JOIN USThis picture was taken in 1997 at the Bannerghatta National Park where we had gone for a picnic.
I was 2 years old then and I am seen my brother Sumanth and cousins Santosh, Satish and Vivek, who lived just 100 metres away from our house in R P C Layout in Vijayanagar.
They were our only friends when we had moved in from Dharwad to Bengaluru, thanks to my father’s transfer. He was working in a state government undertaking then.
I still remember being very excited at the prospect of getting a chance to visit the park.
We had all woken up early that day and packed our lunch to take with us to eat at the park. Those days, Bannerghatta Road was virtually empty and driving on that stretch meant visiting the National Park. It was peaceful to drive around in Bengaluru those days.
I did my primary school in Camlin English School and later moved to Srivani Education Center. My cousins and I went to the same school which was just a stone’s throw away from our house. It was so close that we would set out to school only after we heard the bell ring.
Growing up with four big brothers was a lot of fun. As I was the youngest, I was always protected and pampered. One of the occasions that I would eagerly wait for was ‘Raksha Bandhan’ when I would tie ‘rakhi’ to my brothers and get a lot of gifts in return.
I’ve spent a large part of my life in the city and witnessed the dramatic changes it has undergone in that last few years.
With endless traffic jams, malls at almost every corner and IT companies mushrooming by the day, the city has truly undergone a transformation of sorts. There was a time when weekends only meant picnics to Lalbagh, Cubbon Park and Bannerghatta but now that seems to have changed to a movie and dinner at a mall.
Earlier, our weekends were reserved for places of interest in the city.
One incident that remains fresh in my mind is our visit to Infant Jesus Church in Viveknagar. We travelled by a double-decker bus to reach our destination.
It was the first time that I was travelling by one of those buses. I remember after we got inside we suddenly realised that some of us, in the group, were missing.
There were no cellphones those days . But, we didn’t panic and soon those who were left behind reached the destination safely. Even though, we didn’t have a cellphone to reach them there was no fear of any kind. Sometimes, I think cellphones do more harm than good these days.
Today, we’ve moved from double-decker buses to ‘namma Metro’. What a change! We have indeed come a long way.
All of us in the picture have settled down in our respective careers but we still remain in touch. Vivek ‘anna’ and my brother Sumanth are pursuing their careers in the US, Satish and Santosh ‘anna’ are both software professionals in Bengaluru and I am presently doing my Chartered Accountancy Course.
This picture gives me the chance to go back in time and relive the memories of my childhood.
Although, I know that I will never get those days back, I cherish every moment spent exploring the city with my brothers.
(Anusha can be reached on vanahallianusha@gmail.com)