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FUNKY Town or Demolition Zone?
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Newsweek recently described Bangalore as funky. But, asks DIVYA SREEDHARAN, do we really qualify?
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Admiral Dawson with his 1961 Austin Cambridge Mark 2 in front of his bungalow on Viviani Road. His house is more than a century old. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
LAST MONTH, Newsweek listed 12 cities of the world it thought `funky'. Bangalore was one of them. Before we pop open that celebratory cork, it is wise to recall that in 1998, the magazine had done another cover on Bangalore, calling it "one of the world's hottest spots for high-tech".
Now, turn away from those flattering words and cast your glance around. What do you see? Certainly not "an alternative to the established chic of Milan" as Newsweek put it.
Pollution, garbage, choked and badly maintained roads, blaring horns, and crowds of people who cannot wait to dive into glass-entombed, centrally air-conditioned offices so that they can shut out the distasteful world outside. More often than not, these buildings house some IT or ITES company.
But whatever happened to the trees, the bungalows, the `salubrious' climate and, most importantly, where is the `old Bangalorean'?
Ronald Johnson could tell you where they all went. For seven years he has documented `old Bangalore', on his `Bangalore Walla' webpage (http://www.geocities.com/ronnie.johnson). And he has 3,000 photographs of Bangalore's once-unique charm. This pony-tailed guitarist walks you through the quaint Norris Road, Serpentine Street, Alfred Street, Walker Lane, Leonard Lane, Myrtle lane, and Alexandra Street, besides other lovely nooks and corners. He shows you old houses that no longer stand, genteel owners who are no longer alive.
Apartments abound Mr. Johnson's L-shaped 1965 home on Kings Street. "The builders wanted us to sell too; we refused," he says matter-of-factly.
After the flats came up, the water table in the area went down and two chikkoo trees in his compound dried up.
Bangalore's recently acquired funkiness does not impress him. "You can see such buildings anywhere, why come here for that?" he asks. What distinguishes a city is its character, its embracing of the old and the new, he says.
Glass-entombed buildings keep out natural sunlight and ventilation, thereby consuming a lot of precious energy.
T.P. Issar, former Chief Secretary, who wrote a superb book on our city's old buildings, The City Beautiful, published by Bangalore Urban Arts Commission (BUAC) in 1998, agrees. Like Mr. Johnson, he accepts change as necessary. "Increasing pressure on land creates taller buildings that are instantly recognisable anywhere in the world." But he is unhappy that such architecture is being transplanted here wholesale. "The `glazed (all-glass) look' appears smart and, in a way, futuristic but these buildings have no ventilation and consume more power," he says.
In 1994, Mr Issar, Naomi Meadows, a culture activist, and M.A. Parthasarathy of the BUAC wrote a government-sponsored report on forming a State Heritage Conservation Commission to `selectively preserve' important heritage sites in Bangalore and Karnataka. Bungalows had to be identified, they felt, as most owners could not maintain them and so preferred selling the land to developers.
To this day, the report languishes in a government cupboard, somewhere. But Mr Issar thinks public opinion can force the Government to accord heritage conservation a priority status.
Something `green'
In this jungle of `glassy development', there are architect and architectural firms that think `green'. One such is Total Environment Solutions which uses natural construction materials and lots of greenery. Sadly, unlike in the United States, we have no Green Building Council — an association of architects, builders and green specialists. Nor are there standards to qualify buildings as `environmentally friendly'. Certainly there are Bangaloreans think Newsweek's assessment of our city is well deserved.
"Design is not just about buildings but technology too. Some 100 global companies have their research and development (R&) and design centres here," they point out.
Another report
While on the subject of reports, there is one that Admiral (Retd.) O.S. Dawson, former Chief of Naval Staff and former High Commissioner to New Zealand, wrote on decongesting Bangalore. The Admiral, a member of the Karnataka Heritage Society, wanted to set up a Greater Bangalore Development Authority to "undo the mistakes of the past".
In 2000, he gave copies of his report to Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and all the civic agencies. Nothing happened.
Trendy vintage
Yet elsewhere, vintage brings in big bucks. Greve, an Italian town, was featured in The New York Times a while ago for preserving its heritage, thereby attracting more tourists (meaning more money). The town celebrates its architectural heritage, its cuisine and inherited customs, said the paper. Surely we can cash in on our heritage too.
In Bangalore, lack of funds is often talked of as the big obstacle. Not true. Why, the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike plans to send Rs. 20 crore re-laying pavements in Cubbon Park!
Admiral Dawson points out that Bangalore is, after all, part of an imperfect world. But, he says, "all we really need is commitment to see that what is right is done".
Information Technology gave Bangalore a global reputation, fat wallets, and fast cars. Pity, IT is also killing the city's character.
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