My Introduction to Bengaluru by Liana Jeffries

As I ride in the auto in Bengaluru I enjoy the sounds of the car horns. Each driver is talking to one another through their beeps. One is saying, “Hey, watch out I’m about to go around you,” or “Get out of the way,” and “I’m coming around the corner.” It’s a symphony of beeping and they don’t all sound the same. Some are more musical than others, while some are small, quick sounds. I take in the large trees, small shops, and medium sized buildings as the auto continues to our destination. I feel the hot breeze against my face and try to savor it. One cannot be too picky with the temperature of the breeze considering the heat of today. I take pleasure in the variety of cows and calves I see alongside the roads. Red, brown, black, spotted, big, small, and most importantly so cute. And I cannot forget all of the dogs and a few cats throughout. I smile. 

The auto begins to come to a stop, and I exit out of the vehicle. We’re now at Lake Puttenahalli. Rohan D’Souza, teacher, researcher, and activist accompanies our group: Amira, Nia, and me, and Professors Guevarra and Reddy. We enter through the gate and are welcomed by sleeping dogs. We walk on a bricked gray path surrounding the bowl-shaped lake. It shimmers and reflects the trees surrounding. Although the trees throughout were separated from the lake with a green gate. The trees were not the only living beings detached from the lake, we were as well. Just like everyone else, our group was to stay on the path designed for us. It seemed that this lake was only something to be viewed. 

Small spots of green land with trees were found in the lake. I saw birds, some black and others white. The lake is calm and still unlike the sounds around us. D’Souza speaks. The stillness is interrupted by harsh realities. He explains the conflict between the ornithologists, naturalists and the fishing community. One community instilling their vision over the others, it’s a competition instead of a coalition. The ornithologist's priority of preserving and protecting the birds in the lake prevents the fishing community the opportunity to fish in the same lake. Thus, a hierarchy of care is enforced. Before restoration began in 2009, Lake Puttenahalli had been reduced to mere puddles of water due to the dumping of sewage, debris, and the expansion of living spaces. However, now that the lake has been restored, it promotes and allows access to a specific class of people. Its restrictive times do not keep in mind lower class individuals and the constraints they have to live within. How could one know a lake that reflects such beauty reveals complex hidden truths?

Photo of birds on the lake by Anna Guevarra