Last week, I was travelling to Koramangala on BMTC bus no 171. Except me and a couple of elderly passengers, the bus was quite empty. I was looking out of the window. It was a rainy evening. The cold winds were blowing nonchalantly across my face. I partially closed the window. Usually, these rainy evenings make me reminisce about my old, happy childhood days, when simple pleasures of life were my most valuable treasures.
At this point of time, a strange thing happened. At the back of the bus, I saw a door which led to a brightly lit place beyond. As if enchanted by it, I got up and started walking towards it. The moment I put my step across the door, I felt myself falling into a bottomless pit. After what seemed to me to be an eternity, I landed in a place which seemed like a paradise. Singing birds, crystal clear brooks, trees laden with luscious fruits... Oh!!! It was blissful. Beside the brook, there was a small rock and I saw a woman seated on it. She was staring far into the horizon, and looked highly contemplative. She was looking quite graceful and was decently dressed in a violet coloured chiffon sari. A string of jasmine flowers adorned her silky hair. I went up to her. I give below a detailed version of the dialogue which transpired between us:
Me: Hi!!! What's your name?
Woman: [Turns towards me, but doesn't show any signs of excitement or surpise] Hi!!! I'm Nilanjana.
Me: I'm Krish. Where do you stay?
Nilanjana: I used to stay in Rajajinagar, near Navrang.
Me: Used to!!!???
N: Yes. I died last year in a car accident.
Me: [Sweat drops started to appear on my face] Dead!!! But how...
N: Tut tut... What is death, Krish? Is Human Soul bounded by death? I'm my Soul, birthless, deathless. This blissful place is my home. What you see is a projection of my body, which I created with the help of my thoughts.
Me: Yes. You're right. Immortality is our real nature. But in our day-to-day life on earth, we don't seem to realize this fact. By the way, a lot of changes have happened in Bangalore since you... Er... [I fumbled, not able to find a cheerful word for death]
N: It's ok, Krish. I understand. I can see through your mind that you are trying to find a nice way to mention my death. Looks like the immortality lecture which I just gave you just now had the desired effect [Smiles to herself]. Don't fret about this, Krish. I've been following the changes in my city very closely. Even the name has been officially changed to Bengaluru, isn't it?
Me: Yes. What do you think of it? I personally found the name Bangalore better.
N: See Krish, it's not about you or me liking the name. This rechristening of our city may have a lot of deep implications on so many vital areas of our day-to-day life, including business and politics.
Me: I didn't understand.
N: Ok. I'll try to see if I can make you understand. The official name Bengaluru implies that it will be used in government correspondence, in the media, in office and residential addresses, in commercial organisations and in transportation. Are you following this clearly?
Me: Yes. I am.
N: Good. Now, let's think from the critics' point of view. As you know, Bangalore is a global metropolis. It is known internationally by this name and its renaming may adversely affect its international image and global branding. Also, some people believe that Bangalore is quite easy to pronounce and it flows easily off the tongue, whereas, Bengaluru is a bit clumsy to pronounce. If we think from a sentimental point of view, we may see unwanted growth of cultural chauvinism, which may lead to non-Kannadigas being made to evacuate Bengaluru.
Me: [Trying to sound authoritative] That would be preposterous. Karnataka, in general, and Bangalore, in particular, has always been open to people belonging to various cultural ethnicities.
N: Don't be afraid, Krish. I'm sure such an eventuality will never come to pass. Ok, let's come back to our topic. I was talking about the implication of this new name, wasn't I? If you observe one thing, the critics are mainly the cosmopolitan residents of the city, who believe that this renaming issue is just a cultural mask which the government has adorned to deflect the attention of the public from the pressing current issues- like scarcity of water and power, poor sanitation, appalling road conditions, et al- which it seems incapable of addressing.
Me: I agree with you, Nilanjana [I was beginning to feel that I had known her for years]. These politicians know the Indian psyche very well. The minds of our people get easily stirred whenever cultural topics are raised. This rechristening definitely has strong roots in linguistic nationalism.
N: Krish, the mythical and mystical line between cultural assertion and cultural chauvinism is a very thin one. The new name, Bengaluru, is consistent with the history and customs of the people of Karnataka. Since, the local people have a lot of sentiments attached to the local culture and language, let them feel the pride of having the name of their beloved capital city in their own way. And, let Bangalore continue to be used in popular discourse. The problems occur when the so called activists begin to place jingoistic demands.
Me: [In a meek voice] Like banning other language movies?
N: Yes. Then, things may start getting ugly as the democratic principles of national unity and integrity gets jeopardized.
Me: I hope nothing of that sort happens. Patriotism has to be in the heart, not in the name. Do you know, Nilanjana, when I visited Bangalore way back in 1999 for the first time, I was in IX grade. I was very much excited to see the huge, majestic trees lining the roads and the beautiful parks scattered across the city. Now, ironically, I just see big apartment flats with names like 'Tree', 'Woods', 'Garden', 'Green', 'Nest' and so forth. It's so painful, you know. I agree, Bangalore has developed industrially riding an exponential curve, but at the same time, it has lost its charm as the garden city. I visit so many shopping malls, pubs and dance lounges during weekends but I don't find that old world charm I used to find in those days. Couldn't there have been urbanization without the loss of the aesthetic beauty of this city??? Oh! I so wish that things were different.
N: Ok ok. Now, don't get so nostalgic. See, whether it's Bangalore or Bengaluru, the city moves on. You too have to move on with your life. Don't be a prisoner of your past. Become an architect of your future.
Me: Oh!!! You have read 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari', haven't you?
N: Yes. That last line was borrowed from that book. You've quite a sharp memory, I see. You made me look so sheepish.
I could see that her cheeks had turned pink which made her look doubly beautiful. I had to resist a strong impulse to grab her and plant a kiss on her lips.
Suddenly, my cell started ringing. It was from my girlfriend.
Girlfriend: Idiot!!! You forgot our date again.
Me: Er... Me... Nilanjana... Er... Bengaluru...
Girlfriend: Oh God!!! Who the bloody hell is Nilanjana? And why can't you pronounce Bangalore properly?
Me: [Trying to sound romantic] Wait dear, listen... You are mistaken...
Girlfriend: Get lost... [She hung up. She must have pressed the disconnect button so hard that her finger must have come out from the back of her cell]
I looked around. I was in the bus. Instinctively, I looked back. There was no door. Only the number of passengers had increased by half a dozen.
Damn!!! Three girlfriends lost in two weeks. I felt like I was the world's biggest jerk. I glanced outside the partially opened window. It was still raining. I just sat on my seat, contemplating what would have happened if I had thrown caution to the winds and kissed Nilanjana.
At this point of time, a strange thing happened. At the back of the bus, I saw a door which led to a brightly lit place beyond. As if enchanted by it, I got up and started walking towards it. The moment I put my step across the door, I felt myself falling into a bottomless pit. After what seemed to me to be an eternity, I landed in a place which seemed like a paradise. Singing birds, crystal clear brooks, trees laden with luscious fruits... Oh!!! It was blissful. Beside the brook, there was a small rock and I saw a woman seated on it. She was staring far into the horizon, and looked highly contemplative. She was looking quite graceful and was decently dressed in a violet coloured chiffon sari. A string of jasmine flowers adorned her silky hair. I went up to her. I give below a detailed version of the dialogue which transpired between us:
Me: Hi!!! What's your name?
Woman: [Turns towards me, but doesn't show any signs of excitement or surpise] Hi!!! I'm Nilanjana.
Me: I'm Krish. Where do you stay?
Nilanjana: I used to stay in Rajajinagar, near Navrang.
Me: Used to!!!???
N: Yes. I died last year in a car accident.
Me: [Sweat drops started to appear on my face] Dead!!! But how...
N: Tut tut... What is death, Krish? Is Human Soul bounded by death? I'm my Soul, birthless, deathless. This blissful place is my home. What you see is a projection of my body, which I created with the help of my thoughts.
Me: Yes. You're right. Immortality is our real nature. But in our day-to-day life on earth, we don't seem to realize this fact. By the way, a lot of changes have happened in Bangalore since you... Er... [I fumbled, not able to find a cheerful word for death]
N: It's ok, Krish. I understand. I can see through your mind that you are trying to find a nice way to mention my death. Looks like the immortality lecture which I just gave you just now had the desired effect [Smiles to herself]. Don't fret about this, Krish. I've been following the changes in my city very closely. Even the name has been officially changed to Bengaluru, isn't it?
Me: Yes. What do you think of it? I personally found the name Bangalore better.
N: See Krish, it's not about you or me liking the name. This rechristening of our city may have a lot of deep implications on so many vital areas of our day-to-day life, including business and politics.
Me: I didn't understand.
N: Ok. I'll try to see if I can make you understand. The official name Bengaluru implies that it will be used in government correspondence, in the media, in office and residential addresses, in commercial organisations and in transportation. Are you following this clearly?
Me: Yes. I am.
N: Good. Now, let's think from the critics' point of view. As you know, Bangalore is a global metropolis. It is known internationally by this name and its renaming may adversely affect its international image and global branding. Also, some people believe that Bangalore is quite easy to pronounce and it flows easily off the tongue, whereas, Bengaluru is a bit clumsy to pronounce. If we think from a sentimental point of view, we may see unwanted growth of cultural chauvinism, which may lead to non-Kannadigas being made to evacuate Bengaluru.
Me: [Trying to sound authoritative] That would be preposterous. Karnataka, in general, and Bangalore, in particular, has always been open to people belonging to various cultural ethnicities.
N: Don't be afraid, Krish. I'm sure such an eventuality will never come to pass. Ok, let's come back to our topic. I was talking about the implication of this new name, wasn't I? If you observe one thing, the critics are mainly the cosmopolitan residents of the city, who believe that this renaming issue is just a cultural mask which the government has adorned to deflect the attention of the public from the pressing current issues- like scarcity of water and power, poor sanitation, appalling road conditions, et al- which it seems incapable of addressing.
Me: I agree with you, Nilanjana [I was beginning to feel that I had known her for years]. These politicians know the Indian psyche very well. The minds of our people get easily stirred whenever cultural topics are raised. This rechristening definitely has strong roots in linguistic nationalism.
N: Krish, the mythical and mystical line between cultural assertion and cultural chauvinism is a very thin one. The new name, Bengaluru, is consistent with the history and customs of the people of Karnataka. Since, the local people have a lot of sentiments attached to the local culture and language, let them feel the pride of having the name of their beloved capital city in their own way. And, let Bangalore continue to be used in popular discourse. The problems occur when the so called activists begin to place jingoistic demands.
Me: [In a meek voice] Like banning other language movies?
N: Yes. Then, things may start getting ugly as the democratic principles of national unity and integrity gets jeopardized.
Me: I hope nothing of that sort happens. Patriotism has to be in the heart, not in the name. Do you know, Nilanjana, when I visited Bangalore way back in 1999 for the first time, I was in IX grade. I was very much excited to see the huge, majestic trees lining the roads and the beautiful parks scattered across the city. Now, ironically, I just see big apartment flats with names like 'Tree', 'Woods', 'Garden', 'Green', 'Nest' and so forth. It's so painful, you know. I agree, Bangalore has developed industrially riding an exponential curve, but at the same time, it has lost its charm as the garden city. I visit so many shopping malls, pubs and dance lounges during weekends but I don't find that old world charm I used to find in those days. Couldn't there have been urbanization without the loss of the aesthetic beauty of this city??? Oh! I so wish that things were different.
N: Ok ok. Now, don't get so nostalgic. See, whether it's Bangalore or Bengaluru, the city moves on. You too have to move on with your life. Don't be a prisoner of your past. Become an architect of your future.
Me: Oh!!! You have read 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari', haven't you?
N: Yes. That last line was borrowed from that book. You've quite a sharp memory, I see. You made me look so sheepish.
I could see that her cheeks had turned pink which made her look doubly beautiful. I had to resist a strong impulse to grab her and plant a kiss on her lips.
Suddenly, my cell started ringing. It was from my girlfriend.
Girlfriend: Idiot!!! You forgot our date again.
Me: Er... Me... Nilanjana... Er... Bengaluru...
Girlfriend: Oh God!!! Who the bloody hell is Nilanjana? And why can't you pronounce Bangalore properly?
Me: [Trying to sound romantic] Wait dear, listen... You are mistaken...
Girlfriend: Get lost... [She hung up. She must have pressed the disconnect button so hard that her finger must have come out from the back of her cell]
I looked around. I was in the bus. Instinctively, I looked back. There was no door. Only the number of passengers had increased by half a dozen.
Damn!!! Three girlfriends lost in two weeks. I felt like I was the world's biggest jerk. I glanced outside the partially opened window. It was still raining. I just sat on my seat, contemplating what would have happened if I had thrown caution to the winds and kissed Nilanjana.
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