Thursday, February 12, 2015

Bangalore to Bengaluru




 I just can’t believe that I am looking at a piece of wood which is actually twenty million years old. But that is what the sign board says. Technically known as Tree Fossil, it is right now placed at the Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bangalore.


Had been in and out of Bangalore many times but this is the first time I actually paid a visit to the famous Lalbagh.
Had been there in the morning, but not early enough to see the morning birds.
The only one I could click was this one who seem to be looking back at me with his beady eyes. 


The early morning joggers were relaxed and they looked like the regulars over here.


The statue of Sri Chamrajendra Odeyar is slowly taking its toll, after all its been standing for more than a century.   



Had to click this as the contrast of the old and new can be seen here. The bandstand in the fore front could be from the British era as every public place had a bandstand in those days.  In contrast the steeple in the background is supposed to be the building owned by Vijaya Mallya. 


Enjoyed some authentic Korean food at a prominent outlet in Kalyan Nagar. I was fascinated by the small figurines kept at the hotel. 



There is a lot of change happening in the city including the fact that the name has been changed from Bangalore to Bengaluru. With the addition of the metro rail, the charm of walking down M G road is not the same. One has to pay the price for development I suppose. 
                                                                             pic source

On the way back home, I had some time to kill at the airport and tried the tea from this outlet known as Chai Point.  



You can pick up a chai as per your choice, and they have a variety to choose from.


I was impressed by their efficiency and cleanliness


It’s a pity that they don’t have an outlet in Pune.

I picked up a Dum Chai and sipped it watching our tricolour lazily swaying in the dusk.  


Come to think of it, there is a flag in front of every airport but we barely notice it in the scramble to catch that flight.


At the airport, I met an acquaintance with whom I had worked with in Pune. He is now busy shuttling between Germany and Bangalore.  While chatting with him I couldn’t help recollect the fact that some decades ago, I had worked with his father too in the same organization.
 

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think they have outlets for Chai point only at Bangalore and Delhi

trees said...

A tea lover, I'd often wondered why nobody had thought of a business venture providing good old Indian chai in hygienic surroundings and at reasonable prices. Then Chai Point came along.

KParthasarathi said...

The pics of Lal baug brought many fond memories.It is a very informative post.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
A wonderful ramble through Lalbhag... the heron is a smashing shot! YAM xx

Elizabeth Varadan, Author said...

My husband worked in Bangalore (he's from Chennai) about 45 years ago, and we visited relatives there about 30 years ago, when it was still filled with beautiful trees. Yes, it has changed a lot. We visited again three years ago, and Bangalore has lost much of its beauty. So many trees were cut to make way for development; the city has lost much of its original charm.

Nostalgia said...

Morning walk at Lalbaug is on the to-do list!

Jim and Sandie said...

Hard to wrap my brain around something 20 million years old. Progress is good but sometimes not pretty. The older I get the less I am impressed with progress. Loved your tour of the city.

Ze' Incarnate said...

Really felt that I was taking a stroll in Lalbaug.... And ended the day with hot tea... Thanks for the virtual tour pa... :-)

Bikram said...

I been to bangalore twice now and failed to visit this place :( .. next time got to go for sure

Bikram's

Sharmila said...

We stayed in Blr for around an year ... 2013. The structure for the metro is such an eyesore ... especially when it goes right in front of the Vidhan Soudha. It was such a beautiful and majestic sight from across the road earlier. Broke my heart. Even M G road is not same anymore.

Sunil Deepak said...

Loved that image of Chai Point chai! :)

hamaarethoughts.com said...

loved all the pictures specially near that stream of water... :)
reminds me of windsor (canada ) detroit river ,,and same kind people taking a walk ...

Locomente said...

Thanks for sharing the lovely pics and also yoir experiences...
I loved the contrast between old and new Bangalore..
And we certainly pay a heavy price for the developments!!!

Come back!!!

Joy said...

Thank for the free trip along with you.

Rama Ananth said...

Alas, Bangalore has lost its charm in the name of development. Now only a few pockets are there where you can see Kannadikas and some other South Indians.
We have nothing against the intruders to this beautiful, but along with them has come their typical culture and mannerisms, which has totally changed the picture of the garden city called Bangalore. Instead of finding Benai dosa/ Kalli dosa and Mysore masala dosas and puliyodharais and Bisebellabaths we have only samosas and kacohris and jelebis sold in every corner of this most polluted city.No offense meant to any body.

Linda said...

A very fascinating post and I love your photos.

A Cuban In London said...

That was a very nice post. Beautiful photos.

Greetings from London.

Jayanthi Gopal said...

Enjoyed your photo blog tour of bangalore. Especially Lalbaug. Although when the famed flower show is on, it is just way too crowded to be enjoyed. I would recommend a 2 hours walk of the Lalbaug botanical garden with Vijay Tiruvady ( www.bangalorewalks.com) on saturdays to enjoy the history behind the trees of bangalore.
Loved you blog.

This N That said...

Lovely pictures..It's always nice to visit other lands..We have a pretty well known Botanical Garden not far from here..Some of the exhibits are amazing..
Thanks for sharing..loved it

Jenn said...

Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures and for writing something about the place. Hope you get to share more. :)

Jenn
The Pink Lemonade Girl

Lux G. said...

This place looks so rich in culture and other things they can boast of. Beautiful

Olivia's Catastrophe said...

It sounds like you had a lovely day out there and had an inspiring trip! I can't believe a piece of wood could be so old... imagine how much history and how much that tree has seen in its lifetime. It must be aweing. As well as that, the food looks great :)

padmaja said...

Lovely post, now I feel like getting out of home and head towards Lalbhag!

Marie said...

that photo with the sun shining through the tree is amazing!

Anita Sabat said...

Have visited Lalbagh, but missed the tree. Will do in my next visit:)
Chai looks great!
Wonderful pics :)

Lux G. said...

I love chai! I wish they'll open a branch here soon.

Aren't trees silent pieces of history? I wonder how many lives they've witnessed come and go.

Sandhya said...

I had lived at Bangalore (yes, Bangalore!)many years back. My children were small and we have got sweet memories of admitting them to their first school, going to children movies, going by double decker bus...it was so peaceful! Now, Bengaluru is full of chaos. We used to visit Lalbag at least once a month, in those days! Now, don't feel like visiting

Unknown said...

I hope all the changes turn out for the better.

radha said...

I was in Bangalore for two days but was scared to venture out after the trip from the airport to my cousin's place took around 2 and half hour, while the flight earlier from Mangalore was just 45 minutes. What has happened to this city? And it seems to be spreading to other cities too.

Preeti said...

Wow. the vijaya malaya building and the british era's structure was a perfect contrast that you'd captured! Felt like we need to preserve our history even more - considering the fast outgrowth of private- wealth.

Meera Rao said...

Visiting your blog after too long but thoroughly enjoyed all the different slices of life you have captured. Will be sure to check out the Bengaluru you show here on my next visit there :)

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Shweta said...

You've captured sun in the 4th pic beautifully...also loved the rainbow like colors of the cloud in the picture with tricolour. Visiting your blog after a long time and as usual enjoyed reading the posts :)