Garden City. It’s an old name, but after I came back to live in Bangalore as an adult, and in 15 years of going to every corner of it, I’ve decided that this is more a city of lakes. Cubbon Park and Lalbagh were from another era. Today’s preferred green space is a walking path with a fence, a trimmed hedge, and lawns you mustn’t sit on. The lakes feel more natural, although they too now include fences and stone paths around them. One can shuffle along, letting the senses absorb things. The birds are a treat. I didn’t quite realise how many species were around until I began visiting the lakes. A small consolation for the sparrows that have long gone. Despite the real estate industry’s deeds, there are still nearly 200 lakes in the city. This is possibly the world’s largest city without a huge water body, but there’s plenty of potential waterfront. And the lakes add a lot more livability to...
Bangalore Diary
The new green shoots revivifying Bangalore are also about its citizens : a new sense of public-spiritedness is bringing ecology centrestage. The lakes are springing back to life.
Illustration by Saahil
In A Small Lakes Region
In A Small Lakes Region
