A short trip to Bengaluru, even in the summer's heat is not a bad idea. Once a pretty medium sized city, it discovered phenomenal popularity and proceeded to build on vertically over the same town-plan when the market forces threw it a lucrative bait. From its life as a 'City of Gardens' it recreated itself into another vision in concrete.
The very lush green Cubbon Park, a heritage from past, strikes the visitor with a glimpse of what life may have been like.
You prostrate the tired body over a public bench, the head turns upwards and those birds of omen are right there on a perch quite approving of your sensibility to escape city and seek refuge in nature.
Karnataka - mother state to Bengaluru, was in the midst of a hotly contested elections to the State Legislature (on left). But even as the imposing house was being prepped for the new lawmakers, you couldn't help noticing that citizens there - they don't talk politics. Life has far more to it than sitting around discussing who might, who might not win...
If you, upon a whim, decide to hop on to a train leaving Bangalore and destined for Mysore, you wouldn't be disappointed. A three hour ride from the big, bustling city of Bangalore lands you at the serene, green and refreshingly clean small city of Mysore (Mysuru). Its the perfect town for a short vacation. Grand palaces, abandoned palaces, magnificent gardens (Brindawan), Deities presiding over hills, the enchanting landscape.... And the local food ? Delightful !
When the visitor un-conversant with the local language tries to explain himself with multi-linguistic and theatrical tools, its a sight for the onlookers. Some reach out to assist, some respond with their own linguistic, theatrical tools, and a few revel in this moment of awkwardness. That's half the fun of travelling to unseen places.
They were Palace Guards when the grand edifice was a Palace. Its an expensive hotel now, so they no longer thwart the commoners but cheerfully greet the visitors. Lalith Vilas Palace in Mysore, once the summer resort of royalty. (the older Palace that you wouldn't want to miss lies in the heart of the city, simply called the City-Palace)
