EFML: The long road home
I live in this wonderful city that was once famous for gardens, and is now notorious for traffic. My workplace and home are located in opposite ends of the city, and my commute sometimes leads me into depths of despair. Why is everything so tough here? Even running an errand takes an hour at the very least. I listen to other people talking about small towns, where you can travel from one end to the other in under fifteen minutes, and I feel that is a luxury I can never afford. Everything is so painful and cloistered. The city reminds me of an overloaded lorry, struggling to carry its weight, spilling sand everywhere.
I remember the times from my childhood, where Bangalore too, was one of those pleasant cities. Traffic was unheard of, and people used to complain of unnecessary traffic signals. Trees lined every road I could think of, and I never hated journeys. Slowly I grew up, and the city did too. Hotels and malls sprang up, and tech parks engulfed the city in concrete embraces. I still love the city I grew up in, very much so, but I struggle to identify it in what it has become.
Occasionally though, when I'm feeling cheerful and happy, I stare out the window on my long commutes. And then, I see my life laid out on these streets. So many memories that are tightly coupled with these places. Sankey Tank-- I remember walking along it several evenings with my friend, relishing the cool breeze and mesmerised by the blue of the water. Gkvk-- this place that is resplendent with sky high fields of sunflowers amongst many other flora. I again remember visiting with a friend, wanting to just sit down in the midst of all this glory and stare at the clouds. CTR- the place that has one of the best and most unforgettable dosas in the world, and is always bustling with patrons. I see the school I studied in, the stone walls still standing strong, and everything looks just the way I remember it. I see the hall I got married in, and it brings back so many pleasant memories. I see a bookstore on Church Street, and it takes me back to when we'd gone book hunting. I see the first mall to which I'd been, I see an area that a friend and I explored completely on foot. I recall the first play I'd been to, the first concert, the first avant-garde event, so many firsts of mine, all of them in this city. I see occasions, celebrations and moments from my life laid out ever so beautifully in this city. There is scarcely any part of town that is without memories for me. How then can I detest this place?
If I think of it that way, this commute that I so disdain actually seems magical. It seems a tiny bit like reliving different parts of my life. Of late, I have started to do this more often- I look out the window and try to recall something from my life about the place that I see. It takes me away from the boredom and the whining, and it brings back fond memories :)
I remember the times from my childhood, where Bangalore too, was one of those pleasant cities. Traffic was unheard of, and people used to complain of unnecessary traffic signals. Trees lined every road I could think of, and I never hated journeys. Slowly I grew up, and the city did too. Hotels and malls sprang up, and tech parks engulfed the city in concrete embraces. I still love the city I grew up in, very much so, but I struggle to identify it in what it has become.
Occasionally though, when I'm feeling cheerful and happy, I stare out the window on my long commutes. And then, I see my life laid out on these streets. So many memories that are tightly coupled with these places. Sankey Tank-- I remember walking along it several evenings with my friend, relishing the cool breeze and mesmerised by the blue of the water. Gkvk-- this place that is resplendent with sky high fields of sunflowers amongst many other flora. I again remember visiting with a friend, wanting to just sit down in the midst of all this glory and stare at the clouds. CTR- the place that has one of the best and most unforgettable dosas in the world, and is always bustling with patrons. I see the school I studied in, the stone walls still standing strong, and everything looks just the way I remember it. I see the hall I got married in, and it brings back so many pleasant memories. I see a bookstore on Church Street, and it takes me back to when we'd gone book hunting. I see the first mall to which I'd been, I see an area that a friend and I explored completely on foot. I recall the first play I'd been to, the first concert, the first avant-garde event, so many firsts of mine, all of them in this city. I see occasions, celebrations and moments from my life laid out ever so beautifully in this city. There is scarcely any part of town that is without memories for me. How then can I detest this place?
If I think of it that way, this commute that I so disdain actually seems magical. It seems a tiny bit like reliving different parts of my life. Of late, I have started to do this more often- I look out the window and try to recall something from my life about the place that I see. It takes me away from the boredom and the whining, and it brings back fond memories :)
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