It’s hip to be aware! Go buff that City Quotient

In some circles you can become a social outcast if you are not intimately aware of what’s happening in your city, or to it. The issue could be something as seminal as Lokayukta justice Santosh Hegde’s resignation and its withdrawal 10 days later, an emotive matter like TDR, which is uniting citizens from Banashankari to Banaswadi as they speak out against road widening, a socio-cultural event like the mouth-watering mango party at the Rangashankara, Bollywood starlet and Bangalore girl Deepika Padukone’s ‘secret visit’ to the city or a bothersome occurrence like Monday’s bandh.

If you are not ‘looped in’ and can’t connect with any of the ‘Bangalore’ topics being discussed with militant fervour across town, then you could well fall into in the league of the ordinary.

The age of the unaware Bangalorean has passed into oblivion with everyone from school children to beer buddies wanting to wear their City Quotient (CQ) pretty much in the style of a fashionable Livestrong wristband. It’s not surprising, then, that at all-the-rage cafés , social soirées, techie post-work haunts, pensioners’ clubs and even PG digs, it pays to show that you know what’s going on in your city and what’s affecting its people.

Don’t be surprised if you hear young doctors at St John’s Hospital holding forth on the injustice of Sanjana Singh’s death, chance upon a group of school boys in the Bishop Cotton canteen talking about Viveknagar’s obsession with football or listen to a healthy argument between two top designers about the sudden switch-transfers of the BBMP and BDA chiefs and who did more for the city. 

Even expats who live here are going the whole hog to keep themselves informed about political, administrative, cultural and social happenings.

Ace fashion photographer and intrepid adventurer Waseem Khan tells me thatBangaloreans probably have among the highest City Quotients in India. “I do feel it’s important to keep abreast of cultural, socio-economic and literary news every day. Why? Because it is our city and what’s happening affects us and our lives on an everyday basis even if it is to know how the recent dance performance by Rukmini was reviewed.”

He tells me that there are many of his friends who have a high CQ. “Rohit Barker, Manoviraj Khosla, Harish Bijoor are some of my good Bangalorean friends who keep abreast of all that’s going on. Santosh Hegde doing the dive did cause quite a few tongues to wag in the social circuit. I had a conversation or two about it with a few friends.  These kinds of events do affect our city — knowing there is one person who is doing some good and is not getting the support from our government,” says Khan.

The rotund, cheerful istri-amma (ironing lady) who manages the laundry needs of several apartments on my street may be illiterate, but is not one to be left out of things, especially if they affect her livelihood. She tells me, in her accented Gowribidanur Kannanda, “Bandhs are a waste of time and money but at least political parties are coming together for something for a change.

The NDA groupuu is right in saying that petrol price rise will make things more expensive. I will lose all my earnings on Monday’s bandh but its okay, will Yeddyurappaavaru cry for me when the cost of everything goes up again? Anyway, I’m happy Lokayukta Santosh Hegde is back, at least he looks after the needs of the poor and I’m happy Advaniavaru made him change his mind.” Now that’s a CQ worth admiring, especially for someone who has never read a newspaper in her life!