Multiple City: Writings on Bangalore

by Aditi De

Founded by the chieftain Kempe Gowda around 1537, the story of Bangalore has no grand linear narrative. The location has revealed different facets to settlers and passers-through. The city, the site of bloody battles between the British and Tipu Sultan, was once attached to the glittering court of Mysore. Later, it became a cantonment town where British troops were stationed. Over time, it morphed into a city of gardens and lakes, and the capital of PBI - Indian scientific research. More recently, it has been the hub of PBI - India’s information technology boom, giving rise to Brand Bangalore, an PBI - Indian city whose name is recognized globally. Hidden beneath these layers lies a cosmopolitan city of sub-cultures, engaging artists and writers, young geeks and students. People from every corner of PBI - India and beyond now call it home. In this collection of writings about a multi-layered city, there are stories from its history, translations from Kannada literature, personal responses to the city’s mindscape, portraits of special citizens, accounts of searches for lost communities and traditions, among much more. U.R. Ananthamurthy writes about Bangalore’s Kannada identity; Shashi Deshpande maps the city through the places she has lived in since she was a young girl; Anita Nair draws a touching portrait of a florist who celebrates the glories of the Raj; Ramachandra Guha describes his close bond with Bangalore’s most unusual bookseller; and Rajmohan Gandhi recounts the Mahatma’s trysts with the city. From traditional folk ballads to a nursery rhyme about Bangalore, from poems to blogs, from reproductions of turn of the twentieth century picture postcards to cartoons, Multiple City is the portrait of a metropolis trying to retain its roots as it hurtles into the future.

Genres: Nonfiction, India, Essays, Travel, History

316 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2008

Reviews

[Sanjana Gautam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bangalore - the city of idyllic winter vacations in my childhood, the city that gave me my first taste of independence, the city where I set up my first home, and the city I now hope will become my permanent home. All this to say that as far as romanticising a city goes, I'm already looking at Bangalore through rose-tinted glasses.

And so, this charming and well-edited anthology of essays, stories, poems and anecdotes about Bangalore through the years made for a lovely reading experience for me. Some stories made me nostalgic for the city that existed before I did, some made me feel more connected to my now-home, and some had me making bucket lists with a friend. Most of all, some made me miss my grandfather exceedingly - such was his boundless love for Bangalore, his retirement abode for over 30 years, that it was one of his few anchors in the late stages of Alzheimer's and his life.

A few pieces that didn't work for me were the fictional plays and short stories that seemed rather abrupt or overly intellectualised the IT boom in the city. Highlight pieces were the ones written by R.K. Narayan, Ramachandra Guha, Janaki Nair, Achal Prabhala and Nisha Susan.

[Shubha Shivanandappa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully curated book on Bangalore with Cantonment and City stories. Reading some stories made me feel more connected to Bangalore than ever before. Love this city and the Blossom bookstore for keeping such gems !

Writings of Janaki Nair, Shashi Deshpande, Anita Nair, Zac, Niranjana takes us through the Bangalore of 80s and 90s. This does not cover history of Bangalore but gives an account of Bangalore and a slice of its history through the stories of Gandhi, Churchill and others. Other stories are dull and may seem abrupt intrusions in the flow. But then isn’t living in Bangalore city sometimes dull and other times racy, interesting and yet again monotonous at times.

[Pallavi Kamat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of poems, fiction and non-fictiom about the city founded by Kempe Gowda. Bangalore is variously known as pensioners' paradise, city of gardens & lakes and the Silicon Valley of India.

[Smitha Murthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The city I grew up in - Bangalore - continues to fascinate me with its secret stories of history and nostalgia. I am a bit late to the scene. For most of my childhood, and also my adulthood (I am not sure there is a difference) I was a Bangalorean who didn't bother to know the city. I knew it enough by being born here, didn't I? That attitude hasn't taken me very far.

So, it's with some anger at myself that I have taken to reading about my beloved, crumbling city over the past year or so. These essays have been carefully curated, and while some are dull, together they serve to represent Bangalore - this is Bangalore, interesting, mundane, rich, poor, chaotic, calm, cultural, and modern hell all at once.

[Aditi Mahale · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for anyone who wants to know about the origins and development of this city. From its lake phase to the garden phase to the IT city that it has become now. The book is an anthology of writings from several known and unknown writers including R.K. Narayan, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Ramchandra Guha, Pankaj Mishra, Thomas L. Friedman and others.

A walk down memory lane, it makes you want to discover the old Bangalore of South Parade and the Cantonment, of wanting to eat and sit in on debates in the lanes of Basavanagudi and the 'pets'. The books balances the old and the new very well to create enough intrigue to make the reader want to spend weekends looking up the places mentioned.

Personally I loved the old city stories, the Kempegowda story and the link between Cubbon park and Central Park in New York.

Definitely a recommendation.

[Sairam Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology starts off on a very disappointing note, with an introduction that in trying to sound too artsy & knowledgeable only manages to put the reader off. Her title for the book sounds too made up. Aditi De has a rather good essay in the book itself, and has done a great job putting writing of this quality together, so one can forgive her for bowling a bad ball first up.

As for the anthology itself, it is an absolute pleasure to read. With pieces from Bangalore stalwarts like Ananthamurthy, Guha to visitors like Pankaj Mishra & to poems and songs that reek of Kannada, the book manages to do wonderfully what it set out to do - paint in our heads a beautiful picture of the city and its ever changing landscape, both of place and mind. The editor just has to be commended again. If you are reading it in Bangalore itself, like I did, you will find yourself with more ideas and avenues to explore than you thought the city was capable of presenting.

Bangalore is written of lovingly in the book, and several writers subject it to scrutiny like they would a lover, annoying at times, and indulgent at others. This entails walking back into history and forward into the future and tells us what this rather tipsy city was once and what it could be. There is a piece about the city's architecture and its importance as a city built of tanks and their surroundings that I think is an essay of ideas worth rereading.

A city (or any place) can never be examined fully, there is no finite end to it. Its layers are several, its part in history ever evolving. Which is why an anthology is the best way to read about place. Perspectives are important, they provide context and viewpoints to the reader that a single voice might never have given. Which is perhaps exactly why this book is such a fulfilling read.

[Indian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book of 40+ short stories, cartoon-strips, translations from Kannada, poems in English - with the basic theme of Bangalore.
Gives a goof historical-gist of Bangalore- Britishers built it first as an military-cantonment to keep watch over the Mysore Maharaja, who was installed by the Brits after they got rid of the erstwhile ruler Tipu-Sultan.
So that explains how Bangalore old-city & cantonment were built, power was shifted from Mysore to Bangalore only after Independence & how the first Chief-Minister got the impressive Vidhan-Soudha built to parallel the best of the Raj-Era buildings.
Fascinating are the accounts of Sir Venkat Raman as the Chairman of IISC Bangalore during 1940's, the Jew settlements of the city, the Koramangala lake which was transformed into posh area, the transgender community, the old timers who were truely into a cosmopolitan city of India, next only to Mumbai.
How Kempe Gowda founder of the city built the first fortified areas of the then city, how LalBagh was built as gardens by Hyder Ali, RK Narayan's commissioned stories featuring Karnataka by the state govt, the food joints of the Udupi's & the Agrahara's (Agrahara means Brahmin Communities)

Besides Dalrymple's account of the first KFC joint in India set in Bangalore in 1997, Thomas Friedman's Bangalore coverage over Infosys.... a wide gamut of stories spread over 1500 to 2009!

A recommended read for anyone interested in the city's history.

[Swati · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! Filled with essays, articles, poems and cartoons on Bangalore, this book gives you a multi-directional perspective on the city. I never knew that Bangalore had a Jewish, albeit small, population and that one of them went on to become the President of Israel; that Woody's on Commercial Street was formerly one of the biggest shoe shops in the country; that Premier Bookshop had such a rich, cultural history interleaved with that of Bangalore. While a few of the essays were really dry and bordered on dull, much of the other content in the book is brimming with details and reads like deftly painted vignettes of various aspects and neighbourhoods of the city. Read this book if you are eternally in love with Bangalore like me.

[gramakri · Rating 3 out of 5]

51 short pieces of writings with a common theme - Bangalore, cover the entire life span of the city right from the days of its foundation being laid by Kempe Gowda to its current transformation into IT Capital of India.
Selections (both originals and translations) from a wide variety of literary genre - stories, poems, plays, articles, book extracts, blogs etc. are employed to convey the multi-faceted, multi-cultural nature of Bangalore.
A must read for every present, past and aspiring citizens of Bangalore !
More details at
http://bookwormsrecos.blogspot.in/201...

[Ramya · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in the history of Bangalore city,do read this book.The book is a collection of writings about Bangalore. Time range is from the time of Kempegowda's Bangalooru to present day Bangalore.From the way the city was laid out,the food,ancient festivals,communities,science stronghold,old architecture to city specific caricatures by famous artists.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jewish community in Bangalore, the late lamented Premier Bookshop... these are two of the subjects in this interesting anthology of articles about Bangalore (Bengaluru).

A good companion for citizens of, and visitors to, the city.

[Shikha · Rating 4 out of 5]

First thing, I liked the book cover. Second, I liked the diplomatic and bold way of writing. And lastly, very useful if you are researching about the evolution or history of Bangalore. This city is worth living, at least once in a lifetime. :D

[Hareesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging collection of short essays about Bangalore+Bengaluru. The ones dealing with the history of the city and it's founding were a real treat to read.

[Karan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Past of Bangalore or do we call Bengaluru, old remnants of the famous areas. Much has changed but few remained the same.

[Wandering Adiga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought back sooo many old memories.

[Karthik S · Rating 3 out of 5]

An eclectic collection of perspectives on an illustrious city. Though certain chapters were a joy to read and relive, a few of them fell flat. On the whole, a mixed bag. But great nuggets here and there.

[Janani · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The multiplicity of avenues for living in this cantonment cannot be overstated much as the plausibility of a variety of methods to encounter manic energy paths and waysides."

Read that sentence. Read it again. No, it isn't from Multiple City, but it may as well be. The entire book was filled with such weird pieces I didn't want to read further. A lot of it was dry and reminded me why I dropped history as a subject way back in tenth grade. There was so much emphasis on art and theatre, the really abstract stuff, and not enough about the IT sector, in my opinion. Tech companies are a big part of Bangalore's identity but they were like an afterthought to this book.

Another major problem I had was this anti-Tamil stance. As though the author wasn't an immigrant to Bangalore herself.

[Gowri N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the actual book, not the ebook version. Just putting that here because the title says 'ebook')

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. This is a collection of poems, articles and fiction about or set in my favorite city Bengaluru (or Bendakaluru or Bangalore!) Various facets of this city - history, culture, architecture, nature, food, developments - are dealt with in a loving way, and the result is very nostalgic. I felt a pang because I could not belong to a generation that saw Bengaluru in all its glory. Rating it 4 rather than 5, only because I feel some more fiction set in Bangalore could have been included. But of course, I am just nitpicking. :)

[Kyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A paen to Bangalore. I got thoroughly sentimental several times and had tears come to my eyes.

Additionally, I learned a lot more about some people I've known for ages, nodded fervently while reading about lost people and personalities and discovered completely new writers and aspects to my city, like opening your bag and realising that not only had I forgotten I'd left a wad of notes there, but also I'd tucked away presents given to me on a long ago occasion.

This book belongs on my bookshelf. I'll have to go out and buy a copy.

[Mukul Lele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts with some history and past stories of Bangalore. It mentions how Bangalore was formed, events in the past etc.
Later it also gives insights about important areas of Bangalore like Sadashivnagar, Basavanagudi. Good to read this part. Other snippets from old novels and poems written by Kannada authors didn't interest me.

[Raksha Bhat]

Extremely well researched work, it made me fall in love all over again with the place I live,well 'Namooru Bengalooru':-)