Blasting Through Bangalore

This weekend, though certainly with its delights was truly a test of endurance. David and I flew out of Delhi very early Friday morning. After a few minutes on the road, my cell phone rang alerting me to a problem at home. We quickly headed back to find the glass door to the dining room completely shattered. Who shall I blame? Certainly not innocent Max who was probably scared out of his wits by the monstrous shattering sound. Is it another one of those unexplainable India phenomena? Realizing that there was nothing we could do, we headed to the airport and put Ambrose in charge of sorting out this disaster.

The flight to Bangalore was full and the best seat I could get was one sandwiched in between two men. Under the best of circumstances, that could be fun but in Jet Airways economy class, that could quite possibly be death! The man to my left in a short sleeved tee shirt had hairy arms which seemed to claim the whole armrest. I was clearly staying away from that! The man on my right felt he had the right to read the newspaper at full spread, invading at least half of my airspace, breathing space, viewing space! When I move up in the world, I will make sure I travel exclusively in business class.

We arrived at the beautiful Leela Palace Kempinsky in Bangalore. A newish hotel constructed to emulate the royal resplendence of the past, the Leela is a wonderful beginning to Bangalore. The breezy 22C lobby was positively chilling for this dilliwalli. David made haste and continued with his day calendared full of activities. I was meeting up with Nalini, an old AT&T friend who summers in Bangalore.

The name Bangalore is the anglicised version of the city's name Bengaluru (in the Kannada language). A popular anecdote (although one contradicted by historical evidence) recounts that the 11th century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda kaal-ooru", (literally, "town of boiled beans") which was eventually collaquialised to "Bengaluru." But forget all that because as far as I know, everyone calls this happening place Bangalore!

Due to its high elevation on the Deccan Plateau, Bangalore enjoys wonderfully comfortable weather throughout the year. January sees temperatures of around 15C while April comes with a high of 33C. Bangaloreans complain that the summers have gotten progressively hotter over the years but that could easily be due to the loss of green cover in the city or increased urbanization.

Banglaore is home to India's tech elite. Cheek by jowl with the noisy bazaars of Bangalore are swanky design and development facilities set up by both multinational and Indian companies. Bangalore, not having anticipated this boom does not posses the attendant infrastructure so that traffic jams and bottlenecks, shortage of power and housing in the city are becoming some problems that now need to be solved. Now enough Wikipedia-ing!

Nalini and I sat at the gracious Leela lobby and recalled the last time we visited with each other. She was my first introduction to India in the early 90s. I give her full credit for helping me see a safe and spectacular Delhi on my first visit here. We keep in touch and our friendship has lasted moves from Singapore, Boston and Delhi (for her) and Manila, New Jersey, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Delhi (for us). Though we never spend more than an afternoon, lunch, or dinner together a few years apart, Nalini is my window to India. She helps me see and understand more clearly all that puzzles me about India. She is my personal wikipedia who so patiently explains the history of India and the today of India. I advise you all to have your own Nalini if you are coming to India because surely she will be your steadying force and your source of understanding.

In Nalini's company, I feel no need to explore much of Bangalore. On the surface, it is a mad city with traffic darting about. Much like Delhi in that respect but with a much smaller feeling. There are no Mughal tombs dotting the landscape, only new buildings to house the many IT companies Bangalore hosts. We did not see Tipu Sultan's Palace nor the Venkataramanaswamy or Gavi Gangadhareshvara Temple (oh yes, by the way, names in the south are so much longer!). Neither did time allow a long trip to the Mysore district. Clearly there is another reason to return. After lunch, Nalini planned on a nice slow walk through the shopping area but the constant drizzle turned to rain precluded that. Instead, we drove through the city and ended up at the Galleria, the posh shopping mall adjacent to the Leela. How relaxing to sit for coffee with live piano music in the background. We continued to reminisce, she continued to enlighten me, and the slow afternoon unfolded. A perfect day in Bangalore!

David's business engagements took him for the rest of the evening. Feeling completely slothful, I settled down in the hotel, curled up under a blanket and watched Nadal battle Tipsarevic. On the 11th hour, I decided to head to the gym and get some cardio and upper body exercises in. Is there anything I missed today? Early tomorrow morning, we fly to Chennai.