Majestic, but far from sublime

Bengaluru's iconic hub deserves a more fitting definition

On one fine summer afternoon, I reached out for the newspaper on the coffee table as usual. I had already read that daily at length in the morning. After a cursory glance at the contents, I zeroed in on the crossword puzzle and started filling the grid slowly.

Most of the clues were plain sailing. However, I was stumped by a seven-letter word whose clue was ‘majestic’. I wondered if the answer could be sublime. Somehow it did not feel right. So, I waded through the other clues, and the sixth letter showed itself to be “m”. 

When I worked out the other clues, the first letter revealed itself to be “s” and the last letter was “e”. Though these pointers seemed to support my guess, I put down the answer hesitantly, folded the paper and put it back. 

It was time for me to run an important errand. I set out from home and hailed an auto rickshaw and sought to go to Majestic. The driver refused. So did two more. Their reasons were the same. “The roads will be clogged with traffic”, “The road is riddled with potholes”, and “Overflowing open drains on the way”. However, some of them were ready to navigate through the maze if I could pay them a lofty sum. I resisted them for a while and finally got into one, as the rain clouds cast their dark shadows.

When we were closer to the bus terminus, the skies opened, unleashing chaos. Street vendors, motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, dogs and a stray cow decided to take shelter under the over-bridge till the rains relented. The buses, lorries, cars and autos were bracketed out on either side under the downpour. Two-wheelers managed to wheedle through the narrow leeway. Amidst all the confusion, I could hear random voices of people speaking in multiple languages about the rains and how they were stranded in Majestic.

With the mention of Majestic, my thoughts meandered to the crossword clue. The maddening crowd and mayhem made me realise that I had hesitated subconsciously to put down “sublime” as the answer. 

But then, the true blue Bengalurean in me would not let the matter go. The Majestic area as we know of it today was a sublime sylvan lake once upon a time. A cinema hall named Majestic, which was situated along the Tank Bund Road, lent its name to the area. The place must have been synonymous with Majestic all those decades ago. Gradually, the waters of the Dharmambudhi lake dried up. The lake bed was used to build a public bus depot. Soon enough a pulsating township mushroomed around the place. Overuse and abuse of the facility gave way to a squalid, unkempt and noisy atmosphere.

Renaming the area might save the word ‘majestic’ from being maligned, but helping the area to regain its regal status as an orderly, verdant hub will resuscitate the heart of Namma Bengaluru. We must work on the clue!