The city of many parts
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There’s one more to join the Bangalore-books bandwagon
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Nagara Halligala Naduve Bengalooru By R.A. Pushpabharathi
Panchajanya Publications, Rs. 50
Bengalooru did not become Bangalore with a bang. After turning into “bruhat” it is now being renamed as Bengalooru!
The imprint line of the book says it is a collection of research articles and the blurb claims that the designs of developed Bangalore have been specially analysed here.
The author examines how the cultural awareness of the people has been able to hold all the villages within it, even after being such an unabashed votary of modernity.
She tries to identify the factors influencing the transition and the cultural effects thereof. “It is not completely a city-it, for it has not lost its ‘ruralness’ (hallitana). Hence it is in a mixed state,” says the author.
However, she humbly admits that the study is not sufficient for the overall understanding of the city. She is also aware of the fact that pegging the development down to the 1940s is a serious limitation and that there are still many aspects to be touched upon like geography, education, post-Independence events, rise of the IT sector etc.
The two chapters, after a brief curtain-raiser, make an interesting reading. The history of the period 1537-1881 has been given a balanced treatment.
Though, the city under the direct administration of the British could have made for interesting reading. The footnotes however, imply a heavy reliance on three authors. The chapter on transition finds the author picking up from the analysis of Baragur Ramachandrappa.
At times there is a tendency to generalise, for instance, “The urbanisation of Bangalore did not limp at any point’ (p.3) There are some interesting posers: Why is Ayudhapooja is extended to modern gadgets? How do hi-tech hospitals and quacks selling native medicines brazenly co-exist.
Finally, about Bangaloreans, she says, “bullock cart mentality, but trying to fly in an aeroplane”. One can have reservations about some of her contentions, but it’s still a good effort for a first book.
H.S.MANJUNATH
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