Continuing with my virtual tour of Bangalore, this post will be for history buffs. Being a Bangalorean, I am often asked for a city tour. The landmarks in Bangalore have some interesting stories and facts to them, some of which, I would like to share with you.

Lal Bagh – When Bangalore came under Haider Ali’s purview in 1758, he set out to beautify the city by laying foundation to one of the most well-known landmarks – the Lal Bagh (the ‘Red Garden’). The work began in 1760 and was expanded by both Tippu Sultan and the British in later years. The plants were procured from Kabul, Turkey and Mauritius. Thanks to all their efforts, we now have about 200 acres of rich, well-manicured gardens in the heart of the city. Other than the rejuvenating walk or a jog, you can visit the Glass House and the aquarium. And don’t miss the stroll by the lake and a view of Bangalore from the hill-top.

Bull Temple – This is one of my favorite places in Bangalore. I know little about when this temple was built but the story is what fascinates me. It is believed that this area was once covered with groundnut fields. The farmers were often troubled by this raging bull that would destroy their crop. On one such occasion, the farmers decided to chase the bull. They were relieved that their crop was now safe only to find out the next morning that the raging bull had turned in to stone atop a hillock nearby the fields. They realized then that the raging animal was not just another ordinary bull but it was the Almighty in disguise. Perhaps to test the people of their devotion to him. That’s when they decided to build this temple and offer a part of their crop in the annual kadlekai parshe (groundnut fair) to appease the God. The Kadlekai parshe still happens in the month of December every year. Do take time out to visit the fair to get a flavor of the extravaganza.

Vidhana Soudha – The seat of power that houses the legislative chambers of the Government of Karnataka, was built in 1956. The construction was supervised by Chief Engineer, B R Manickam of the Public Works Department during the leadership of Kengal Hanumanthaiah. It also houses the legislature library, the banquet hall, state archives and the ministerial chambers and offices. It measures 700 feet north-south and 350 east-west. It has 2 inner open quadrangles measuring 250 by 230 feet, making it India’s largest legislature cum office complex.

Attara Kutcheri – The State High Court opposite the Vidhana Soudha is a magnificent piece of architecture built in 1868. Built by Tippu Sultan in Victorian style, accommodated the government departments during his reign.

All this information has been sourced from two of my favorite books on Bangalore – Network City by James Heitzman and The Promise of the Metropolis by Janaki Nair. Do read them when you get a chance. And I should also thank my family for those reading sessions and endless number of stories about Bangalore.

In the second part of my Namma Bengaluru series, I will be taking you on a book trail around Bangalore. This is one of my favorite pastimes. And Bangalore has quite a few treasure houses for book lovers.

I will start with the most loved bookstore in Bangalore – The Premier Book Shop. It was started in 1971 and is known for its collection. They offer great discounts too. Book shopping in Premier is like a treasure hunt. At any given time, there are books lined up almost to the ceiling and you will find books, layer after layer. Negotiating your way around the store is quite an art! So when you finally find your book, it is no less than finding treasure and I am sure you would have found many more interesting books in the process. The less adventurous always have the option of taking help from the friendly staff or Mr. Shanbag, the owner of Premier, who can find you your book in a jiffy!! It is such a pleasure to shop or just browse there. For those of you who have been there, you know what I am talking about, and the others, plan a trip soon!

My next stop is another one of my favorites. Tucked away in the side lanes of Brigade road is this fabulous bookstore – The Select Book House. You can spend hours browsing through the books. Some of them are collector’s items. If you are lucky, you may even find the first edition of your favorite book. Last year’s Select stall at Palace grounds book exhibition also had prints of some beautiful paintings of Stubbs, Renoir etc.

Blossom bookshop on Church Street is relatively new and has an impressive collection of both new and used books. One thing that strikes you about this place is that it is very well organized. They had a great collection at last year’s book exhibition. And offered at great prices too. “The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde” cost me 150 bucks, which I thought was a good deal.

There is no dearth of bookshops in South Bangalore. Nagasri is a well-known shop in Jayanagar 4th block. This is a one-stop shop for non-fiction and fiction for all ages. They almost always have the latest edition of preparatory books for all competitive exams. Being a regular at Nagasri, I particularly enjoy browsing through the children’s books, non-fiction and also their good selection of Kannada books.

This is just the beginning. Here are a few more well-known stores in Bangalore - Gangaram’s and Higginbothams on MG Road, Crossword on Residency Road, Strand in Manipal Center, Landmark in Forum Mall, and Prism in Jayanagar. And don’t forget the book exhibitions, most famous being the Annual Strand Book Sale and the Palace Grounds Book Exhibition.

Happy Reading!

Having lived in Bangalore all my life, one question I am repeatedly asked is “what does one do for fun in Bangalore?” So I have decided to write about the interesting things that one can do in Bangalore. And first in the series will be for music lovers. Bangalore is host to some of the brilliant performances of Indian classical music and in the recent past has also become the favored destination for artists such as Elton John, Bryan Adams, Roger Waters etc. This part will be specially dedicated to Indian classical music concerts that are a part of the rich tradition of this city. Here are some that I have truly enjoyed.

The New Year starts with Yamini – Concert organized jointly by Spic Macay and IIMB on the 25th January. The stalwarts of Indian Classical music perform dusk to dawn at the IIMB campus. This is our own vasanta habba. The concert happens at the IIMB’s open-air auditorium and is an experience every music lover will cherish. The place is done up for the evening with mattresses strewn on the lawn, bon fire lit up around the place to help you fight the biting January chill. And if you look close, you will even notice mosquito coils hidden in the well-manicured garden that line the seating area.
This year, Yamini hosted beautiful renditions of music and dance by Bombay Jayashree, Purbayan Chaterjee, Shri. Ganesh and Smt. Jayanti and Smt. Rama Vaidyanathan.

The entry is free but you need passes or should have a valid student id card to enter. The passes are easily available in prominent locations around the city. So mark your calendars today and make sure you are there for Yamini 2008.

Ramanavami is the time when music comes alive with concerts happening in different parts of the city. And the Fort high school in Chamrajpet is a well-known destination for music aficionados this time of the year. Started by S.V. Narayanaswamy Rao more than 60 years ago, the Ramanavami concert at Fort High School is an important strand of Bangalore’s rich cultural fabric. The 38 day long musical extravaganza is held at the Fort High School in Chamrajpet. The who’s who of the classical music world perform here. And this is also your chance to listen to upcoming artists who open the concert every evening.
Ramanavami will be celebrated on 27 March 2007. So if you enjoy classical music and happen to be in Bangalore around this time, you wouldn’t want to miss this!

Come fall, Ganjam musical extravaganza brings to the city some of India’s brilliant musicians. Ganjam, known for their exquisite showcase of jewellery are ardent patrons of music. Artists such as Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Bombay Jayashri, render mesmerizing performances to a packed hall at the Chowdaiah Memorial.

These are some of my favorites. But there are many organizations in Bangalore that promote Indian classical music and host interesting concerts and lectures. I will talk about them in detail in my later posts. In the meantime, enjoy the Ramanavami concerts and I promise to update you on anything interesting that comes along the way.