Namma Pride

Five years back, as I was trying to make a quick transition from the highly organized surroundings of Melbourne to the rather dis-oriented Bengaluru, I did notice quite a few potholes that had stemmed the progress of this otherwise beautiful city. One of the them was the obvious lack of an efficient public transport. There were no yellow and black taxis (like you would find them in Mumbai), the auto rickshaw wallas were basically running a business my looting and cheating the passenger who sat on the back seat and while the buses were quite effective, the fact that the destination was displayed in Kannadda, virtually ensured that an outsider like me would end up boarding the wrong bus on more than one ocassions. What Bengaluru needed was good rail connectivity.

It didn't take long, after that, for someone in the Government to get a similar revelation and within no time, by pulling a few strings - project plans were charted, funds were raised and grand announcement was made that very soon Bengaluru would be getting it's very own Metro!!

That announcement was welcomed by one and all and we even had our Prime Minister fly down to lay the founding stone of a project that was stated to change the very fabric of this IT hub. 

Work began with great enthusiasm, plans were advertised to bring in the coaches from Germany or Korea and assemble them in the vast BEML compound. Heavy machinery rolled into the city, trees were felled at various locations, dividers and roadside shops were uprooted. The CMH road, close to where I lived, was once a road where I would have to search for place to walk had quickly transformed into a wide barren road where one could probably land a private jet. The construction work became a nuisance, but people were looking forward to endure it for a better cause.

Time progressed and like all major projects executed in India, this one too ran into trouble. Work got delayed as usual and the completion date was getting pushed and postponed as if nobody cared. Traffic became a major hurdle around the area where the pillars had sprung up and very soon the "Namma Metro" project had turned into a motorist's worst nightmare.

Inspired by the Anna Hazzare movement, people joined hands with media and demanded that the Metro project be completed soon. The Government was pulled up and asked to announce a commencement date. The minister obliged and announced that the Metro will roll out on Ugadi day, when that could not happen, he promised to start services by Ganesh Chaturthi time, but he had forgotten about getting the right safety certificates from the Union Ministry. Finally, after completing all formalities, a final date was announced - 20th October, 2011, but by now, unfortunately, people were so frustrated that they least bothered about the date.

However, yesterday, as the first rays of the sun flooded the city and as people picked up their daily newspaper, they were suddenly hit by the actual realization that this was probably going to be a historic day for Bangalore. The Times of India ran a fully fledged 20 page tribute to 'Namma Metro' and the enthusiasm that had died over the past few years was suddenly driving itself back into the minds of the people. Suddenly, people were excited all over again a hop a ride on the Metro.

FM channels were buzzing with people as they drove to office and everybody had apparently gathered on MG road to catch the first glimpse of the pink and silver bogey officially roll out as the clock struck 10:30am on a bright Thursday morning, almost 4 and half years after the founding stone had been laid somewhere on the ground below.

We need to remember here that this is still India, and hence, the first ride is reserved for dignitaries from Vidhana Soudha and their special guests who had flown in from Delhi for this grand inauguration, but the real excitement started at 4pm when the train first rolled out for the common man. People queued outside the stations to collect their smart cards, they were dancing, whistling, clapping as the train rolled onto the tracks besides the platform....some even went to the extent of celebrating their birthday at the train stations!

A special trip was organized for the families of the labourers who had spent years and years in helping build this marvel and today's newspaper carried a photograph of a young girl who proudly said that her parents had helped build the Metro. Suddenly, all around me, there is a new found belief in progress and though only a small phase has opened up for the public, people look all excited to the day when the Namma Metro becomes fully functional in the city.

Hence, some five years after I moved to this city looking to pursue a dream, I am all excited to hop on for a ride this weekend, with my partner in arms ofcourse, on what has eventually turned out to be 'Namma Pride'.