by It’s Goodbye Bangalore time….. time to head for good old Bombay….. no Mumbai for me….. I leave that to the Shiv Sainiks….. Bombay…. my first love of sorts……
But Bangalore has been good to me…. As I leave in two weeks time, I am writing about things that define Bangalore the city….. atleast for me……
Where else can I start but with Namma MTR. How many establishments, especially eateries have managed to embody the spirit of a city…. And trace the same path as the city….. from good old traditional MTR to the hep Namma MTR* joints in the most crowded places of the city….
The LalBagh MTR stood for everything the city was…… a small place, clean and cheerful, a place to spend a leisurely Sunday morning (or if you are willing to convert your stomach into a bottomless pit just that once, then, Sunday lunch – ask Asli about it!)…. Relax, take it easy and soak in the atmosphere along with the waft of pure ghee…. Like the pensioners’ paradise Bangalore of yesteryears….
Ask any localite and you will hear this for sure…. Bangalore has changed so much…. It is no longer the slow peaceful city it used to be…..
So has MTR changed. Grown, to use a better word. Into vacuum packed ready-to-eat foods, and dosa wraps and stuffed vadas…..
Symbolizing Bangalore as it is today…. people in a hurry….. moving in and out of the city….. no time to stand and stare….. or in this case, wait for the dosa at MTR, gimme the dosa wrap instead. And fast….
But just as Bangalore has retained much of its charm, its gardens, and to some extent, its unhurried pace, so has MTR. From a small town in coastal Karnataka (Mavalli, I almost missed it as I drove through it), Namma MTR has come a long long way.…
One of the things I will definitely miss about Banaglore…..
* MTR refers to the traditional eatery at LalBagh while Namma MTR refers to the new swanky quick-eat joints all over town
