Pining for Bangalore

Yes i stay in Bangalore and No i dont stay in Bangalore anymore. There are 2 ways of looking at this-factual and emotional.

Factual - I now stay in a place called Sahakaranagar which is at the border of Bangalore! In fact theres a sign on the road 3 km from my house towards city which says "Bangalore City Limits!". It takes me an hour to get to anywhere in the central city and once i am out, i prefer to come back only in the night... rather-just one trip a day to the city. When i leave home its invariably - "I am going to Bangalore!". Life is at a standstill right now especially after staying in a place for 8 years from where Brigade Road was a stone's throw away!My friends are all in that area and its a pain now to travel all the way and meet them, (even though i have a car) given the Bangalore traffic. So basically it no longer feels like i am living in Bangalore.

Emotional - Bangalore is no longer what it used to be! It used to be such a lovely place with lovely weather, lovely people et al. But it has changed drastically over the past 2-3 years. I put the blame squarely on the software companies which continue to pour thousands of people (literally) into Bangalore every single year! Yes i know u must be saying - This guy doesnt care abt developement and growth. Of course i do, but not at the cost of the ruin it is causing to Bangalore!. I mean its just not the traffic which has gotten worse but everything. People have lost their manners. People coming in here from all over India refuse to imbibe the true Bangalore culture but only attempt to inculcate the pseudo-western attitudes that Bangalore is famous for....and man do they fail miserably!. Bad roads, loads of people, loads of vehicles, zero road sense, government apathy.. all these combined have made Bangalore a place where people like me no longer want to live in! I would rather move and settle down in some remote place with some peace and quiet. Not for me the Bangalore of today and the Bangalore of the yore can neve come back. So...basically it no longer feels like i am living in Bangalore...........

Sigh!