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ShareBangalore has a way of letting off steam-and dust. In the global city of Bangalore, people don't call them whines; they are called solutions. You have solutions being tossed around at morning jogs, lunches and late-night do's.
I heard some of them at an evening do and wondered why Bangalore hasn't heard some of its solutionists -- a group of people who think solutions but are unable to convince the government to implement them. Their philosophy: solutionism.
Solutionists believe solutionism will be the prevailing belief in all urban congregations, suburban creeds, ex-urb denominations. You don't have to evangelise people to bring them into the fold; you can just take them for a walk on a pavement. Since there are hardly any footpaths left, they will willingly embrace your faith.
Solutionism differs from Ayn Rand's objectivism. Or does it? It is selfish; it is Bangalore-centric; it seeks laissez-faire happiness; it is often self-deprecating. As you will read in the anecdotes below, solutionism is a form of relaxation in a regime of high urban stress. It turns angst into affirmative urban action. It makes you feel you are part of the great urban movement to make Bangalore truly global. And believe me, everyone has a plan for their favourite city.
Here are some rapid-fire solutions from a techie, who is always finding ways to rethink pavements and ignite civic conversations:
"Walk before 7am, drive after 7am. The whole city is a free-to-walk pavement before 7am. I wake up early and enjoy the walks others simply can't.
"Perhaps the best way to make an impact is to take people on heritage walks. You could show them pavements that once beautified the city. They will realise that life once walked".
"Nobody wants to be remembered for saving pavements. Certainly, politicians want to be known for building monuments and huge parks. It is called the Lal Bagh syndrome.
There is no better explanation than that."
"A pavement is a philosopher's stone; it has powers to rejuvenate Bangalore. It could take it back to its heady past and redefine its future.It could be a philanthropist's dream project."
After the techie's rapid fire, a mother got everyone nostalgic:
"I insist on taking my daughter for a walk. I want her to experience the world's first footfalls. I want her to sense the romance of walking on a sidewalk.
"A happy walker is a happy shopper. Why doesn't business realise that?
"The pavement comes alive in Saturday Night Fever when John Travolta swings to the beat of Staying Alive. Every time I don't see a pavement in Bangalore, I see the movie."
After the mum made an impassioned plea, a GenX-er sought to drive home the point through a quiz. He said sidewalks were in danger of becoming extinct. Maybe, it is time to market them through questions:
"How many people know what a curb or curb ramp is? Has anyone seen a curb ramp?
"Does anyone know what a desire line is?
"What is the difference between a crosswalk and a toucan crossing?"
Since not many people could answer those questions, everyone got the point. After all, footpaths are slowly slipping out of the daily civic lexicon.
But why are footpaths treated as pedestrian items? Surely, a discussion on Bangalore's new airport and its ongoing metro project grabs eyeballs. If sidewalks are being sidelined, it is only because nobody -- be it politicians or techies -- sees flagstones as stepping stones to success. The airport and the metro are certainly the most viewed, the most emailed, stories in Bangalore's cyberspace.
Yes, the earth is truly flat in Bangalore. Two legs, four legs, two wheels, three wheels and four wheels are all on a level-playing field: the street. Here, screams are louder than horns. In Bangalore you would be part of the privileged class if you manage to get on to a pavement.
A doc put it well, quoting the high priest of the beat generation, Jack Kerouac: "Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life."
Although I got the doc's message, I would still like to add: "No matter, in Bangalore, the walkway is life."
Email: vinaykamat@dnaindia.net
