Bangalored....2

There is a strange feeling when you go out on the roads here… to feel reasonably secure you must be in a four wheeler… bigger the vehicle more secure you are… for traffic sense is near zero in Bangalore. Driving bikes on footpath is very common… generally big vehicles do not care for bikers or pedestrians. Seeing notices about sad demise of someone while traveling on bike has become very common in office… here signals have no meaning unless a traffic police is present to enforce them. When I compare this to Mumbai I think of a common difference… the one between the “Rich” and the “One having lot of money”. When you get a lot of money all of a sudden you have what the “Rich” people have except the manners. This is what I see on streets of Bangalore. People have got four wheelers but not the traffic sense to stop dutifully at signals.

But it is not that major chunk of the city is rich…there is a sharp divide seen between the “have” and “have not” of the city. The reason is that this city is not like Mumbai or Delhi where many different businesses are booming at the same time. Here it’s only about IT and BPO’s. So people associated with these sectors are among the “Have” group. They are the ones who are generally seen going to big malls and spending money on branded stuff and all… and most of them are from outside of Bangalore or Karnataka

This seems to have resulted in aspirations among the” Have Not” group to earn a lot of money. But instead of making some honest efforts, some of these people seem to have found a shortcut. The crime rate is going high… and the targets? Obviously all those in the IT and BPO sector… this is multiplied by the fact that most of the people are from outside and staying alone. Earlier they used to rob u at gunpoint or used to manhandle people and rob them. But now there is a new trend… they kidnap you... take to atm and beat you up till you hand over the card and pin to them. Don’t ask about guards at ATM… they themselves are caught trying to break into the machines by stealing security codes.

Another thing I observe about Bangalore is the presence of flag poles painted in red and yellow spiral strips. You can see these flag poles everywhere. It is quite obvious that these are for hoisting the state flag which is red and yellow in color. But one seldom see the flag hoisted… even on the “Kannada Rajyotasava” that is the foundation day of Karnataka many of these poles do not carry flags… at some places these poles carry flags throughout the year and year after year…. The flag is torn… blackened…but no one bothers to change it…

This city looks surprisingly young. Thanks to the highest density of educational institutions coupled with high number of IT and BPO companies where most of the employees are in the twenties. Everywhere you go you see young people around and the impact can be seen on the older generation as well. One can easily see older people roaming in the malls with younger ones and helping them selecting jeans and t-shirts and tops and all….

A few more… I guess I need one more post…