For you, Airport road
Off late, my schedule has gone through a world of a difference, compared to what it was a month before. 6:15 in the evening I am out of my seat, rush to find a place in route 29 towards manipal center, wave frantically at every auto so that I can reach my acting class on time. Am there till 9:30 in the night and after that, all of us land in koshys and end up talking something or the other till late in the night.
At about 11:30 or 12 in the night, I take an auto and land in airport road. If I am hungry, I stop at Leela palace, settle myself in Barrista, which probably is the only place that's open at that time that can serve some decent food. At about 12:30 in the night, I walk back home - through the same roads, that in the light of the day are jam packed with cars, bikes and buses; dust getting spewed in every direction by demons under concrete; blaring horns and unserviced bikes adding a feather to the already horrible ambience - making it look like the last place you want to be. The same roads in the night are drenched in silence - not the eerie one that leaves you uncomfortable, but a comfortable absence of any disturbance, that's not underlined or emphasized. Once in a while, a reckless van zooms past ruffling the dried leaves in the footpath. But for that, for the whole of 15 minutes it takes me to walk back home - Airport road is mine. I waltz in the middle of road, place my entire day like an unwinding film roll, see it coming back to life and analyze what went wrong or what was right. I stare at the posters, capture every little detail and realize in such small ways, this road is become an integral part of my life for the last 3 years.
I love staying in airport road - I am not sure whether you would actually find a place in bangalore, where you have anything you would need - from hangouts (coffee day, barrista) to book shops (oxford book store) to libraries (one ~S told me about yesterday close to Intel) to hospitals to, if you are lucky, your offices (Intel, reuters, thoughtworks, NS) you name it - all this at arm's length but still can a find a two bedroom, spacious apartment for close to 6000 rupees which is far enough from all the dust and the buzz where you can sleep blissfully undeterred and undisturbed. Heaven I tell you :)
At about 11:30 or 12 in the night, I take an auto and land in airport road. If I am hungry, I stop at Leela palace, settle myself in Barrista, which probably is the only place that's open at that time that can serve some decent food. At about 12:30 in the night, I walk back home - through the same roads, that in the light of the day are jam packed with cars, bikes and buses; dust getting spewed in every direction by demons under concrete; blaring horns and unserviced bikes adding a feather to the already horrible ambience - making it look like the last place you want to be. The same roads in the night are drenched in silence - not the eerie one that leaves you uncomfortable, but a comfortable absence of any disturbance, that's not underlined or emphasized. Once in a while, a reckless van zooms past ruffling the dried leaves in the footpath. But for that, for the whole of 15 minutes it takes me to walk back home - Airport road is mine. I waltz in the middle of road, place my entire day like an unwinding film roll, see it coming back to life and analyze what went wrong or what was right. I stare at the posters, capture every little detail and realize in such small ways, this road is become an integral part of my life for the last 3 years.
I love staying in airport road - I am not sure whether you would actually find a place in bangalore, where you have anything you would need - from hangouts (coffee day, barrista) to book shops (oxford book store) to libraries (one ~S told me about yesterday close to Intel) to hospitals to, if you are lucky, your offices (Intel, reuters, thoughtworks, NS) you name it - all this at arm's length but still can a find a two bedroom, spacious apartment for close to 6000 rupees which is far enough from all the dust and the buzz where you can sleep blissfully undeterred and undisturbed. Heaven I tell you :)
posted by Rathish at 10:50 AM
7 Comments:
I have been a regular visitor to your blog and I read your latest post as usual! Your writing has really become an inspiration for me..actually I love the very way you pen down your thoughts...am not saying that I try to immitate the same style of writing but I would actually love to do so..tell us something more about airport road..would visit your den if I ever go to Bangalore...
thank you *wide grin*
Does anyone know which route to take to Cloud No 9, so i can meet someone special? ;)
Lovely prose Daddykins:)
oh ohhhhhh..somebody dines in Baristaa almost everyday...Rich guy!:) Take me out for dinner once to Baristaa, when I come down to B'lore ;))..(Yeah, I am planning to come by mid April!)
Ok, now to something more serious. This post brought back nice memories of those days in blore. It IS heaven!! Somehow, I hated BTM!!:)
Btw, Keep grinning!! ;))
@Anu and @Kumari - In my defense, wonderful ladies, I was only grinning :)
Anu, I hate BTM too :) Having stayed there, I realize more why airport road rocks!
Kumari, the train leaves every night at 9:45 in the night :>
Lovely post Ratish. It reminds me of my days in Bangalore & the wonderful MG Road. One side of the road lies one of the busiest platforms in Bangalore and at the same time the other one, left abandoned, where you can walk freely enjoying the trees & flowers around. Perhaps its the only road which is both busy & free at the same time :-)
:) Totally agree with you! Another thing that amazes me is the age of every building on the busy side of the road. this place surely has been through the test of time.
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