ARUN PADAKI forwards a piece he received from his cousin, which he suspects may have been scripted by somebody from SJCE.
***
Mysore cannot be experienced in holidays or weekends. Like a creeper growing and encircling the staff, you have to live, and grow with Mysore to experience it. You have to be with the ajjis who have seen you from the time you were soooo small, where the maid who works in your house is your family maid, your ajji had “recruited” her mother.
When you go on an evening walk, and the poojari of the Ram mandir, stops and chats with you, and moves on saying there is a pooja at 5 next morning, that’s Mysore for you.
When you walk a little ahead and the librarian says he has the latest copy of “Kasturi” or “Mayura”, that’s Mysore for you.
When the milkman sees you on a walk, and delivers an extra half liter without being asked, that’s Mysore for you.
Mysore is when you board a bus at the bus-stand and conductor-uncle gives you a ticket without asking. Mysore is when you collect little red ‘gulganji’ seeds on your way back home from KukkarahaLLi lake.
Mysore is when you come by the Tippu express, and you find someone going in your direction to drop you off.
Mysore is when elephants are marched in from the forests for Dussehra. Mysore is when you wait for your copy of “Star of Mysore”. Mysore is when the English movies are only at Rajkamal. Or Sterling.
Mysore is when you look for your KEB uncle to book tickets at Woodlands. Mysore is when there are student body elections in Sharada-Vilas. Mysore is the eternal SJCE-NIE feud. Mysore is when Jayciana is.
Mysore is when you got your project report bound at Venkateshwara Binders in Saraswatipuram.
Mysore is having grape juice at RTO circle. Mysore is buying vegetables at Agrahara. Mysore is buying plantain leaves in NanjumaLige, savoring the aroma of the agarbatti factory behind.
Mysore is eating ice-creams at Phalaamrutha or Penguin. Mysore is eating dosa at GTR or Mylari Hotel. Mysore is having biriyani early in the morning, near Philo’s church. Mysore is drinking sugarcane juice near Kukkarahalli lake. Mysore is munching corn-on-the-cob in the palace foreground.
Mysore is when I grew up in Mysore.
My Mysore.
Mysore before GRS, before the underbridge in front of Saraswatipuram Fire Brigade, before Infosys, before Ring-Road. Those who grew up in that Mysore will relate to me more than those who came to Mysore, for a three-month stint in Infy. Than those, who think Mysore is a good place to invest. Than those, who think chilling out in Mysore is just CCD or Pizza Corner.
Oh, how they misunderstand my pretty home!
Surely I must say this sums up the Mysore I lived in from 1948 to 1965.
Everything mentioned there is perfectly true and as a true blue Mysorean of that vintage,I relished.Yes-it was before Infosys,before ring road,Underbridge opp to fire brigade etc etc.
Definitely it was when mango trees were aplenty beyond the present 8th main,Saraswathipuram,when we bought vegetables by plucking straight from the plants at KG Koppal gardens, when the milk lady used to vend curds too from house to house,when one could eat Masala Dose and coffe for 25paise[16p+9p] at bahattara hotel opp uppar hostel,when one could watch English movies and British Movietone news reel at Ganesh talkies for 63paise,when we used to walk from sarswatipuram to ‘city’ ,watch USIS documentary films at Maharaja high school,when we ate Baby Masale at hotel opp NIE etc etc. I can write a book itself!
Oh,those were the days
What is CCD?
Also, Mysore is when we had Cultural events for Ganesha Habba …I remember Mysore Ananthaswamy trrop, Shivamogga Subbanna, Some Bharatha Natyam events…even Kunnankudi Vaidhyanathan had come twice for the Concerts for Ganesha Habba Celebration when i was at Chamundi Puram…These events were use to be celebrated as a Mohalla Fest. Now a days, i could see only Archestra for Ganesha Fest….Sounds Bad…
I still remember all those Pravachanas during Rama Navami at Shankara Narayan Temple in Chamundi puram…it used to be so nice.
The original author put it as a comment in http://walkamusing.blogspot.com/2006/06/kasturi-kannadada-nammooru.html
but the comment itself a master piece. The author’s blog is http://vikasshankar.blogspot.com/
Mysore is also where you could have churumuri in your preferred area – either near the Palace or in one of the bylanes in the interior just after dusk.
Mysore is also where you could walk to any place including Chamundi Hills except Brindavan Gardens.
Mysore is also where you could forget your purse or wallet in your favorite jataka gaadi or ‘auto’ and still expect to get it back the next day.
BTW on one of my recent visits I could not find a churumuri cart or stall. Wonder if they stopped it altogether. Also is Phalamruta still around?
Surely Mysore has come a long way!
Hah! The Nostalmania!!!
Reminds me of Coorg,
Virajpet where I was born…
Darengi Kodavanga unda illi?
Translation: Yaaradru Kodavaru Iddara Illi?
Prasad
Phalamruta is verymuch around, still famous for its Fruit Salad.
Churmuri Stalls are all the way famous and are around. Are u telling ABout Shetty Churumuri Cart in Ramanuja Road….Now-a-days, its taken care of his son…but Shettru avagavga barthare, to supervise.
Mysore is when elephants resided in ‘Ane Karoti’ in Ramanuja Road and the infernal concrete corbuncles of JCC complex was not there. Mysore is when wild elephants were brought for taming at the’Ane karoti’ and kids were allowed to witness the taming process which included the wonderful ritual of feeding elephants. Mysore is when the big tusker was prepared with wonderful ornaments for the Maharaja to mount and I as a yougster sat on the roof of our house with my sisters and saw the prepararion of the tusker literally 100yards from us. Mysore is when the Maharaja ruled the roost and the politicians did not put their sticky fingers in the state’s money kitty. Mysore is when the Dasara is held in grandeur , was envy of the whole world,and Goddess Chamindi seated on a ‘theru’ was pulled by hundreds of devotee to signal the end of Dasara festivities. Mysore is. when there was only Kannada spoken. Mysore is when all the kids could play in the street, and women can walk safely in the streets all times of the day. Mysore is when there were trees every where, air filled with jasmine and sandalwood fragrance and mango trees near Chamundi Hills pregnant with fruits were ready to welcome the visitors as guests. Mysore is when its university was famous all over the world with scholars like Dr Shama Satry, the discoverer of Kautilya’s Arthasasatra and when that great scientist JC Bose visited Germany, he was greeted as a scientist from the land of Dr Shama Sastry . Mysore is when there was only NIE, where admission was on merit and there was no other engineering college created purely on caste grounds and was used as a ‘cash cow’. Mysore is when my beloved poet Adiga was in St Philomena’s College and all of us in the NIE and Mysore Medical college, were swayed by his’Navya Kavya’
This is actually from Infosys bill board by a infosyan and not meant for public circulation.
Very nice…
Also about Raju Hotel (Iyers Lunch Home)…
Phalamritha.. thats a name I have not heard in years (Sagade Beru juice there in addition to ice cream). English pictures were also at Shalimar right? .. and night shows at Ganesha theater.. Coffee at Ballal hotel.. so much stuff.. all going going gone…hopefully not.
Prashanth,
Thanks for the update. I shall surely try to get to both these places next time.
For a person of my vintage, it is English pictures at Gayathri and Ganesha, dose and coffee at Raju Hotel, small green mangoes and fresh brinjals at Devaraja Market
Mysore is – the muslim driver in 3b who used to care for kids (i was in 5th)and still remembered me and smiled as an old man after a gap of 20years. I felt ashamed as i did not recognise!
where our chamundi hills is visible from any part of the city and safeguarding us and its presence itself fills us with courage and gives us mental power to face the hardships. (I am scared that one day these ‘developers, and progressive people who are trying to put mys on the world map for all unwanted development, may raze out chamundi hills to build concrete hill)
when our dad used to take us for a walk in Jalpuri towards the new chamundi vihar stadium where tree saplings were planted and we all took part in keeping the fallen saplings straight (have not visited the stadium from a long time)
that was when i watched the rain drench the mango groove in front of our house – (now it is becoming a dumpyard)
a time when i used to watch the snake charmer near the bus stand on my way to Avila Convent in the mornings. (is he still there?)
we could hear the lion roar early in the mornings even when the zoo is a couple of kms away! (Does anybody hear them now ?)
and many other small things which matter!
There are the countless ‘fareen tourist’ outside the palace where I first was intrigued by Italian, Gangotri where I got my first French kiss, Guru sweets and Mysore pak dripping with ghee, the conductor of bus route 29 who always spoke chaste kannada- chalisiri chaalakare and illi iliyiri prayaanikare- Mysore was and is wonderful
hasnt ballal hotel been demolished- what has come in its place I wonder and do people call it Ballal circle or anything else- not Ashoka circle I hope
Hi vna,
Good to mention the lion roar. I used to hear early mornings at about 5:30-those days (1950s), my parents and us the children used to get up at 5:50 to study as my parents believed in early rise. The lion roar was heard as our home on an imaginary straight line to the zoo passing through the ‘doddakere’ was over 3 Kms.
Mysore was when we were let in anywhere without any hindrance or ‘Mamool’.Mysore was when we used to go to ‘Ane Karoti’ -the elephant stable of the palce (or Govt.) whenever we thought of it-a walking distance.The Karoti was the present JSS Hospital in Ramanuja Road.Mahouts bringing Elephant in the street was common.We used to feed it with rice,jaggery or coconut even without asking elders,it was accepted.
Mysore was when the Maharaja Jayachamaraja wodayer made an accident in that road ( in 1952) and immediaately he himself shifted that young girl to KR hospital.Before PTI,Reuter or any journalist came to know of it,the whole Mysore knew it by evening though owning telephone was rear and Mobile never heard of. We in the high school envied that small girl and
prayed that we should also get into accident with maharaja’s car so that we can get apples and grapes daily.In those days only rich used to purchase apples and Grapes.Only 2-3 shops inside Devaraj market is to sell apples and Grapes.
Mysore was when there was no entrance ticket to the palace.We have to get a pass from the palace office and visit.When some relatives had come from Bombay,it was our Agrahar’s Doreswamy Iyengar (who was later Maharani’s secretary)is to provide us pass.Inside palace the attender (or any name) who is to accompany the visitor never asked for any money.If visitor gives him four annas (25ps) he used to take hesitatingly.
Mysore was when we used to go to horse garage roam inside.Somebody used to show us and reply all our silly questions.That horse garage was behind the Zoo-for sometime it was No2 selection board of the Airforce.
We used to walk thro’ Thandi sadak-the greencreepers on the top-almost oposite the Race club gate.Genarally Maharaja’s car used to pass thro that road in the evenings.We were staring and never knew how to wish.Now that ‘Thandi Sadak’ is inside the Zoo.
That was Mysore when we used to visit the palace Garage next to Police commissioner’s office.( I think TVS has taken over).We used to peep from that door glass to have the Darshan of Rolls Royce car.So many cars there.
Somebody used to explain it is eight cylinder engine,six cylinder engine when we didnt’ knew anything about cylinder.
Mysore was whenever we visited Chamundi hill we uised to jump on that chamber cover(Lid) connected to the Auatomatice gate to the palce at the Chamundi hill.We were unsuccessful,but when a car wheel moves over it ,the gate opens.
Saraswathupuram was known upto ‘thentho'( thengina thota).We used to wonder how people live at such faroff places.Vontikoppal was a difft.Ooru for us.Taking a cycle and going to ‘Bodygaurd ‘was a big event.When one learns cycling the test will be that he should cycle the Sanatorium steep
(Uppu) without getting down.He should cross Old Santhepet without getting down.The Santhepet Road was with full of Bullock carts and few lorries.Ragi or other pulses used to heaped openly on the road and measured with ‘Kolaga'( 5 seers)it used to be by volume and not by weight.
Gayathri talkies opened around 1950 s and Ganesha theatre was already there.From the time Gayathri started it was only English movies and Ganesha later switched over to English movies.When we used to come to Ganesh for a second show,the operator used to peep from the projector Hole.Only 4-5 used to be the viewers.We were thinking that they are not going to run the show but returning the money since they cannot get even the power charges.Sorry,Ganesh theatre is no more.The great Mothikhana is there. That is the four bldgs from Janatha Bazar to Telegraph office on Sayyaji rao road.There it was a store for palace requirements.Mainly rice,pulses etc. It was common in those days that if somebody is employed there accusing him as ‘Motikhana bandikoot’though he may be honest.
That was Mysore known for EEranagere Badanekai (Brinjal).Still that old EEranagere name is there behind Philomena’schurch and in that brinjal growing places -Kesare and beyond- houses have come up.
As scouts we used to practice march past in the open field between crawford hall and scout headqrs.for getiing selected to take part in Dasara procession.In those days not all were getting chance.Both crawford hall and Scout Hqrs. bldg was coming up.That banian tree is the mute spectator to all we did.
HAPPY TO BE IN MY GOOD OLD MYSORE.
Mysore was when Jayachamaraja Wodeyar’s Rolls Royce car travelling at a very high speed in Ramanuja road on the way to Chamundi Hill hit that girl ( a class mate of my sister) and who survived and came out of the ordeal with no permanent physical damage. Mysore was when Inspector Kuttappa’s car stopped His Highness car later one day for speeding and we surrounded the car greeting His Highness. Mysore was when its boundaries were restricyed and no IT invasion nonsense was present.
It scares to read only ‘Mysore was..’ as if we have, or we are going to lose our good old Mysore.
The real estate boom is making the middle class mysoreans homeless.
Day by day more of outsiders are visible on the road who do not have any idea about what Mysore is!
One depressing experience was when 5 of our family members one Sunday morning went to cllimb the chamundi hills on foot along the road, starting from IVAC, parking our vehicles there. In that junction road up where a road deviates towards the Nandi we saw some more than 5 cars with youth both males and females, behaving very odd playing with their cars all over that place. The screeching sound was heard long before we reached that place. Curiously we went there to find only that unruly behaviour. All of them looked very much alien to the place. Kannadadavaranthu allave alla. Uttaradavaru athava middle east navaru. We could see them with hookah too dancing with loud music. Their car play was really scary! ……… We felt helpless or rather spineless, to stop their mad behaviour. Any way that is the way we are! ellavannu sahisuva(?) shakti ide namage. I sadly felt that we are loosing Mysore to outsiders, just as we have lost B’lore.
When I myself feel soooo…..bad, I really try to understand how our seniors must be feeling… Sorry we are unable to keep Mysore to ourselves. I am sure there will be a change in the culture very soon. And we can continue to write ………’Mysore was when………..blah, blah.’
By the way I did not get what CCD is. Can somebody tell me?
CCD is college lingo for Cafe Coffee Day.
In a few years time, Mysore will be changed for ever-for bad. The problem with the state government is that they think that the only way to achieve what they think as progress is to ‘bus in’ as mant industries , particualrly IT as possible. Their narrow thinking does not take into account the negative changes that the place undergoes. Has any one thought waht happens if the IT bubble bursts ( there is so much a technology can progress) and India can no longer compete with labour cost advantage.
Its very unfortunate that Govt is hell bent on making mysore a commercial city like bangalore. They dont realise that this is a heritage city. If immigrants come here to settle down and all of the baloneys of radio city and mirchi start yelling with their megaphones, all the rubbish hindi songs, the soul of this great city will be(has been already?) destroyed. ..How I wish our people had a sense of heritage and history and people thought that all ‘development’ was not economic. I used to work for infosys, the company which destroyed mysore, and its chief mentor, who has built a filthy rich campus on ‘acquired’ land once said “who would have thought that mysore would ever see such a campus”(meaning mysore attained nbirvana bcoz of Infy. Felt like thrashing him. I also read a very diturbing figure that more thab 80% of the people buying property at Mysore are outsiders(meaning ppl from other states).. Is there anything we can do than venting out on blogs? BTB, the heads and DMs(delivery managers) of Infosys at Mys DC have sold their shares to buy hundreds of acres around mysore…Most of them Mallus and Tamils..
I may be opening another debate if I say this. These IT companies, call centres or outfits established in Bangalore calling themselves hitechs are arms of companies from the West, who are there because of the cost of labour, India not caring about pollution or draining and destroying natural resources, destroying eco systems etc.. These not hitechs, but are sweat shops- coolie program coding shops to be precise where you can deploy a dozen programmers for the cost of one that you would get in the West. There are no innovations but mundane grind. The IT CEOs , thanks to the short-sighted policies of the state goverment have beome filthy rich. Why do they care for jobs for locals, eco systems or mindless expansion of a once quiet city. The economy of the city become so out of kilter that local people are priced out of property. The is a recipe for disaster. When this buble bursts, it will one day, the destruction caused will be so serious that Mysore will take a hundred year to recover.
Deepak,
I also used to for Infosys and I am proud of the fact. What Infosys has done for Mysore is good. Let me explain:
Which other city in India would get 2000 well-paid tourists a month (average) free without doing any tourism marketing?
Yeah, you may complain abou the negative aspects of the “external” cultural influence etc. but the fact remains that cities world-wide (of course, not in India) would die for this kind of tourist influx.
Mysore can leverage this advantage tremendously. There are many cities in the world (Barcelona, Oxford, Kyoto-Nara) who have made their heritage their USP. Why Mysore can’t do the same? It needs to arrange for heritage walks, day-tours, package tours, culture shows etc. I know all these are there but is it well publicised/marketed ? Most of the tourists are are at the mercy of local touts/ auto-wallahs. Why can’t KSTDC arrange buses from Infosys Campus on Weekends? At least 100 people will turn up every week. I am sure readers here have experienced such wonderful tours which are arranged in foriegn countries during weekends on conventions/ seminars. Tourism needs innovation and mainly information.
This blog should be printed out and given to all Infoscions. I personally would have gone to all the places listed above to get a feel of the place. Trust me, Infoscions are not aliens. They are Indians just like you and me with a pride of our history.
I have gone to all places that Goldstar mentione, but there is one important difference. Take the case of Oxfrod where I lived for several years. There are very strict environment laws operate there as well as in other places less important in England. Even a supermarket expansion needs planning permission which triggers a public enquiry of judicial kind where local citizens can express their opinions. Any expansion is permitted only if it does not alter the character of the heritage city. Has this happened in Mysore? I know the answer. Expansions have been halted similarly in Bath, Barcelona and Oxford. We know how these are driven in Karnataka and India. Say no more.
I dont quite understand the cultured hostility expressed by some readers by blaming everything that is not well on IT. It has become a hypocritical habit fuelled by pseudo-regional jingoism. What can be more hypocritical than an ex-Infoscion blaming Infosys(and the IT industry as a whole) for destroying the “culture and heritage” of Mysore? I strongly presume that this person is still an employee of the IT industry – the same industry against which he spews so much venom. It is like spitting in your own meal-plate. If you have so much problem against IT then you shouldnt be there. If it is a sweat-shop -a coolie program, so be it. Atleast a coolie earns his own bread.
These guys are just plain jealous at the success of people like Narayana Murthy. This is a man who has become a symbol of achievement through sheer hard work by not only earning enormous success but also sharing it with thousands of other people. Did you even know that Murthy once pawned his wife’s jewllery to pay his employees’ salary? I am not here to make a Mahatma out of Murthy. Murthy is no Mahatma and he can never be one. He makes no secret of the fact that he is here to make money. Atleast he does it thru honest methods unlike many of our politicians. Now what is wrong in that? Is making money or aspiring to be rich immoral?
People love to pigeon-hole the rich guy as the bad guy somehow blaming him for everything that is wrong. I guess some of the popular TV serials also influence such categorization. Take a moment. Reflect upon yourselves before pointing at others for all the wrongs.
Having said this, I acknowledge that IT has made a section of the society way better off compared to the rest. But is there a remedy in not allowing any more companies? Moreover, the real contribution of the IT industry is in helping generate indirect jobs. Today, you have people with little or no education finding work in varieties of areas- construction, transportation, food business and many such fields. You need a sector that is strong enough to drive other sectors and IT is doing just that. There is a lot of unemployment in this country/state. IT alone cannot solve this – but atleast it can help reduce it. When you say that IT is not required you are also saying no to the potential indirect jobs that can be generated. Of course there are fallouts. Bangalore – where I live(working in IT but not in infy) is witnessing both the positives and the negatives. But the remedy is not to stop IT companies from coming here but to expand the city to accomodate the influx. That hasnt happened in Bangalore resulting in its present chaos.
I have a strong connection with Mysore – a beautiful place with a rich culture. Just because IT companies are coming there shouldnt make one paranoid that it is all for the worse. I guess tradition and technology can exist in harmony if there is good planning.
Yamini thanks for the CCD expansion. I did not know this.
I did not get who – ‘2000 well-paid tourists a month (average) free without doing any tourism marketing?’ ( quote – Goldstar)
Generally locals are not against tourism. They are hurt only when the local culture is spoilt because of it. It is great to see Mysore in the tourism world map. I upheld the fact that tourists should be treated and guided excellently and with great care, so that they have good memories of the city. I think every step should be made to promote it as a tourist city. And we believe in ‘athithi devobhava’. In the same way any “Athithi’ should understand the centiments of hosts, respect them and their culture.
Aa onte kathe aagbardu noodi!
I did not get what these MNCs are doing in the name of tourism? If we say that only by bringing the ‘highly paid international coolies’ (as referred in some books about the modern young rich indians in some news magazine) to our city with their spending power which develops tourism – it is sheer nonsense. See what has happened to b’lore.
What is the use of blaming them? Namma hane baraha sarigilla ee imbecile raajakaranigalu matthu brashta adhikaarigalu padediruvudakke.
I was only worried that a situation may be created when the locals are driven away from their place (as has happened in Basavanagudi and other places in B’lore). Then we will feel aliens not the infosys and their siblings. They will feel very much at home as they are feeling in blore.
In Blore the kannadigas are merely 27%. Day by day it is dwindling. All the newsmakers are no more relevent to true blore. ellellu inglish. Kannadadalli maathanaduvaru thumba kadime. Hatakke biddu naavu mathanadabeku. BE A ROMAN IN ROME – policy illave illa. The same may or is in the process of happening with Mysore. As the owners of the new expanding city in Mysore are no more mysoreans or kannadigas.
Helkolloke ellarigu bekaadashtide. Aadare ‘progress, development, badalaavane’ thadiyoke saadhyavilla. Nodkondu nagona bidi.
I cannot see my last comment
Goldstar,
You are living in yester years coz Infy is now around 7500 strong in Mysore….LOL at “2000 well paid tourists”..and at “They are Indians just like you and me with a pride of our history “..Really! I have tried every book in the trick, from “kannada kali” to trying to popularising churumuri, kannada cinema, chamundi betta trecking on the bulletin board..Trust me, none is concerned of all of the heritage and pride you are talking of. Simple..They are here with the sole purpose of making money(nothing wrong in that) but dont give a hoot to anything local.And the despicable northies are the first to regurgitate their ‘national language’ and its songs all over the mysoreans.And NRN seems to have a special liking for northies, who are settling down in hordes in mys, buying property all over.. This effect is not in the interest of the your and my posterity..Over kannadiga-children will have nowhere to go.
If you want to look at what your Infoscions are going to do to Mysore, you dont need to look any farther than Bangalore….If you dont realise this even after knowing whats the fate of Blore today, its clear in what kinda paradise you are living in.
I am amazed the ways Mr Rao is spewing out so much. I am not going to say who I am but certainly I am not in IT Industry, certainly not in a coding workshop. You can have your guess. If the IT CEOs are such great men they would stop and think before they jointly embark ( with others perhaps) on destroying the eco systems as it seems to have happened in Bangalore and Mysore is going the same way. I do not need lectures about these IT CEOs- I know them certainly more intimately than Mr Rao ( that relationship certainly is not as an employee) and drew attention of at least one of them about the harm that will be done. It is certainly the lapse of the state government not putting safeguards so that the character of a city like Mysore does not change. In a third world country like India and in a place like Mysore, The effects of an IT industry- a few getting very rich and throwing money around, influx of non-Mysoreans, less opportunity for local talents, demand for land and property boom, not to say the environment pollution and changing character of the city could be devastating indeed. Just wait for a decade and see these effects on a city like Mysore.
Unfortunately unlike in the West, there are no safeguards like public enquiries where local people have a say in determining the necessity of exploiting natural resources when a demand is made on them by a company. A potential CEO has to convince only the chief minister of the state to give him the nod. The result is Bangalore is choking and Mysore soon will go the same way. When this happens, the so called benevolent IT CEO will simply move his outfit to another place. Wake up before it is too late.
dear all, what are we gaining by blaming each other? we love mysore. do we want to save it from distruction? if yes then, will quarelling help mysore? will blaming each other or one sector help us in our mission? have all of us grown so old that we cant do nothing but remember a bygone era? do we want to ride on legacy and memories?
let us get togther and brainstorm how to create a new mysore. let us not imitate our politicians and keep talking about issues. let us address the problem, find solutions, implement them. we are talking about our ‘home’. it is precious to us, not for somebody else. and kere neeru kudiyoke done nayakana appane beka? to save our home do we need permission from somebody else? why should we underestimate our own strength and concern? if we really mean what we say, let us get act together. cause should drive our actions not our emotions.
No one is suggesting that we wnat Mysore of 1820s, which are bygone era. The question here is will Mysore be at least as it is now in a decade’s time at the rate it is allowed to expand. We should certainly be concerned about legacy in terms of what kind of Mysore we leave to our children and grand children. Will it be another Bangalore -a polluted pit? That is the issue.
who can forget the sticker vendors near our schools selling stickers for 5p to 10 ps. I can never forget the scolding I used to get for sticking those on my Amma’s almariah. The icecream vendor ( I am reffering to the stick – we graduated to cones when we went to Under graduate colleges). The Cucumber Vendor, the vendor with oranges ( the slices with Khara).
The best thing about Mysore which still is, is that we can meet anybody at any corner of the city with a lead time of 20 minutes.
Goldstar – Agree with what you say about tourists and tourism. How wonderful it would be to have tourists who respect the place, the culture, tradition, heritage, et al. . The idea of organised bus tours, walks, cycling are more than welcome. But Deepak has raised some points which normally tourists (in this case well paid) would not indulge in. Mysore, as a tourist destination has survived with stutters and putters. No doubt a total overhaul is needed to put Mysore on the international tourist map as you said, but aren’t well-mannered tourists critical? And these ill mannered ones may be the IT clan or from the mushrooming colleges across the town or the locals. And one who has no regards to the town should be dealt with accordingly (like the Police Inspector who made a group of erring tourists squat in public, recently). And believe me any tourist destination is better off without such tourists. People from other states and countries are not new to Mysore. Since decades, a seat of learning it has been, Mysore has had people working and studying. They were and are respected as they respect Mysore. But this simply doesn’t happen with most of the IT crowd, especially from most northern states. I have seen this happening to Jayanagara in Bangalore. Go to a place like Planet X and you can see the dilution of local sedate culture or as someone pointed out like what they saw atop Chamundi Hills. And let every new comer to Mysore remember, it is and it should be Mysore first and then A, B, C or D either in IT, BT, Telecom or Automobiles. Am part of the IT sector now, but have been part of the other sectors too previously. And there is no dearth for arrogance in this sector. I guess, this spews all ills.
Recently I met a land ‘developer’ who had sold some 71 sites to only 19 guys from Infosys, where one of them ‘picked’ up 9 of them. All outsiders to Mysore. Sounds like buying mangoes isn’t it? Don’t know whether they were well paid tourists or speculators, or was the ‘developer’ not worried about what problems he has created in satiating his greed. Our own people sold Bangalore, and now eyeing Mysore, like the ‘developer’ mentioned above. And if this is to fail, for a change we have to be aggressive, arrogant and rude to anyone and everyone who cares less for Mysore.
Our laws too provide for public debate and opinion, but they are generally stage managed as in the case of the Ideal Jawa property case (where 1400+ apartments are proposed to be built along with commercial space). There are a couple of NGOs who are fighting the government’s myopic policies and all Mysoreans should strengthen them. Many more NGOs should come up and act as pressure groups.
Companies like TVS, Nestle, etc and RBI, RMP are existing since many years, but have had no impact on the city. But today, it is just one IT company and we are witness to a sea change in the dynamics. It would be soothing to see few large companies setting up shops somewhere in the outskirts of Mysore and still have Mysore of the yore. I endorse the way Infy has built its Mysore campus which has not put pressure on the city’s infrastructure, be it housing, transport or even entertainment to some extent (whether ‘acquired land’ or problems created while building are different stories). Despite all this, the real estate mafia has leveraged just the mere presence of the IT giant and created an unpleasant demand for land. The townships of BEL, VISL and MPM in Bhadravathi, presently RBI at Mysore and if I remember correctly, two such townships that flourished in Siddhartha Layout till recently are very good examples. Surely, I feel this is one of the ways forward if we are to see planned cities. Today it is Mysore and then will be Mangalore. Tomorrow it will be Hubli-Dharwad or Belgaum. We need planning and not creation of half a dozen Bangalores that will suffocate the urban life in the state. It’s time that different agencies like the KIADB (which allots lands to businesses) and HUDCO/KHB/MUDA (which cater to housing needs and urban planning) to come together and work in total synchronization.
I have heard the lion roar as recently as in the late 90s. Considering, that we live in Jayanagar, its quite far! :) Mysore still has all those charms of yesteryears still around. Its not that, all is lost. But the way the developments are going on, it scares the wits out of me and am sure out of any true Mysorean..
Arun, Deepak, Ranga, and others,
I understand and agree to what you say. I appreciate what Deepak has done for promoting local culture and tourism.
Generally, people from the northern states have a boorish behaviour. But what I have observed is that it is people from the Hindi belt who have this kind of attitude. I know many Maharashtrians, Gujaratis, and Bengalis who are not hung up on the “National Language” thing and are very accomodative to the local culture. Perhaps, it is because they have in-built respect for two languages (mother tongue and Hindi) and can respect similar such people. People from the Hindi belt are generally unaware that the South is made up of four distinct states and different languages.
I have made another observation (which could be wrong): People appreciate new things if they are given prior information about the history. For e.g.: If you go to a food festival, say Thai or Italian, information is given as to what to expect from that food festival, how the cooking is done, what special ingredients are used in that cuisine etc. That helps to appreciate the finer points.
Based on these two observations, I still believe that Infy “students” can be targetted as potential good tourists. How:
1. KSTDC should arrange day tours from Infy campus on weekends.
2. Breakfast/Lunch/evening snacks should be FIXED (Only Mysore/Karnataka special food in speciality restaurant). No stoppings at Cafe coffee day, Dhabas, or mixed cuisine restaurants etc.
3. FULL PRIOR INFORMATION should be given as to what to expect for breakfast/lunch/snacks.
4. Full prior information on the places that are being visited. I guess this done for all package tours… so nothing new here.
I am sure there still will be people here who are eager for this kind of a “full culture” tour. There will still be some boorish rotten apples but the majority will be good tourists, who know what to expect and willingly come to Experience Mysore.
I concur totaly with Abhaya.. We need to start a ‘crusade’ to educate people to be cautious about the recent developments and not let Mysore go the Blore way. We need to preserve our heritage for what it is such that our posterity is proud of their antecedents..I beleive that only those proud of their antecedents and hence themselves can come up with product companies..Else we’ll end up only servicing and hence be only at the receiving end of the cultural set up(somehow Ive noticed that its the culture of these companies that flows down the socio cultural dialectic)..
And Arun hit the nail in the head when he said that mysore was peaceful when it had hordes of other companies like Vikrant, lnt, RBI,BEML etc but it is the foray of Infy on acquired land that have laid the soul of Mysore on the pyre.
Im really sorry to visit ‘developing’ mysore today..Huge trees (most of them alada maragaLu) of breathtaking size are being cut to make way for these (nauseating) modern people.I had to visit madikeri last week and was literally in tears to see the carnage of those great trees on either side of the road. Its actually easy to live in a dead city(blore) than in a dying city(mysore).
I needed to review my prev post before submitting..Sorry for the mistakes..Hope u can und what Ive written
Bendre wrote ‘ ninna kanninda nanna kadiye Dharawadadha thaayi’- now this superficial ‘development’ is truly churning Mysore. True we need to frame a mandate for the indigenous dwellers as well as those by choice in how we seek to develop the city- maintain its cultural integrity as well as look forward. If we dont work fast the government will and sound the death knell by making something like the BATF- the pall bearers of Bangalore BTW
Can you please update the article with the proper credits? (They are in the comments). Thank you! :)
In Vamshi’s comments, if I may add. And this is neither from someone in SJCE, nor is it by an Infoscian for private circulation.
Goldstar – the suggestions you have made are very simple to implement. Hope things fall into place very soon, for one and all.
Deepak- the carnage you are talking about began long time back (not necessarily linked to IT companies). You can see this kind of tree chopping even on Mys-Hassan highway and Blr-Hassan highway as well. Whether IT, BT or Fabcity, different lobbies (concrete, timber) work here. And please remember who (which family) holds the PWD / Urban Dev ministry. The minister recently instructed (or did he scare?) the officials (MUDA) that Mysore needs to be developed as it is catching up with Bangalore and no one should be afraid of taking steps towards ‘development’. He has also promised a 4-way or a 6-way road from Toll-gate to Palace. Is this needed? No reactions so far on this from anyone in Mys.
Also KIADB is on a land-acquiring spree in and around Mysore due to pressure from the industry as advance money is already collected. A comprehensive package that involves open spaces, housing, water harvesting, green belt, entertainment, etc is required rather than just allotting land for business. The most worrying factor is acquiring land around Nanjangud, the lands that are very fertile with no dearth for water. This would initially trigger acquiring, but subsequently encourage the other farmers to sell their land to the mafia, thus distancing themselves from agriculture and making way for virtual land grabbing binge. Why should such fertile land be subject to industrial activities? Is this a right way? Wonder what Chukki Nanjundaswamy & coterie are doing about this.
Time for active public participation too.
Absolutely arun. But I feel that the problem of traffic that we are referring to will have to be addressed in a different way.If we start building new infrastructure, more people are gonna use it and it will become choked again..Im pretty sure, for eg, that the new elevated highway being bulit on hosur road will get clogged within 1 yr of its commissioning…Transport makes people ‘footloose’
I think the way out is to construct residences for employees of IT companies within their campuses and barring them from buying land at the places of their employement . They should be cofined to their campuses and the only time they would want(be allowed :)) to go out of their campuses would be to a airport or a railway station.
I ve seen that this has a great salubrious effect on the people.For eg in the IISC, the students would never want to go out of their campus. They’ll like to study, work and die there if allowed. Such an environ can be created by each company. There would develop a new indigenous culture. And the best part is that the local culture of city in which these companies are housed will remain untouched..It will lead to decongestion of roads, drastic reduction in pollution, mental peace to the employees etc etc. But the transport lobby will go bankrupt :) . Also, the companies can drastically cut the salaries doled out to employees. This will reduce filthy conspicuous consumtion and reduce the heartburn among the have-nots.
For eg, Infy can build residential quarters for all its employees in the 400 odd acres ‘acquired land’ (instead of growing lawns on 90% of the area and feeding them eternally with kaveri neeru) and not dump its despicable employees on the city of Mysore.
Comparison with IISC is spurious. IISC is an educational institution operating on a non-profit basis, funded by tax payers’ money and has no commercial qualms. Any other private company that we see in India or elsewhere operate to maximise its profits and likes to facilitate the legitimate aspirations of its employees to be achieved. An IISC like housing within campus perimeters is unthikable. Politicians have their sticky fingers in the packets of propert developers and speculators and would never constrain the naked avariciousness of these sharks. Cutting the salaries of an employee is also a non-starter as it is unrealistic. As they say in the West, the genie is out of the bottle and cannot be put back in. When this IT company mooted its planning of exploiting acres of greenland in Mysore by concretising it, the resident Mysoreans should have seen the darkside and should have acted promptly. But then they would have been accused of throwing away the ‘development of Mysore, opportunities for its citizens etc… by the powerful voice of the ITcompany CEO. In India and Mysore is no exception, politican like the chief minister wields immense power and is not accountable for any one – the least to his voters. He would have struck a deal with the IT company and the rest is history.
The way forward now would be to stop such companies mushrooming, and use the argument that these companies ‘bus in’ non Mysoreans as evidenced in the case of this IT company, and use this to counter the propaganda that would be put out by new companies behaving the way this IT company has done. I do agree that there has to be a ‘people volunteer force’ to peacefully lobby the government and put up an MP and an MLA if necessary to add voices. The Green Party in Germany did this and through its members in German Parliament ( Bundestag) succeded in arresting the uncontrained exploitation of natural resources in Germany among other things.
Deepak,
“I think the way out is to construct residences for employees of IT companies within their campuses and barring them from buying land at the places of their employement”.
This will lead to further land grab by IT companies. Imagine, if they grab so much land only for Office space, how much they will grab for residential space.
You cannot bar people of a particular profession from buying land. We are not living in a Hitler’s Fascist country where Jews were barred from doing a lot of things. (Indians cannot buy land in J & K – thanks to article 356 – but that is a entirely different controversial issue).
Article 356 relates to dismissal of state governments by the centre.
I think GoldStar is referring to Article 370 with regards to J&K where only Indians from other states cannot own land. I agree that is controversial and such measures should not be advocated. Restricting people in any way which is discriminatory is not advisable or practical as we are a free country.
I think what is needed is not new laws, but enforcement of existing ones when we find any wrong practices or disregard to the rules are found. And I think all of us are very much laid back in this respect. When we find anyone (from the state or outside) violating rules or disturbing peace, we need to warn them & report it. Also as concerned citizens, we need to raise it with all the authorities. Even if action is taken in a few cases it will put a brake on many such undesirable activities.
There can’t be any restrictions imposed for sure.
The recent Industrial Policy of Karnataka (if implemented) would create laks of job opportunities. The CM(with the smiling Dy.CM standing behind) told the press that employment should be preferably to Kannadigas. This statement from the CM carried no conviction though. Hmmm…maybe it is imposed subsequently…its politics afterall. We still have time on hand. More NGOs and KRV should act and we should get involved as much as possible. We should shed our laid back attitude now. Otherwise we can never be so.
First of all i am veryu happy because theirare some more persons like us who missed mysore so intensely as we do. I feel still happy that the people want to protect Mysore from dying. But in a hurry to do that we r just blaming IT industry. Anishtakkella shaniswara moola anno hage yake navu behave madutha iddeve aren’t we oyur selves responsible for some of the disasters in mysore tell me how many of us really protested when the trees near yuvaraja college were cut down in the anme of widening the city now we feel bad. How many of us really care to promote our city when we r out of it.? ofcourse their are some exceptions i do agree but still we our selves are more responsible for this agony.
Now coming to CCD folk it is not only mysore but this generation of youth are killing the heritage of whole of India. Whether it is Mysore, Dharwad, agra, jaipur or some other city in India. Basically they are not interested in any of the heritage or the history of our own country. They feel knowing history is a waste of time. This is what making our cities die slowly unfortunately Mysore is tops the list .
My suggestion to deepak et.al, who feel they are not succesful in making people understand our culture is that don’t tell how Mysore was but tell them how to enjoy in Mysore. NAvu hage madutha uiddevu adhu idhu anno badalu heli betta hathidare maja irodu busnalli hodare alla antha churmuri thindu nodi aaga gothu aaguthe maja anni, Nivu nodutha irodu Nijavada mysore alla banni namma jothe antha karedukondu hogi then it may workout to some extent I believe. Idhu ondu thara CHANDI KATHE ulta dari workout aaguthe try it . And all the best.
Reading the comments I gather that the general mood here is one of concern and amongst some, even of desperation. A definite problem has been identified – usurpation of real and cultural estate. Quite quickly, a FEW here, have jumped to the lay all ills of Mysore at the doorsteps of external/outsider’s IT industry as if Mysore has no IT aspiration and some how sans IT related immigration, the Mysorean utopia of a long bygone era would return. It is as if the current Mysorean is destined/doomed to live in somebody else’s memory of a utopia. The current Mysorean cannot shape Mysore as he sees it.
The IT industry has been identified as the external cause of this very real change. But there is also an internal reality to this ‘decay’.
When most Mysoreans send their kids to their favorite tuitions to make their engineers of the software kind, when most Mysoreans have IT aspirations for their kids, does it make sense for us to fight against the IT industry as an external agent?
Prospects
I dare say a very small percentage of people of my generation who were schooled in science, economics and technology in Mysore are gainfully employed in Mysore. A few in my group of friends are in IT many more, including me, are not, but NONE is in Mysore.
How many SSLC and PUC science stream kids graduate out of the various schools and colleges in Mysore? How many of these are employed in Mysore? Why make shallow calls about leaving a Mysore of our memory to our kids when such a Mysore of our memory has no hope for our kids.
When most local people are not enterprising and industrious enough to generate employment for ‘our’ kids, how sensible is to lay blame on the lone Mysorean who has brought in a sense of achievement and accomplishment into an entire generation.
yeraDoo kayy thaTTidrene chappaLe
The ills we are talking about is just a side effect of IT’s enterprise and not the objective of it. IT industry, like any other industry, just has the power to pay people salaries for services rendered they cannot tell them how to spend it. Murthy himself funds akshayapaatra, others use that money to speculate in real estate.
On the other hand, people of the land mafia – brokers, true blue Mysoreans sitting on multiple sites and transacting in black, those in IT with money power, fat cat administrators and elected officials –have a direct hand in perpetuating this rot.
Are IT people the only people in Mysore with multiple sites?
If people are buying property others are selling it. After selling are they moving out of Mysore? I own one house in Mysore and I dare not sell it because my parents have to live in one and I cannot afford to buy another in the current market for an equivalent price. So how are sellers who are not emigrating from Mysore and who are presumably not in IT able to afford to sell these properties?
One of the ‘insights’ provided here is that the IT work is low-end coolie work. #1. The nature of work is irrelevant to the discussion at hand. #2 such a statement is made by those who have no appreciation for innovation involved in identifying a value, in setting up and in successfully running these ‘coolie’ industries. Are we to believe that it is our ethical integrity that allows us to deride other’s industry but prevents us from setting up the lucrative sweatshop?
the live-work concept assumes people will not change jobs. i think it is better MUDA, which idealy should be disbanded and replaced with a more representative authority, should nullify all new layouts and instead build multiresidence apartment complexes. this should ease pressure on land to a large extent.
Hi All,
I am not sure what people are talking about Mysore, IT, NRN, Crowd, Real Estate etc etc etc. I leave in Mysore and I am in IT, even today I can go from one end of Mysore to the other within Half an our on a motored vehicle as we used to do earlier.
Friends, it is economics and growth and the coming generations which will change things around. Most of the Karnataka Engg and Doctors went away to the US for a long time of which I guess I can include many for study, jobs and then for a better life and they expect the facilities in US on a daily basis and get back to Mysore say once in two years or 4 years and expect the same as it was during your school or college days. Hell NO, things will change and move on, life has to go on and things will change, accept it and try to appreciate what India has grown up to and the moving directions.
Earlier in our days there were not many jobs in south and hence we have to move up North, now there anr not many IT related jobs in North and hence they come down to South where there are plenty of jobs in all sectors.
For the younger generation part of CCDs and others, it is the Television revolution that caught up in India, my house had TV first only in 1987 by then I was exiting SJCE and hence I cannot stay in front of TV for more than 1/2 hour if I am in Mysore else where I have no choice I stay put in front of TV, this is how it goes and you can get your answers yourself by just looking around and stop blaming and accept the TRUTH
I would say all the mysoreans should get their jobs at mysore instead of going to other cities such as Bangalore, hyderabad, chennai, bombay, delhi etc. i born and brought up in mysore but i am working at bangalore my dream is to get a good job at mysore and work.
Four Years in SJCE n i m head over heels in love with the place.. There’s no other place which possible matches up to the tranquility of mysore. It’s been one year since i left the place. When i went there recently i saw traffic signals all over the place. Imagine!! A traffic signal at BakePoint circle, one at the kukkarahalli kere . And not a single soul at the signal throughout. :).. Mysore.. Hope you never change..
Soo lovely…
I have been in mysore for 2 yrs, and have only seen a fraction of it… But I relate so much to the local flavours you have so beautifully mentioned…
Some of these flavors I have experienced in Coimbatore, my hometown, some I knw to be Mysore.
I strongly agree with the CCD thing… I feel it is an anachronism and a farce…
Keep writing more about Mysore. You have got one more fan.
I am an ‘alien’ to Mysore and had been a visitor to the place for the past 11 years. The first ever time I saw the city, I fell in love with it.
I have read only about 50% of the above comments, but I am with all those who are lamenting the city’s fast fading richness. Even as a visitor of the great city, I am feeling very nostalgic of the great past getting ruined. I can understand what the native Mysoreans feel.
It may not be right to blame it on wealth creators like NRN. I feel very much that the real-estate business is the cause of the ruin of Bangalore and Mysore and also most other Indian cities. Lack of government will to protect the richness of the places, as compared to aid to ‘development’ is another cause. In the name of ‘development’ they (the sellers and buyers of real estate) are destroying the environment and ecology of our beautiful world.. and it is very sad that they have not spared Mysore. It is very sad that the government is not caring even to protect the greenery. But, what about the locals?? I think there is a lot of apathy in the locals also when it comes to protect at least greenery. I have read about the rich avenue trees of Mysore roads – almost all vanished now.
Lack of respect the local culture and heritage of the place one comes for living is unpardonable. All the people that come to Bangalore for work should learn Kannada and appreciate the sensitivities of the locals. It is because of the ‘accommodation’ of the locals that they are here. (‘They’ includes me too.)
The local youth should take up the conservation of local culture and heritage. There will be, among the ‘aliens’ too, people like me who would love to participate in such activities.
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Author has given details about Mysore as if it is a village. Most of the things in this article is ludicrous. Mysore is much more than this, its a royal city comparable to Paris to some extent. People who want to invest money in Mysore will start scraching once he reads this article.
As of now, who ever visits mysore starts loving this beautiful city from the moment he steps in. Hope this trend continues forever.
My dream is to see Mysore become one of the best cities in the world.
Well I agree with Pradeep to an extent. But I wish Mysore remains as it used to be earlier forever. It need not become best its already the best. I really wish it does not end up becoming another Bangalore polluted & crowded. I really wish and pray that the serenity of Mysore lasts for eternity.
And to a greater extent I disagree with Pradeep the article is not ludicrous. Its extremely painful to hear that its ludicrous. It reminds us of the lost intimacy in out lives. It may not be only Mysore be it any city the culture and intimacy is totally lost
wow! impressive, it reels my mysore as a slide show………. hope i stay here for my life time.
wow! what a surprise..I accidentally landed on this page..trust me it took me decades back..I used to religiously visit my grand parents during Dussera and summer holidays…must have spent about two months every year at Mysore for during my school days…
I still recollect having fruit solid (salad) at the ice cream parlours behind santhepet opposite old bus stand..walking through the palace gates from east to west and vice-versa without having to stop..it used to be a short-cut.
Playing in the open area around palace office (public offices)…having fresh mysore pak at their kitchen on the sayyaji rao road…having churmuri near the clock tower…
I can go on and on..those were the lovely days…I can only re-visit them in my memories..
Nice to have dropped by…will come back more often..
Nice thoughts folks :) The other name for heaven is Mysore to me.
Its nice to read this . The only backdrop is ,, I am not of your generation … but I believe in what you say cause the only reason for me to come to Mysore was to experience the old heritage city .. walking in Mysore from one place to another is never a problem . I have no clue why people have vehicles .. comparing to the place i stayed before Mysore is so small and clean to walk around and finish your business for the day . I hope people realize what actually they are missing out on .. only a walk with your friends to a near by shop or cycling to college is better of than sitting and chatting on any of the social networking sites