The LalBagh Nature walk. Bengaluru. Sunday morning, June 21, 2015.

We met just before down at the steps to the Glass house at the Lalbagh botanical Gardens at Bengaluru. On a slightly drizzly, overcast but pleasant Bengaluru morning- about 7 am. There were others who wanted to do this also & while they all came (about thirty eventually), we were introduced to him as the forever regular on this walk!! Every Sunday for the last many years!! & even though the others in the walk change every week, this guy instantly realizes the new ones as the same group!! Well, with his familiarity registered, he ( we were told) ensures the safety of the group against all hassles in the walk!! These may include snarling dogs, looking out for snakes on the grass, pushy walkers etc. etc.

Vijay, who led the walk (& turned out to be an non practicing architect by profession), started with the introduction to the Gardens. & how!! About the original forty acres established by Haider Ali- marking his thanksgiving for his wins at war, in the creation of an Islamic garden, to his son’s ( Tippu sultan) developed interest in using this as the development of internationally assimilated horticulture!! Tippu bought in plants from Persia, Malaysia, Iran, France etc. & used this garden to develop them into state resources. It seems genesis of the famous silk industry of Karnataka is a direct result of the mulberry trees that could settle in this area by his efforts!! & then of the British expanding it- what with the many superintends coming direct from the kew gardens themselves!! The many trials of an era of international study of plant species- the exercise in their transplantation in other areas & the major impact that the works of these have had in the present state of the world as is today!! Looks like almost all that we see, in the form of fauna in Bangalore is- imported!! Well, it’s a one world!!

With Vijay lamenting this great botanical Mecca of being used as a public garden ( he is a tree warden there & I guess peeved with the no. of people who use the trees to do push up & marking their love!!), we went on a walk of the most enthralling variety of plants & trees!! ( I missed seeing many birds though!!) It started with the tallest tree in this garden- cousins to the Christmas trees introduced to the world from someone & from somewhere near Australia!! & the fact that this sailor loved them because the height was an advantage in locating land on sea!! Yes, a cousin of these is in the kew garden in England too!! We did the phycus krishnae ( excuse the correctness of the names!!)- the variant of the bargad that has cusped leaves instead- from the story in wchich the plant did that for Lord krishna to store butter in!! & there were a riot of tress from the new lands!! So many!! & I always thought that they were Indian!! So much for nationalistic chauvinism!!

Between the stories of the travel of potato ( & its connection with the wins of napoleon!!), I remember seeing the Mexican tea tree, wild banana tree- ah & the mango tree planted by Tippu himself!! & The Mayflower & the daffodils on the ground- straight out of woodsworth & the stories from the Bible!!

The Glass House, around wchich the walk was about centered, is a amazing structure too!! Styled after the crystal palace it was to be a place for flower & vegetable shows!! A fine piece of archaic architecture!! Competing with the 4 million year old fossil nearby- for public reveration!!! & then there was the silk cotton tree/s!! jeez!! Big, big big!! I mean from the ones I have seen before!! All garneled & buttressed by itself!! & what a shame that it has to cordoned off to escape the insult of being marked upon by the love of the idiots!!

The breakfast at the original MTR (tiffin room) building was the rue to finish the walk!! Leaving the Garden form an gate with a freshly painted ‘lost & found’ keys board- the breakfast is the most amount of stories I have had for any meal ever!! The quaint & bustling eating activity of the hall, made me miss some part of the connection between MTR, rawa idli & world war 2!! & the Manglore grape juice & the finest wines in the world!! & the name of the “Chandrahara” dessert being picked from the name of a nearby screening movie!!  & BTW, the chandrahara is an 1000 calorie dessert not to be missed!!

Well, we had to leave!! Vijay, the many companions we made, the bad acoustics of the original MTR house!! Fed on stories & the trees & the food that represented them!!

He of course stayed behind at the Gardens!! Vijay told us that this Dog has not been named by him in the last many years that he follows this walk group of his!! Meeting him on the rock, sharp every Sunday!! Takes on the responsibility of the protection of the group & has never been bribed with anything ever- food or otherwise!!

Architecture is Dead- as also a survival kit for those who may still perform it.

Epilogue:

The name of the book is half in jest & full in seriousness. Together its is supposed to be 150% in itself.

It- Architecture ( yes it was gender neutral) must have been dead for a long time now, but since its a non physical creature, that is known by its subjectivity, i guess no one realized it was dead. There were signs of it around, but the day the news hit home to me when a group of ladies in a evening party informed me why architects were better than interior designers. Oh, i d like to know that- i said, mentally preparing myself to talk about the ethereal nature of my job at the end of it. Well, the lady concurred- because unlike interior designers they know about piping, wiring etc. also!! what?!! come again!! Yes, yes, they d rather hire an architect to do their house- at least in the initial stages- & then maybe an interior designer lady to finish it!! Lady? Yes, they are better at interior design!! Have you heard of corbusier? Of course, they had!! Wouldn't they know their social history well!! They also knew of Lutyens & of architecture being the reflection of the state of the society!!! Then? pipes!! Oh, that!! That's different kind of architecture that are talking about!!

Ah, Excuse me? So what kind of architecture, that makes one better than an lady interior designer but not comparable to the type done by le corbusier or Edwin lutyens, am i doing? & Why just me, all those others i know- older, younger, famous, un famous etc. etc.- doing?

Well, the social evening just stirred the news. There were more potent signs of it all around.

Like the property consulting firm asking the office to look into the "urban" design of the Aerocity they were designing!! Who was designing a Aerocity? A property management firm?!! Yes, they had been hired & now wanted to get a set of people who can give it a physical shape & with options!! Shouldn't it be the other way round? That a set of professional Urbanists be called to design a city ( or a part of it) & then the property management firm is used to sort out issues!!? Ah, no!! You see, there is an commercial angle to this development & the prp. const. firm would be able to look at the angle better!! & then- they are asking you to give options, no? Well, was this how Lutyens, Corbusier Or Niemeyer called to design cities that they did? No No, that was a different kind of city!!

Like the Owner who shared the inside knowledge of all the fancy houses in the fancy locality that he wished me to design a house for him at. That all his friends hire an Architect to do the "structure" & then the interior designer "designs" the house!! Ah? So what did the Architect design? The structure, silly!! That, sir, my structural engineer designs!! Oh!!

The Women by the Cemetery.

If you haven’t seen it, you must!! The York  Cemetery  ( The major part of the PrathviRaj Road Christian Cemetry)!! On the awkward side of the circle, off the start ( or end) of the PrathviRaj, Aurangzeb & Humayun road , on the Shah jahan Road & adjoining to the Khan Market!! Also, opposite to the Taj Mahal Hotel and near the Amrita Shergil marg, on the side of the Petrol Pump, oh- you get the place!!-) Incidentally, it also is the end & edge of the Devrish area of the Nizamuddin dargah!! Kind of the other extreme end of the Humayuns Tomb area!! I Guess the English needed to keep their distance!!-) & even from this issue, I can only guess the tough time Lutyens may have had incorporating all the symbolism required, into his city plan!!

However, locations apart, what makes the cemetery ‘English’, I guess, is that The Indian ‘English’ of the time of the English rule lie in peace there!! I am guessing the place must not have too many new occupants for a long time now!! . Buried here are, among-st others, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur & Lt. Col. Sir Henry Gidney-  known once as the doyen of prathviraj road!! To add to the cosmopolitan nature of the area are the contiguous Parsi & the Jew cemetery in it!! From the steady flow of the visitors that I see on days, it does look that whoever there are well visited!! & the florist outside sells the largest variety of flowers in the area.

What is also English about it is the brick boundary wall!! The linear spread of it, coped in stucco plaster & all cumulating in the gracious door design at the entrance. The opening of the entrance, thronged on both sides with pointed towers in brick, gives way to the view inside- of neatly laid out Quarters of vibrantly & imaginatively designed Tombstones. Ah- the tombstones- with designs that have a story of history  in themselves-is a matter on another day!!)  But the bougainvillea & the weeping willows, breaking the flatness of the immaculately laid out grass areas in between, are another reminder of the ‘English’ background of the denizens of this large property!!

But, but, but, that is not all what I set out to tell you. You could see it all on your own!! What you may not, is the story of the apparition of the women known to only those who go past this cemetery late night!! From the tales of who know, this is a women in a white saree, frail in description & with a face known to none!! It has been known to appear on the road adjoining the vast walkway on the side of the cemetery entrance!! Usually late night & most usually on foggy winter nights!! The Motorists, who swear by the apparition, tell about the suddenness with which it appears & the shrill accompanying noise!! & just as they have severed to save hitting against it, they have realized that they have actually been saved hitting into a speeding truck or such on the other side!! Of course, no one has seen beyond that, but the night residents of the taxi stand behind the hotel have heard the same tale may times over!!  But, Ah, in a city of djinns, what is but one apparition in a saree worth! Some saved lives, I Guess!!

The Humans of the Car Market.

As the Car stood jostling for space with the Garbage, making sure it stood outside it & yet leave just enough space on the road- I met these humans of the market. All same, all different- all belonging there!!

The Sardar gentleman!! Not sure if a boy or a men. In his orange tightly tied pagdi. With a scrawny beard, flowing only so much at the bottom. Poker marked face. Not too tall, & with a flowing pink shirt- breaking the dullness of the colors provided by the Cars!! Indians certainly like their cars in whites mostly!! Carrying a Bottle with visible Blue Liquid inside, this person wants to show how the product he is vending can remove all stains from the car body. He is carrying his entire supply in a brown cloth bag on his shoulder, and by the looks has been carrying it forever!! His body seems to have arched itself permanently in a way that it looks a part of his body proper!! Oh, Yes and his big smile!! Clean white teeth too!! I did tell him that I did not want his product. However, the friendly chap stays there, making me aware of the cars coming in. He wants me safe. & then Helps let me know the instruction of the mechanic- as to when to start & stop the engine!! I had to tell him again that I did not want his product. He again told me that that is all right!! & when we left, he left too!! The broad grin unchanged!!

& then the Battery duo!! Sent by the Battery shop owner to check the car battery. Both kind of same people- also in the sense that similarly difficult to remember for their looks. In Clothes that must be some kind of uniform for all the market workers- almost impossible to take a note of!! What is remember able is the efficiency & concentration of their job in checking & cross checking!! Diligent, focused & very informed!! Where do they get all this information from/!! That the battery is part of the original fitting of the vehicle!! & that too from a good distance of 5 feet!! & when told to give their non adulterated opinion on the performance of the battery they replied to what amounted to “ why would they not!! If a new battery is sold the person who is going to earn is the owner, not them”!! They sounded earnest!! & among these was the guy who was giving away the ‘bhagwad gita’ to the muslim contractor with me!! Only that I know that both of them were muslims too!!

Then the survey guy!! He came in very quietly, almost slyly, from somewhere and told us that he was surveying!! Holding a wad of photocopied papers in his hand- pencil in hand. He was dressed in Grey. I mean in the kind of clothing that can only look grey!! A Swarthy skin & hair that were neither silver nor grey!! Yes, the teeth were white!! He wanted to ask some questions about the battery & our choice. On my saying that I had to go somewhere & had little time, he said he d wait for us to come back!! & presto, he was there when we did!! Well, the questions were kind of basic- and he had the answers scribbled on most sets!! On finding my answers not in line with his, he changed a few of them, Ever so graciously!! Wasn’t really bothered- except that he wanted me to ensure that in case his supervisor called I was to let him know that he did survey me for half an hour!! Well, I was the one who was short of time!!) 

The market with no name. C/o N.O.I.D.A.

I am sure it has a name, but everyone insists its just the car market!! If I insist it has, then it must be next to the Gulmohar market, but a car market still!! Not that they sell cars there!! They actually repair them!! & going by the fact that the  cars are there, everywhere, in never ending rows & columns, in all directions & faces- till as far as the eye can see, in all stages of repair & dis repair- it must be a lot of cars that get hurt in the city!!

Well, since every car owner is bound to know it, it may only be of use to those its not of use, to know that it is opposite the Nirulas, behind the Savoy suites, below the new WTC building & in the general location of the sector 16, at Noida. Yes, Yes- its easy to reach!! & the roads inside were pretty wide once upon a time- a time before the cars came in for repairs!!! & now- they occupy every possible inch of the road!! But somehow, & that’s worth some study, no car ever gets stuck there!! They all move in & they all move out!! Call it some law, or just community participation of the cars & its people!!

It used to be a single storied market place. In neat rectangular rows, with an hierarchy & a close interspacing of roads!! Not that any of it has been lost- just hidden!! Behind the signage’s, the registration no. plates, the unused car axles, the no good tyres, the stacks of car batteries, the towers of boxed car speakers, engine oil, doors being painted & lots & lots of people!! & machines!! & Cars!! & more cars!! You go in & you’d know what this version of the “Bhul bhuliya” is!! Luckily for the new, the next door, not next really, glass & more glass building of the WTC lets you know where you are!! BTW, the WTC may actually claim this to be a part of its own trade operations!! The profitable part that is!!)

& then, in the middle of all this is the great garbage dump!! Well, it does have a dump in the memory of the efforts of the municipality to perform of its duties!! But, obviously it forgot!! So, there is garbage everywhere, of all kinds & no uses!! Of course, its used as an open toilet too!!  & the cars don’t mind!! The Humans need it!! The pigs just love it!! & the Changed oil in your car- guess it needs a place to go too!! This dump has its own morphology!! An active & ongoing struggle between the Garbage & the Cars- for space!! But don’t you make a value judgment on this please!! How else does your car get its bumper painted for one fifth the price of its richer cousin at the authorized workshop!! & you know these rich kinds anyways- not that they are “doodh ka dhula”-/ & FYI, they don’t sell the Chinese car tyres, or break pads!! We need them!!

You should take a walk!! Don’t worry about the dump!! The Chemicals, gases & the Oils have possibly killed all possible microbe life!! Its Safe there!!

& though they wont do it- I wish there was a study called the “Humans of Car market” initiated!! You d know that most come from neighboring towns! Are mostly of a particular community!! Can do almost all calls of repair- with no formal training in any of them!! & its not strange when a Muslim worker of a Hindu owned battery shop gives a ‘Bhawgad Gita’ as a discount for the Battery price to my Muslim contractor with me!! Because here, this issue of classification does not matter!!

"Smart" Cities!!

http://indiansmartcities.in/downloads/CONCEPT_NOTE_-3.12.2014__REVISED_AND_LATEST_.pdf

Ok, This is not to be an entertaining note so, I d write the byline for the last at first!!

Which third class journalists did they hire to write this note on “smart cities”?!!

Honestly, I went through the forty six page document!! Friends who can- please go through the whole document!! For others:

1. “A Smart city is one that has the following:

: Competiveness

: Sustainability

: Quality of life “

Hmmm.  Aren’t all cities to be these & more?

2. “ The general appearance of the “smart city” has to be pleasing & Clean. Page 9.That’s all that Urban design is about?

3. “A 100 Mpbs internet backbone coupled with 100% coverage of all the area by cell phone towers and a high level of telephone penetration will be essential to a smart city as most services will have to be offered online.”

Page 12.

 Your maid & driver is certainly not living here!!)

4. “ Good entertainment facilities make the people in a city happy” Page 13.

Is there a definition to this jingoism?!!)

5. “ a self healing smart grid” page 16.

Here is the agenda of the technology companies!!

6. “The HPEC ( high powered expert committee!!-) has calculated the costs to be Rs. 43386 PCIC ( per capita investment cost) over twenty years!!” page 23.

Not bad!! But considering the private companies are going to invest most of all this, be ready to be sucked back!!

7. The CRF ( citizen reference framework)!! Page 25.

It’s a lot of fun to read!! Also that they are going to take in the aspirations of residents of the city, who actually are in the future!!)

8. The guideline benchmark of population density is 175 pph on high transit links!! Page 34. “spatial planning”

There is a book on urban planning by Rangwala that can be referred!!)

  9.  & the only thing worth reading is the definition of the smart city by IBM as “ One that makes optimal use of all the interconnected information available today to better understand and control its operations and optimize the use of limited resources” Page 32.