Lonavla to Mumbai

what a ride...

four toll gates, wide highways and still the traffic moved at a snail's pace
it seemed like the gurgaon nightmare four times over
ten years ago we were told that the answer to our problems
was wide highways
privately built
charging huge moneys to use them
you would have continuous smooth traffic


well the roads are here
but the traffic was bumper to bumper
check out the view
it was the same for five hours !

You have been bangalored

once in a while
the debate in most lifestyle magazines
centres around
which of the two cities is better to live in
Delhi or Mumbai
for a long time it was Mumbai
winning hands down
till recently when Delhi seems to have caught up

however Mint has a different take on this
it has cast its vote for Bangalore

i've always loved that city
the people are well behaved
cosmopolitan
and friendly
the city has grown
primarily because of the IT boom
and in the process attracted Indians from all corners of the world

i cannot think of any city
which has emerged after Independence
(apart from Chandigarh - but it is still too punjabi)
and over taken
traditional centres like Calcutta and Madras
as one of the best places too live in

if someone were returning to India
or settling down in this country
there are very few choices
Bangalore is on top of that list

now if some one were to do something about the traffic...

Hanuman at Jhandewalan

While going to school the most interesting sight was the Hanuman being constructed at the circle where Jhandewalan meets Pusa Road. For seventeen years they tried. It got completed last year.

As our school bus would pass near the scaffolding holding up the statue we would wonder – when would this be finished? Apparently the problem was that initially they planned to make it out of mud and they could not get the material right. Each summer it would crack up and then some part of it would be washed away in the rains.

Each year the temple guys would plan again. At one point the scaffolding covered part of the road. Most of us used to worry that the whole thing would topple over one day.

Finally it got completed just as the metro unleashed its line across the circle. The contractor decided to mix the right amount of cement, I guess. Now it stands out like an imperial lord opening his heart to Karol Bagh. Legs firmly planted on both sides of the temple, it invites devotees inside. The scaffolding is gone. Try to catch the views if you are that side of town.

Image courtesy : Grey Cell