Tuesday, January 10, 2006

My Hidden Talent

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others.
You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around.
The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it.
Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Missing : My Bangalore

The first time I landed in Bangalore, I was a precocious five year old, holding on to my mom's hand tightly!! It was the first time I flew and that in itself was a nerve-wracking experience for me. And to top it, my uncle scared me to death, telling me that people in Bangalore "did not hv noses"!! : P There I was waiting for the moment when I would come face-to-face with a "nose less" Bangalorean... but alas that encounter never happened!!

Newayz as a five year old, I was amazed at the journey from the Airport to Mission road.. wide, clean roads.. massive , shady trees with flowers the shade of a flaming red, the cool clime, a welcome change from sweaty humid Cochin and above it all the calm n peace even in the middle of the city!! Those were the days when even Brigade Road used to be two-ways (w/o a traffic jam that too!!). For a year, I stayed @ Midford Gardens, just off MG Road. That’s even before the Big Kids Kemp opened there.. n then later shifted to the suburbs of Malleshwaram, where my school was. It was an amazing experience growing up in Bangalore.. the cosmopolitan culture is unrivalled.. it was not as big, bad and dirty as the "big metros". Bangalore of those days still managed to retain the small town charm. Traveling was a breeze and as a kid we always looked forward to the long drive to the outskirts (a.k.a Koramangala!!).. This was well before IT happened.

But today, as a 25 year old, I watch as my Bangalore is slowly being devoured by unplanned urbanization, denuded by land sharks n realtors, left to rot by narrow minded politics and bled to death by us the people!! The city that i once considered the "best in India", as late as five years back, today can easily be the worst!! Just getting on the streets on Bangalore is a night-mare.. driving through the maze of traffic would feel like a trip to hell and back!!

In the past 20 years, I have changed a lot, some of it for for the good, sm otherwise. During the same period, my Bangalore has been replaced by this imposter city, which I hardly recognize!! I hope someday, somewhere I would find back, the city I grew up in.. My Bangalore!!