Nostalgia Neon...
WITH SHIVAJINAGAR
-Saumya Pankaj
Nostalgia Neon...
WITH SHIVAJINAGAR
The 85 year old Shivajinagar market held the promise of folk tales that must have travelled down with the generations. When we were told to cover the Shivajinagar chapter for social mapping, we discovered it sandwiched between M.G. Road and the Cantonment. The market was conceived during the British Raj in 1927, to satisfy the basic needs of the Britishers posted in proximity in the army cantt. Somewhere along the way this vital limb of the M.G road became an appendage and was severed in significance and relegated to anonymity. Named after the iconic Maratha king Shivajiraje Bhosle, the colony too deserves mention in the archives of Bangalore. Home to thousands of residents, the colony is like a concentric circle to the parent Bangalore circle--Parallel and at no point intersecting and 'never the twain shall meet'.
We were 'instructed' to road map the area preserving the essential flavor of its religious, cultural and social elements. Incredulously Shivajinagar comes across as totally self-reliant, independent of its parent unit that is oblivious to its very presence or existence. It has its own supply demand economy that needs no helping hand from the ruling power. Perhaps it is a survival technique in the modern day battle for the fittest. Its people are an eclectic yet incongruent mix of mediocre earners who have tenaciously clung to the roots of their forefathers. The shop keepers have inherited the jewellery shop, electrical shops, the timber mart and even the butcher’s knife. Amid fluorescent colored buildings, occasional trees are glaringly scarce. Many advocates have held on to their unique inheritance of old fashioned houses.
Traditional occupations are surprising status quo though disappointingly with little improvement. Though the periphery of the market boasts of a myriad of shops catering to colourful demands, the interior is ridden with the tailoring shops. Nauseatingly the meat shops hold a display of 'tilaked' goat and sheep that are worshipped before being sacrificed for the meat loving muslim community, plus a host of Non-vegetarian 'kebabs' stalls that lures the hungry passers-by. Russell street is incongruent by its very name and humorously it has the best tea stalls. A lone kite flyer balancing between the smelly gutters of the lanes is not an unusual sight.
Especially women can be seen selling their wares of coconuts, flowers, incense sticks and 'diyas' outside the temple.
Religion is the opium of the masses here....the trinity of the Christian, Hindu and Islamic Gods have a crucial role to play in the history of the colony. The Prayers of the people articulate their deep fear and dreams and an uncanny belief in the miracles
conjured by their divine belief. Often foreigners are sighted visiting the much acclaimed St. Mary's basilica....that was practically burnt down at one time. It is also home to a heavy Muslim population and the famous Jumma Masjid [that does not appreciate feminine company as we soon found out]. It would be an uneducated guess to say that the Shivajinagar community is untouched by the socio-politico climate of the country or the world. Not less than three times has the locale been witness to communal riots....firstly during an inflammatory publication in the Deccan Herald; secondly during the defiance shown for Saddam's hanging and even during the Babri Masjid issue [Shivajinagar stadium]. While talking to Mrs Cecilia Cruz, it was interestingly revealed that the plague broke out when a Muslim decried the Christian gods and the curse was relieved only when he apologized in church. The congested lanes with a labyrinth of by lanes, witness the famous procession of mother Mary too during the month of September. The community of Shivajinagar come across as simply, law abiding, god-fearing people extremely sensitive to issues related to God.
St. MARY'S BASILICA
Their forbearance at the stagnation in their life comes from the strength of their faith in a Supreme power that will keep a judicious eye on them. People there don’t like discussing the issue. Aren't open enough to share their personal issues, yet some people are willing and enthusiastic to help and share their stories and history of the place they belong to.
The essential aim of mapping Shivajinagar is not to create a renaissance of sorts ...an awakening to the existence of a dormant community. it is more of a realization of such informal communities that add spice to the bigger picture and help them relive their history by recollecting nostalgic memories that jog their existence out of boredom.
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