Today I had to go by MG Road for an exam. Somehow, once I cross Domlur and go towards MG Road, I feel the memories of the past flooding back. When we were kids/teenagers, a Bangalore-Mysore-Tumkur trip was a done deal at least once a year since all my dad's family was here. And when I start going towards MG Road, the old Bangalore visits always come back to my mind. It's like the Domlur bridge is a separation between my pre-twenty Bangalore experience vs my current life in Bangalore.
I used to quite hate Bangalore in those days, more often than not, because it made me miss school when I was very young and this meant asking permission from Sr Rose! (usually cosuin's weddings would happen in non-vacation times). When I grew older, it was more because Bangalore was more open cultured while Hyderabad (at least where I lived and grew up) was more conservative.
But somehow at the back of my mind, I always knew, no matter how much I hate this city, I will have to live here some day. Because I knew this is where IT was going to boom (at that time Hyd was still not so much on the IT map). And here I am! Today, I think of those days when I used to hate this place, I feel quite neutral to it, have adopted it to some extent as "my" town, and more than anything, look emotionally at it as the birth-city of my son :) But my past Bangalore and my present Bangalore have almost nothing in common. Since we moved back, I have hardly visited Majestic (maybe twice at most in four years nearly) whereas in the past that was the centre of my experiences. Sometimes I wonder, is this the same city that I used to visit? I rarely visit the same places anymore: Rajaji Nagar, Malleswaram etc)
On that note, I always feel, if my 13-year-old self saw my 31-year-old-self, it would be in awe and would want to emulate it. I guess that is a sure sign of having achieved whatever I wanted to (at this age, at least) and of contentment? :)
I used to quite hate Bangalore in those days, more often than not, because it made me miss school when I was very young and this meant asking permission from Sr Rose! (usually cosuin's weddings would happen in non-vacation times). When I grew older, it was more because Bangalore was more open cultured while Hyderabad (at least where I lived and grew up) was more conservative.
But somehow at the back of my mind, I always knew, no matter how much I hate this city, I will have to live here some day. Because I knew this is where IT was going to boom (at that time Hyd was still not so much on the IT map). And here I am! Today, I think of those days when I used to hate this place, I feel quite neutral to it, have adopted it to some extent as "my" town, and more than anything, look emotionally at it as the birth-city of my son :) But my past Bangalore and my present Bangalore have almost nothing in common. Since we moved back, I have hardly visited Majestic (maybe twice at most in four years nearly) whereas in the past that was the centre of my experiences. Sometimes I wonder, is this the same city that I used to visit? I rarely visit the same places anymore: Rajaji Nagar, Malleswaram etc)
On that note, I always feel, if my 13-year-old self saw my 31-year-old-self, it would be in awe and would want to emulate it. I guess that is a sure sign of having achieved whatever I wanted to (at this age, at least) and of contentment? :)
6 comments:
Baby, sickness, career and then Exams!!! wow how do you get the enthu!!Doesn't work and monotony tire you?
I wonder what a old time Kannadiga thinks about the massive change.Is their anger towards change justifiable?The inflow of talent from other parts of the country... How the green has given way to concrete forests
Ahhh..Sister Rose was quite the disciplinarian!!
Even i remember shivering with fright if i had to enter her room!!;)
You have a home here I guess that should make you love the place more .There's nothing like having a home, tending to it, and coming back home to your ppl every day!
there is a movie named "31 going 13". No relation !!
@Anonymous1 - No, it keeps me busy :)
@Anonymous2 - Yeah, quite a change!
@Anonymous3 - Yeah, that is true too :)
@Sri - Yeah, she was totally strict.
@Betaal - Yeah, unrelated :)
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