Tag Archives: Bangalore
THE AMRIT MAHAL-Bullish About Battles
I saw a magnificent bull standing in busy Taramandalpete the other day. While my overseas visitors were thrilled with the unexpected opportunity to photograph local transport, I was struck by this happy coincidence. Despite name changes, rusty signboards here continue to call the area Taramandalpete. The name comes from another time in city history, and this nonchalant bull […]
SAILING INTO THE SUNSET-the fishing fleets
Remembering the women from England who came out to make a home in India as far back as the 17th century. The post box at my gate seems to be filled only with marketing pamphlets these days. As I tossed them into the bin, one caught my eye. It announced the onset of the wedding season […]
SET IN STONE-The Viragallu’s of Bengaluru
Right opposite the Kantheerava Stadium is a painted temple arch tucked between the busy Mallaya Hospital and the swank five star ITC Gardenia hotel. It leads into a secluded square plot where old tamarind trees cast shadows over a modest temple. “Long ago, this area was just forested land near the Sampige kere (lake)” says the […]
MAKING A CONNECTION
Everytime I go looking for people and places from Bengaluru’s past, I end up joining a few dots and sorting out some puzzles and missing pieces in city history. But sometimes, there are more dots than one can imagine.I’ve driven past this building for ever so long and always wondered about it, and so it […]
Love is Everywhere
February has always been my favourite month of the year. It’s when the stardust from New Year celebrations and resolutions makes way for spring flowers. Birds speed date in Bengaluru parks and the bees are equally busy. Trees prepare to bloom, the weather is perfect.High above the city, the sky blushes coral pink at sunset. […]
Sudha Chats-Warming Up Winter
After almost two weeks of incessant rain, the city thermostat has dipped to what we Bengalureans might call a deep freeze. While older residents say this socks and muffler weather reminds them of a time `when we didn’t even have ceiling fans at home’, I tell myself that a cup of hot tea and perhaps a bonda-bhajji […]
Where There’s a Will-BK Mariappa’s Hostel
Nobody, not even those connected to his legacy really know what prompted a young man named BK Mariappa residing in Nagarthapete to suddenly write his will and testament at the age of 35. The document was completed around the 4th-5th of March, 1914 and the codicil was annexed on 8th March of the same year. Instructions were […]
Placing Bengaluru 