Beautiful Bangalore

Bangalore is the capital of Karnataka state (fast fact: India has 27 states), which is located in the south west of India. Bangalore is known for being an IT hub, as well as for its cosmopolitan lifestyle and horrific traffic. I experienced all three.

I was in Bangalore for a maternal sister (Indian culture treats cousins as siblings) reunion (2nd Feb-9th Feb). My mom has an older sister and a younger sister. I have been living with my mom’s younger sister and her family since October. So then, one of my sisters from New Jersey (and her adorable 11 month old son), the sister I live with, and I, traveled to Bangalore to spend time with our other sister who lives there with her husband and son. Her husband works in IT- it was familiar to be in a household with early morning and late night calls with offshore colleagues. There was a lot of family bonding while we stayed there, as well as some exploration of Mysore (insert link here) and Bangalore.

Bangalore Palace was built in 1887 by Chamaraja Wodeyar and used by the Wodeyars while they were Maharajas (kings) of the state. Most notable was the Tudor (medieval) architecture and photographs from the time of British rule. I had never seen photographs from that time and seeing a woman in a flapper-like dress casually sitting with an Indian man dressed in a suit was a new sight for me. The palace is now used for social events and concerts (examples: Metallica, No Doubt, Ludacris, Elton John, Backstreet Boys).

We also visited Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath (an art gallery), Tipu Sultan’s Palace, the remains of Kempegowda’s fort, and Lalbagh Gardens. My favorite of all these was the art gallery. Not for the art normally on display, but for the exhibitions showing when we went.

Outside the gallery was a huge crafts market and inside there were three rooms hosted by local artists. My favorite was from a man named A. K. Govindan. He had this amazing piece of a tree trunk flowing out into beautiful green leaves and in the peaceful feel of the painting was centered a figure meditating. There was so much harmony between the elements of the painting. I loved it. Honestly lost myself for a few minutes just admiring the work. He is a friendly fellow who is not very well known, but is truly blessed with creative talent.

Other noteworthy items:

• If you’re looking for typical south indian food (idli, dosa), remember it is a breakfast entrée. You won’t find it at lunch so dine accordingly.
• Be weary of silk and sandalwood shopping; best bet is to go to Cauvery Arts & Crafts Emporium as it’s government certified and prices are good (less expensive than Mysore)
• Use OLA cabs if you are staying further away from the city and need reliable transportation. Amazing concept Bangalore has mastered: cabs on call. Call for a cab and get text updates as to where they are, prices are reasonable and cars are respectable.
• Traffic is bad. Don’t doubt the reputation Bangalore has.

Observations of India (so far...)

For those of you who are from India or who have visited India, this may trigger some memories... But for those of you who have not visited this country yet, here are some observations that may entertain you.

Mobile GPS
I don't mean an app on your smart phone, or an in-car system- I mean every rickshaw (three-wheeled doorless taxi) driver you can flag down. After being here about a week, I've grown accustomed to being in a car and having the driver (in each scenario, a resident of the state) pull over and ask a random rickshaw driver for directions. There is no shame in this and no one minds- it is entirely acceptable and assumed. The drivers welcome the question and many times, his passengers (if any) will try and help. An overall theme of community help has become more than obvious.

Traffic As Usual
Imagine any major intersection in the US around rush-hour, then add a few more types of vehicles (rickshaws, trucks, carts, motorcycles, bicycles) and a few stray animals (dogs, cows, donkeys). Now take away the traffic lights, and any sense of discretion associated with them. Congratulations, you just imagined an intersection in Ahmedabad. It is madness- plain and simple. A honk is not cautionary as much as it is just to ensure everyone knows you're present. Given all this madness, I still haven't seen any accidents. Somehow, there is comfort in the madness and everyone is attuned to it's presence.

Sari Shops
I went to buy a few simple kurta tops for the program (see example here) and was reminded of the joy and humor of sari shopping in India. Generally sari's are sold by men and the whole scenario turns into a show. The shop is floored with mattresses covered in white bedsheets and walled ceiling to floor with shelves of sari fabric folded and sealed in a clear plastic slip. Shoppers (and their family or friends who have come to help them) sit on the floor, cross-legged, and the owner or workers (either way- a man) show different fabrics. The humor comes through the salesmen's tactic to sell the fabric- he drapes it upon himself as it would look on you. To add the humor, as soon as you say you don't like it or want something just a little different, he throws the fabric at a coworker who folds the fabric immediately to be restocked. This process repeats itself more than 5 times within the first 5 minutes you're there. It's all done in good fun and an entirely normal process. In either case, I highly recommended sari-shopping as a to-do for anyone coming to visit India for the first time- quite a fun, lively experience.

Bollywood Music Videos

Mom and I went to dinner with family in Anand (the town my father's family is from- also in Gujarat and about 65 km southeast from Ahmedabad) and just as you may have seen in Indian restaurants in the states, the TV's showed music videos from popular Bollywood films. This may be a little naive but, I'm still shocked whenever I see the costumes worn on the music videos. It's crazy to see the women dancing around in skimpy outfits, similar to hip-hop videos, and the focus of the video being on the movement of their bodies. Obviously, sex sells, but it's just such a stark difference to the conservative apparel and interactions seen everywhere else in the country.

A longer than usual entry, but some fun/interesting observations I've seen thus far.