Bengaluru, Cantonment two cities: Naresh

BENGALURU: Bangalore vs Bengaluru. Can it be said that our citizens, a veritable melting pot in terms of culture, history and social standing, are caught in a relentless dichotomy as we imagine our city?

“There are two cities - Bengaluru and Cantonment," argued architect Naresh Narasimhan, on the final morning of the three-day conclave that took place in Bengaluru.

"I think Bengaluru is made up of city within city," said philanthropist Rohini Nilekani, who was on the panel with Naresh Narasimhan, along with filmmaker Pawan Kumar and Vinay Sreenivasa, from the Alternative Law Forum.

"There are different layers and I'm sure that we all have varying thoughts on what Bengaluru should be," Nilekani continued, adding, "It is true that the elite class is receding behind its walls. We have not been able to come together as a city, to fight for a common cause."

The steel flyover protest, which is being led by the Citizens for Bengaluru, had thousands of people out on the streets back in November 2016. "Is this our most pressing issue? Wasn't it comprised of middle class activists?" the moderator, T.M. Veeraraghav, asked Narasimhan.

"I like to believe, that with over 10,000 people from across the city coming together, that it comprised people from all classes," Narasimhan said in response.

Sreenivasa looked back on the protests that have taken place over the years. "We protested against tree feeling for the metro and the widening of Jayamahal Road is under the anvil now. Our protests were definitely not inclusive, our group was an e-group where everybody spoke English. There was a barrier in terms of participation because everybody cares about trees and for the cause, but not everybody can be included."

Narasimhan, he said, addressed misgovernance and other policies that have resulted in this spate of protests. "Who took the decisions, what role did the government play? Before independence, there were two corporations - Cantonment and the rest of the city. That difference doesn't exist anymore. The gap is in the class divide, not just regarding protests, but daily life. How many of us can actually say we have friends across classes?"

Is this divide possibly because of the immigration that has taken place to Bengaluru over the years? "I lived in Mumbai for a while and always felt like an outsider," said filmmaker Pawan Kumar.

"There were many protests of this kind happening in Mumbai, but I always felt like a visitor. Essentially, we tend to fight for our own homes, never actively for a strange place." The steel flyover campaign, he said, is taking a step forward today for a better future.