5 must-dos in Bangalore

1.SEE GREEN

Bangalore – also known as Bengaluru – has been described as having an Elvis-like flamboyance, perhaps due to its image as a fast-paced technology city. But in reality, the heart of the city is quiet and green.

Known as the garden city, it is one of India’s greenest areas, with numerous parks and gardens. Lalbagh Botanical Garden and Cubbon Park, the two largest parks, are practically Bangalore institutions. Bird watching, nature walks, people watching – take your pick of what you would like to do on a cool morning or late evening. Or just take a book with you and relax on one of the benches.

2. USE YOUR LEGS

Bangalore is full of hidden nooks of history, and organised walks are an excellent way to uncover them. Try Bangalore Walks or INTACH, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, for walking tours that spotlight the culture and heritage of the charming city. For a different mode of sightseeing, Art of Bicycle Trips offers cycling tours beyond city limits. Try the Nrityagram Dance Village Safari, a leisurely pedal along the countryside that brings you to Nrityagram (above), a school for Indian classical dances.

3. BEER CHEER

While New Delhi and Mumbai have their share of watering holes, the arrival of new beer spots on Bangalore’s landscape has firmly established it as the beer capital of the country. The Biere Club on Vittal Mallya Road, the first microbrewery in the city, has garnered many loyal admirers in the few months it has been open. Toit Brewpub is where the young and restless of Bangalore gather to drink and be seen. There are also old favourites like Windsor Pub (7 Kodava Samaja Building, 1st Main Road, Tel: 91 80 2225 8847). But be warned: This city shuts down early, so you are likely to be out on the streets by midnight.

4. STYLISH INNS

Minimalism as a design concept is fairly unknown in India but several new hotels, showcasing clean lines and large white spaces, have brought a new aesthetic sensibility to the city. At Svenska Bangalore – in the heart of the information technology belt in the south Bangalore area – you can enjoy an authentic Indian meal at Soul, their signature Indian restaurant, or have Japanese cuisine at their rooftop restaurant Sensen. Aloft Bengaluru Whitefield boasts bright and airy rooms, close to the business hub of International Technology Park Limited. The hotel also has a funky lounge, Re:mix(SM), and a fine Mediterranean restaurant, Estia, perfect for entertaining friends and business contacts.

5. GOOD EATS

Masala dosa served with coconut chutney is one of Bangalore’s original eats. Residents like to argue over the best place to have them, but one option is Mavalli Tiffin Rooms (MTR) which has been serving them since 1924. Other eateries to try are Vidyarthi Bhavan (32 Gandhi Bazaar, Tel: 91 80 2667 7588), where political bigwigs are often spotted, and New Krishna Bhavan (33/39 Sampige Road, Tel: 91 80 2344 3940), also known for their ragi (millet) and akki (rice) dosa. For the health conscious, there is the option of idli (steamed rice cakes) found everywhere.

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The essential quick guide for discerning travellers – published in the June issue of Silverkris, the Singapore Airlines inflight magazine

Breakfast in Bangalore – 4

Remember my Breakfast in Bangalore series? 1, 2, 3. So this time, another Bangalore institution – Koshy’s (and not least because it has its own Wikipedia entry).

Bangalore Burrp gives it four stars, various assorted websites call it the ‘pride of Bangalore’, youtube videos sing its praises and Wikipedia claims that dignitaries like Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, Nikita Khrushchev and Queen Elizabeth II have dined there. (Well, it also claims that Koshy’s won MTV’s award for the Most Stylish Place in Bangalore. Um, really?). However, Wikipedia does get this bit right – Koshy’s is a very popular restaurant and hangout on St Mark’s Road, Bangalore, which is a meeting point for journalists, artists, theatre persons, students and foreigners. Founded in 1940, it retains an old-world charm with huge pillars and large fans.

Inside Koshy’s, there is a non-smoking, ‘family’ area and the smoking (friends?) area. It is where visitors are taken when they want to be shown the real Bangalore, it is also where locals head when they want to catch up over a cuppa and appams with stew. Koshy’s has all that is typical of these Bangalore hangouts: old building in the heart of the city, rude waiters who will spot you only when they are ready and willing, mostly average food, lots of eager and cheerful crowds – but then you don’t go there for the food. You go there to discuss or overhear discussions about the state of the city, the world, politics, arts, literature and most other things under the sun. For, Koshy’s is in equal parts cafe, soapbox, theatre and adda.

So head there one Saturday evening or Sunday morning with loads of time on your hands to experience this slice of Bangalore life.

[Cellphone images all - better ones may follow but don't hold your breath on that one].

Also check out this fantastic sketch by Jai Iyer.

Breakfast in Bangalore – 2

Presenting the second in this series, after MTR – New Krishna Bhavan in Malleswaram. NKB, as it is known, is tucked away in a quiet street near the Mantri Mall and is where the mamas of Malleswaram meet every morning for filter kaapi and local gossip. NKB is a local adda and they acknowledge this – so there is no rush to finish your “tiffin” and run out. Here, it is acceptable – indeed it is expected – to sit back and linger over your coffee.

The first time I was introduced to NKB (circa 1954), the introducer raved about the green masala idlis – ignore the startling green colour and tuck into these capsicum-spiced mini idlis. Indeed, one of the best things about NKB is the quirky boards everywhere listing their “specials” (also called “Unusuals” here). NKB serves yummy Karnataka specials like neer dosa and ragi dosa – and it is one of the few Bangalore places that has got its sambhar right (I like it the thick spicy Tamil way, okay?). Add to that the fact that the waiters here are friendly and actually smile at you – there is none of that attitude that MTR throws about liberally – and you can see why this is a winner.

A newer addition (I presume) is Gopika, the air-conditioned restaurant inside the building that serves North Indian and Chinese (yes!) food – avoid that and stick to traditional South Indian at NKB. You cannot go wrong here.

Breakfast in Bangalore – 1

Lingering over a hot dosa / upma + filter coffee breakfast is one of the simple pleasures of a Bangalore weekend morning. Not so much the lingering in some places but in general, there is an air of what’s-the-big-hurry on these occasions. This being the general air in Bangalore. Which suits me fine sometimes. Just sometimes. The problem is that the waiters in these places also have the same attitude – what’s the big hurry? Add to this the other major chip-on-shoulder that these guys in old Bangalore eating places carry, viz. be grateful for what and when I serve you, and sometimes it turns out to be a patience-testing meal. Think: India Coffee House. Grrrr.

Anyway… here, the first in a series on these wonderful ‘Bangalore Breakfast’ options.

I may as well start with the legend: MTR. High on the list of the aforementioned waiters-with-attitude Bangalore places. It’s a bit like being in the Tirupati temple (I am told, I have not been there) – there is always a huge crowd, people waiting have the same look of eager devotion on their faces and they are generally pushed around by the man in charge of the “here is where you sit” arrangements. Defy him and you don’t get served any food – I kid you not. Add to this the fact that MTR always has only limited options at any meal – take it or leave it.

So strictly speaking, not a favourite favourite with me – I like the food there. What am I saying, I love their dosa. I respect the fact that it is an old Bangalore tradition – established in 1924. I like the way people head to MTR after their morning walk at Lalbagh to undo any good the exercise may have done, with a dosa soaked in ghee, followed by the special sweet of the morning. I like the way they serve their filter coffee (wonderful pick-me-up!) in silver glasses, with that warm froth on top. I like how large families come there for a together meal, any day of the week. I just don’t like the way they push me around – but then, you win some, you lose some.

And I am overjoyed by the existence of the new MTR on St. Mark’s Road – nicer seating, friendlier staff (well, they don’t actually snarl) and more choice of what you can actually eat.

Nostalgia

I know it has been a long time since I wrote anything here. After Ooty, I made a day trip to the Cauvery fishing camp at Bheemeshwari and then a three day visit to the Chalukya temples of North Karnataka – Badami, Aihole and Pattadakkal. So expect notes and pics from these trips soon.

For now, an image from the Kalamadhyam crafts fair at Chitra Kala Parishat…

Nostalgia is like a grammar lesson: you find the present tense, but the past perfect! ~Owens Lee Pomeroy

KR market: Bangalore markets series

Welcome to KR market, locally known also as city market… Named after the king Krishnarajendra Wodeyar, this is one of Bangalore’s oldest markets.

The highlight of the city market (for me, definitely) are the flower vendors – lording over the pinks and oranges and yellows, jasmine, marigold and kanakambaram, coils and coils of pure white. Activity in this part of the market starts well before dawn, and the area bustles with shoppers, both wholesale and retail. And by the time the sun rises and the day gets hot, these vendors are ready to wind up their day’s work.

In the flower market, this lady is a rock star… everyone I know who visits city market with a camera comes away with her picture. Except that I am told I got lucky – she actually favoured me with a smile!

Just along the flower sellers are the vegetable vendors, usually with creative small piles of their specialty vegetables…

Walk inside the market to see another side of trading – more nut and dried fruit vendors, sellers of fresh peas and broad beans, vendors of lemons by the dozens – and a row of shops with wholesale pooja items – intricate flower umbrellas, framed pictures and mountains of kumkum in brilliant colours…

And just down the road, on the other side are the flower sellers from whom the city florists buy their stuff – the daisies and roses and all the other pretty flowers that sell at five times they cost here…

Then there are the other professionals – like the parrot-card-fortune reader (kili josiyam in Tamil) and the knife sharpener. Not to mention the odd music band.

Head there early in the morning – read before 6 a.m to get the best experience of City Market.

View more photographs from City Market here…

Earlier in the market series: Gandhi Bazaar

A Lalbagh evening

Bangalore does not fascinate me the way Bombay does – in my first few months here, I rarely took my camera out. I am fast remedying that by visiting the local markets – Gandhi Bazaar and City Market (watch this space) ticked off so far. And last week, I headed to Lalbagh one evening lured by the promise of a windy evening in the park. Plus I wanted to take my new Canon 50 mm lens (ahem!) out for a walk. Lalbagh bore the unmistakable signs of summer – brown leaves, dry grounds and raw mango sellers.

It is times like these – blue skies, cool breeze, blooming gulmohar trees – that makes living in Bangalore worth it.

I love it about parks that people find them great places for that undisturbed afternoon siesta. I am told I caused a lot of merriment by clicking away at this sleeping figure – I do not like to think of the possibility that this man could have suddenly woken up and asked what I thought I was doing…

I saw these boards everywhere that irked me no end – what do you mean no playing in the park? Reminded me of this definition of puritanism by Henry Mencken – the haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy. I was happy to see kids flouting this senseless rule and having a great time just running around making a lot of noise in the open – football or no football.

And finally this – from another time, another season in the park…

Gandhi Bazaar: Bangalore markets series

There is no way to describe the colours and chaos of this market (yes, I know, how can anyone describe any Indian market?)

Here is the first part of (what I hope will be) a series on the markets of Bangalore on this blog – a walk through Gandhi Bazaar. In the heart of Basavangudi, Gandhi Bazaar stretches for a short kilometer or so, bordered on both sides by shops selling everything from saris and clothes to plastics and kitchen utensils, fronted by vegetable and fruit stalls.

First things first – and when in Gandhi Bazaar, that means breakfast at Vidyarthi Bhavan – khara bhath, crispy, dripping with oil (or is that ghee? oh, never mind) masala dosa followed by filter coffee and you will be tempted to agree that aal izz well with the world. I know many who call this the best dosa in Bangalore – I don’t know about that, but I can say that it is worth the wait and the agony of sharing the table with strangers (who are usually locals and look at you with disdain).

Friendly folk, ever ready to pose and smile (and what can a camera not do?), I had fun chatting with the vegetable and fruit vendors in Tamil.

The flower sellers are grouped together at one end of the market – doing brisk business of both loose flowers and garlands…

Then there is the occasional mobile pickle-seller… (door delivery of pickles – the thought of it makes my hyper-acidity act up!)

And finally, to keep the evil eye away…

Also read: this lovely post by Iyer Matter on Basavangudi and the charm of old Bangalore – another Bangalorophile pointed it out to me, thanks G!

Bangalore’s Food Street

A short piece I wrote on Bangalore’s Food Street appeared recently in The India Tube. Every time someone asked me what I missed most about Bombay, street food came somewhere on top of that list, so this came as quite a nice surprise. We headed there one Sunday night and walked from one end to the other sampling from several stalls, taking photographs and enjoying the unique spellings.

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I have been hearing about the Food Street in Bangalore in several conversations with friends and I finally make my way there one weekend. Known locally as thindi beedi, a literal translation, the street stretches out long and narrow in front of me, filled with eateries on either side and with several food carts (thela) spilling over to the road.

At the entrance to the road stands the corn seller, stocking over ten varieties of corn, including the slightly puzzling ‘lemon butter baby masala corn’.

We have been advised to check out all the shops before deciding on the night’s menu and duly make our way down the street with that in mind. However, at the third stall selling holige (a sweet made with jaggery, known as puran poli in Hindi) our resolve crumbles. The cook stands rooted to his spot, patting the dough filled with the jaggery, his fingers flying over the hot stove, now putting one more on it, now turning a semi-cooked one or taking one off it. He has a helper, a chhotu (small one) who serves it piping hot to the waiting customers, after adding a generous dollop of ghee on top.

The best way to derive maximum enjoyment from Food Street is to sample judiciously and return to what you really like; as many stalls and as many types of food as possible. Of course, it could (and indeed does) happen that several of these small samples make a heavy meal in itself and there is just no room for seconds. There is street food of every kind here, from Karnataka specialties like akki roti (a thin roti made with rice flour and eaten with spicy chutney and curry) and holige, to typically North Indian chaat (I read somewhere that the chaatwala is originally from Ajmer in Rajasthan) and Bombay’s famous pav bhaji and vada pav. There are shops selling only South Indian short eats, from steaming idli to fried bonda and vada while others offer a “multi-cuisine” eating experience, which includes Indian Chinese – the ‘Gobi Manjuri’ variety.

The specialty of Food Street however is dosa – there is a huge a variety on offer, from the usual suspects like masala and rava to ragi and podi (gunpowder) roast all the way to bhath masala dosa – a name that invites closer inspection! Regulars also seem to believe that the right way to end a meal at thindi beedi is by washing it down with badam (almond) milk, served hot or cold.

It is a Sunday night and the entire area has the feel of a mela (fun fair) – parents with children, groups of friends (one orders twenty pieces of holige in front of me, causing a mini stampede among the waiting crowds), balloon sellers and plastic toy vendors. The Food Street is very popular with locals as a weekend evening destination for the entire family. Unlike most small eateries in Bangalore, this is open till late in the night, and there is something for everyone. The food (all vegetarian) is reasonably priced, with most costing between Rs.15-30. And the best thing is that everything is fresh and hot, made in front of you and consumed before it has even had a chance to cool.

General Information

Food Street is located at V.V.Puram, close to the Lalbagh West Gate. It is open all days of the week, from 6 p.m. till about 11 p.m. (although sometime the stalls shut earlier due to police interference). The weeks before Sankranti (the harvest festival celebrated in mid January) are a good time to go to Food Street, since vendors are known to rustle up regional food specialities.

A walk through a crafts mela

Bangalore in the last month played host to two arts and cultural festivals, one organized by the Times of India – which I missed completely – and more recently, the Bengaluru Habba – of which I caught one excellent jazz concert by Dana Gillespie and the London Blues and the crafts mela at the Chitra Kala Parishad.

The visits to CKP also coincided with the arrival of my brand new camera (yaaay!). So here are a few images from my first walkabout with the Canon 500D.

To begin with my favourite – the old man selling the glittery crowns for kids. He sat through the day wearing the crown and holding the other plastic toys in his hand, calling out to passersby.

And then the man I have come to call the ‘turbanator’, with his steady and honest gaze, selling wooden artefacts from Uttar Pradesh. I took so many shots of him – at rest and at work – that I finally ended up buying something, out of a sense of guilt + gratitude.

And then the usual suspects – bangles and earrings, slippers, mouth fresheners, pots and pans, paper flowers – and some not so usual ones like dangling fish and hanging monkeys.

[click on image for larger size]

I stood in front of this stall selling these puppets and made up titles for each of the photographs I took. Here are my top two -

Aati kya Khandala? …and No one can have just one respectively…

Have a nice week!