'Literacy increased but not civic sense': Viral 1980's pic of Bengaluru road sparks social media debate

A photo of a road in Bengaluru, in the 1980's, is bringing back memories and nostalgia for many residents, and sparking confusion and frustration to a number of others.

A photo of a road in Bengaluru from the 1980's is bringing back memories and nostalgia for many residents, and sparking confusion and frustration to a number of others.

The image was posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), with the caption, '1980s :: Street Scene, Bangalore.' The pic showed vehicles driving on a clear road in the city which the users assumed to be MG Road. Now a street full of hustle, Bengaluru of that era speaks calm and clean.

This post continues the conversations on the aspects of the city's traffic life and overwhelming crowds. With users reacting to the post from various angles, one thing remains constant, the need for a time like that.

A comment read, "80s Bangalore looks 100x cleaner than today. Literacy increased but not civics sense. We are growing backwards. (sic)" As replies started to pour in on the post, the focus was on how one of the most crowded areas in the city today was back then. A direct comparison to the infrastructure of the city through time.

A user remembered that time, saying how the boulevard was torn down to bring up the connectivity for the metro lines, "What a shame!!," the user added.

Over the many decades of urbanization, beautification, and population management, the once clean street remains a long-gone dream for the residents. The replies mentioned the other parts of the city, stating how many memories were made within the paths of Bengaluru. A comment shared how their children had played cricket at a junction near Race Course Road, "Today you can’t even cross the road there," he wrote.

Another post of Old Bangalore had been shared by the account, captioned 1950 :: Car Parking On M.G Road , Bangalore.'' This road shows a clear street, with a few vehicles parked at the assigned place. A time very different from the present one, where traffic has become the inherent state of the city.

With many upcoming plans for the city's development along metro lines, pedestrian structures, traffic management, and more, the thought of civic sense remains primary. Being the hub for various industries, tackling rapid expansions could prove to be a task to balance city life and standads.