Majestic Bangalore

If there is one place in Bangalore, everyone will be familiar with -- it is Majestic.

My first memories of Bangalore are that of getting off a bus in Majestic Bus Stand. The huge crowds at Majestic give you ample evidence of India's population. But the thing I like the most about Majestic is the hustle and bustle, the whole atmosphere. It is like a big fair out there at any time of the year, any time of the day.

Majestic is full of lodges, and restaurants. But it is also full of hawkers, and vendors vending their stuff. Right from clothes, to eatables, to gadgets (the famous Burma Bazaar has all kinds of imported electronic
gadgest --- available without any receipts) Majestic is a traditional Indian market place.

When I get stressed out working too much on my computer, or dealing with the stress of the IT world, I head towards Majestic. I spend hours just watching the crowds, and in a few hours, all my stress disappears.

Among the eating places at Majestic, FishLand which servers Karwari food is my favourite. It makes me feel like home. Narthaki the Andhra-style food joint is also not bad. And all kinds of eatables hawked by the street vendors --- right from chana to ground-nuts complement one's menu.

The best way to visit Majestic is by a BMTC bus. It is one of the three main terminals of Bangalore. The other two are city market and Shivajinagar. Take a window seat on a BMTC bus, and have a vantage view of the city. The bus stand is usually teeming with people. I have sometimes wondered why terrorists have not targeted the place. The place hardly has any security and in every single square meter of place, chances are you would find at least one person.

Today, Bangalore has changed from what it was ten or twenty years back. Areas such as Indiranagar, Airport Road etc have become hubs of IT industry and upscale buildings. Majestic however hasnt changed that much. Many shops remain the same. In 1995 / 96 when I had just come to India from US, I had visited a place which had an Internet there. The place still exists now, just that it has become a cybercafe.

There is a timeless character about Majestic just like there is a timeless character about India. The place literally is a mini-India. The railway, an essential element of every Indian's life is also there at Majestic. So is the bus. And when an average Indian visits Bangalore, he would ususally visit by bus or train, and Majestic would be the first place he would see. As a result, Majestic is teeming with tourists.

Quacks, and thiefs abound at Majestic. Once I was conned by a well-dressed man at Majestic. Having just moved from the US, I was naive. One evening, he gave me a sad story about how he had come down from Delhi for admitting his son to a medical college in Manipal, and on the bus from Manipal to Bangalore, all his money and his bag was stolen from the bus. I gave him money to make a call to his wife in Delhi. Those were the days of STD booths, and mobiles hadnt come to India then. Then, I also treated him to a dinner. The interesting part is that as we went to a restaurant, he convinced me not to go that restaurant and instead go to a more upscale restaurant. Finally, I gave him 100 more rupees and he gave me some Delhi address, and promised to send me the money soon. I never heard from him again.

Even with all this, I love Majestic. Pehaps, deep somewhere, I feel one with the crowd when I am out there, and really feel like a desi.