Bangalore, home to my maternal grandparents, has held a very special place in my heart. The charm of old Bangalore is something you cannot explain in words or see at once today. You need to have experienced it over decades to see how it has not transformed but not transformed. It was the go-to place every year during vacations to meet family, cousins and enjoy time watching cartoons. We did not have cable connection for our TV at home, so Popeye and Tom and Jerry were something I looked forward to every year without fail. The play time with my cousins, short walks with my grand mom to purchase trinkets, DVG road with trees lined on both sides, Dodda Ganapathi temple, Bugle rock- all used to be our heaven
Our venturing out was limited to areas around Basavanagudi. We were oblivious to the extension of Bangalore in areas like Whitefield and beyond. Any conversation with the old world Bangalorean (excluding Malleshwaram folks here :P) will lead you to their world limited to areas around Vidyarthi Bhavan, MTR, DVG Road, Basavanagudi and Lalbagh
The colorful jacarandas, yellow laburnums, shady trees near BMS college were a sight to behold during spring. The Kamat Upachar lunch of Jolada rotti never left us hungry, so did many roadside eateries offering affordable breakfast and snacks. Rama Mandira hosted cultural events that always kept the area buzzing. The bats of Bugle rock gave a forest like feel to the urban blocks. The sandalwood tree at home gave shelter to many birds, never making us feel that we lived in a concrete jungle
Most of my engineering batchmates at Surathkal were from Bangalore, but I was never able to connect with the DNA of old Bangalore where they didn’t come from. So many immigrants have made Bangalore their home that it feels like alien city beyond old Bangalore. I had also stayed for 2 years in Bangalore during IIM days. We never got too much time to go out amidst all the course work and activities. I still used to visit my grandparents over the weekends some of the weeks. They never gave me a feeling that it was a burden to cook for me or wait for me late nights, despite old age being 80+. Such is the unconditional love of grandparents- something I will never forget and would like to give back to the world by having pets and loving them unconditionally
After my grandparents passed away, extended stays became limited. My mom still met her siblings and extended family once a year around death anniversaries or other important functions. Visa interviews were another reason to land up and stay a day in the house. Every stay was accompanied by a purchase of Congress Kadle and buns at the Sreenivasa Brahmin’s bakery, Manjunatha condiments, Dwarka hotel idlis. It was surprising how snacks were so affordable in a large metro like Bangalore. There was something for everybody
With no one to maintain the house, it started to dilapidate. Standing tall for over 75 years, it felt painful to see the paint crumbling down, water seeping and dust settling as thick layers on everything. A big realization reminded us- a house is made a home more by the people living in it.
My uncle’s plan to sell the house meant someone else could make it their home in a nice way. While real estate investments yield sub-par returns in general, I don’t think any asset class would have given so many experiences as the NR Colony house, in addition to good returns.
We might never be able to afford such prime real estate ever again. The logical mind that resists real estate, winning the battle vs. investing on our own to rebuild the lovely home. Maybe we would still think of it if we were Elon Musks of the world. However it is impossible to stay simultaneously in multiple places and make all houses homes! We still have my aunt’s place in Vijayanagar and I would definitely like to make a trip to Basavanagudi one a year
With heavy hearts, we plan to bid farewell to a piece of our heart. Somewhere we yearn that the new buyers will let us into their homes and hearts and allow us to visit the place whenever we are there. The new buyers seem nice and friendly, increasing our hopes