Rediscovered Bangalore...and fell in love!

It was after a long time, I decided to go out for breakfast rather than having my standard 2 min oatmeal and a milky coffee. It was a good decision. The fact that the chosen day coincided with the first gay pride march in Bangalore only added to everything that was in the city's favor. The destination was Koshy's, and the time 9 AM. 9 AM is quite late for breakfast to other busy city's standards where Mc Donald starts serving breakfast from 4 AM. Anyway - we reached Koshy's, and realised we were too late to arrive on a day when Appam and Stew is served in this old restaurant. But I didn't mind losing to others today. The crowd in Koshy's was different today - rainbow colors everywhere.And not the promiscuous hijra on the signals of Bangalore; these were regular people. In all possibilities - the guy next door could have been there adorned in the rainbow turban. They were all out of their closets.I respected their spirits.Being middle class has so many disadvantages. You're not in either extremes to have less opposition to your acts. You're middle class - the bottom of the pyramid...the most resistance. Your parents will ever have enough money to invest in you to have to pursue "safe" career choices and have socially accepted behaviors. The crowd in Koshy's were people like me - middle class, and yet more mature than me. They have been tamed by denial of their very true selves; they had to struggle hard to breathe..to laugh that careless laughter.Not only are they individualistic, they have confidence in their individuality and have expressed that individuality in creative art forms.

That I realised what I loved Bangalore for - the support system to pursue creative art forms - no matter what it is. The city of coffee and masala dosa is also the city of music and art and theatre.The city where you do your own thing and not be looked at. The city where you can take your doodles seriously.

I then walked by Brigade road and MG Road - places I've forgotten in the mad rush of mushrooming malls.( In fact I don't remember the last time I ventured out of home on a weekend more than 5 kms:)) The cooffee and dosa store, the magazine store where you can find all the magazines in the world, the "pecos" pub - where its only about meeting your old gang over music and which has not given away to "sleaze" and "noise" and "big bucks", the street store where I used to buy trendy footwear for Rs.100 each....and eventually Crossword; by far my favorite in Bangalore where I discovered Van Gogh,Klimt, Calvin & Hobbes, Agatha Chritie - reminiscences of a time of my life where things were near perfect.

Thanks gay pride march, you revealed that side of Bangalore which I loved.