that rehabilitating the city? A mall next to a slum is still a mall, but a mall next to a school that educates and houses street children is more than just that. A child with no opportunities looks at a mall that he could never walk into, let alone afford to shop or eat there [on that note, the guy pushing the button for the parking tickets probably can't afford it either], probably with awe, but also with a certain amount of contempt for those that can enjoy it. A child with a positive opportunities and guidance could look up with hope that one day, he or she would be able to go in there and enjoy such luxuries.
Whats my point? Well, just as those Bangaloreans that can shop at a mall deserve to be able to enjoy it, don't those that cannot afford it deserve a chance? There are equal responsibilities - for those that have, and those that don't have as much, both deserve equal attention, maybe one more than the other.
I'll get off my soap box now.
But let me tell you about the Forum. Essentially, its any-mall-in-the-world, except of course that it has more india-based stores, however -- it is constantly packed. Now, I've heard about this - people have been telling me forever that there is a constant crowd at the Forum, but I didn't expect what I saw. We drove up from the back entrance [smart move, the front entrance to the parking lot is a nightmare!], and there is a line of cars, probably 15 long, waiting to get into the parking lot. The ticket gate thing - you know where you push the button and get a ticket for parking, yeah that thing - is manned by three people, one of whom pushes the button, retrieves the parking ticket, and hands it to you. Yes, I'm serious - there is a person standing by the ticket machine all day, pushing the button and handing it to you. 'nuff said.
Once you find parking, which seemed like an impossibility to me, even though the parking lot that has the capacity for about 800 cars, you maneuver your way to the mall - forget about taking the elevator. When you finally get inside, you're overwhelmed with lights, stores, people - oh my lord, the people -- so many people. Swarms of them, its like post-Thanksgiving shopping ALL THE TIME. Insanity. Most of the people come for the multiplex, which, by the way is VERY interesting --- first of all, there are three different kinds of theatres you can watch the movie in. There's Classic, Europa and Gold Class. Gold Class has the super plush, flat reclining chairs, includes a certain amount of food coupons - food is served TO you- IN the theatre, AS you watch the movie. Classic is the basic set up, the seats recline a little - I thought it was pretty comfortable.
Side note - one thing that annoys me to no end -- cell phones. People LEAVE their cell phones on during the movie [not even on silent], and ANSWER the phone, in a regular tone - to tell the person on the other end that they're in a movie. ARRGGH! For the love of God, if you can tell whoever called that you're watching a movie - you can let the call go, and call 'em back in an hour.
Another interesting aspect of the movie theatre -- there are people that come to you, as the movie is going on, asking you if you want something to drink or eat. WEIRD. Anyhoo, it was an experience - I'd definately go back to the multiplex, but am making a mental note to sit in the middle of the theatre.
Food Court - this place is awesome. There's ALL kinds of food - mexican, mughlai [indian], chinese, shwarmas and falfel, south indian food [idlis, dosa's, etc] desert, subway --
So, this is the new Bangalore. The Bangalore of Old is personified by people like Mohd. mama, and places like the Club - simple, calm, relaxed, patient, sleepy - it was a city where who you were [in terms of lineage] meant more than who you knew, or how much you had. The new Bangalore - well, I'm just beginning to see what its like. From just driving around, I can see that the relaxed pace is gone - there is no patience, no sense of courtesy on the road. I see traces of the calmness in some of my old friends that haven't changed with the city. The ones who stop to take pictures of the Bangalore of Old before its all torn down and converted into one huge store front. And those that wake up early on Sunday morning to feed the pigeons that flock to the Athara Kacheri [Karnataka's High Court - translation: Eight Courts]. The sleepiness of this little town has been slapped out of it - and its running full speed ahead. But here's the problem - this town was never meant to be a huge city. It was never planned to be a huge city, no one anticipated this kind of growth. The answer to the boom has been to develop the old into the new ---- tear down the old bungalows of mortar and brick that we were once proud of, homes and offices that hold a history of what was once the jewel of the south. Put up glass buildings that house people that can't see this city for what it is ... a little town holding up really big names. Names and people change, but history remains the same. What will future Bangaloreans see in their history?
It seems odd huh, I'm talking about all the huge advancements that are being made, but just went on for a whole paragraph putting holes in it [at least that what I hope I did]. Here's why I wrote that paragraph. I was on my way back from visiting Ishaan, and was waiting at a traffic light, and a little boy came up to the car, his outstreched hands open, pleading with me for some money. I didn't have any - and I told him that. I said, I don't have any money to give you [I really didn't]. And I stopped, and thought to myself - how can I even say those words. I'm driving a car with half a tank of gas, I just returned from a filling lunch, and I'm telling this child that I have no money to give him. It would have been better if I hadn't said anything at all. It amazes me - 24 hours previously, I was at the Forum - what I assume to be a multi-million rupee [maybe even dollar] mall, and this child is homeless and on the street. The irony of it.
Here's how I feel, and this is only my opinion, nothing more, nothing less. Instead of building multimillion dollar malls, why not spend a fraction of that rehabilitating the city? A mall next to a slum is still a mall, but a mall next to a school that educates and houses street children is more than just that. A child with no opportunities looks at a mall that he could never walk into, let alone afford to shop or eat there [on that note, the guy pushing the button for the parking tickets probably can't afford it either], probably with awe, but also with a certain amount of contempt for those that can enjoy it. A child with a positive opportunities and guidance could look up with hope that one day, he or she would be able to go in there and enjoy such luxuries.
Whats my point? Well, just as those Bangaloreans that can shop at a mall deserve to be able to enjoy it, don't those that cannot afford it deserve a chance? There are equal responsibilities - for those that have, and those that don't have as much, both deserve equal attention, maybe one more than the other.
I'll get off my soap box now.
posted by zai5h at Sunday, June 19, 2005
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