STICKS & STONES | Actions Speak Louder

Talk is cheap. Most Bangaloreans are proving they're no different when it comes to this. Recently, they did this when the axes started swinging on the metro rail route and when demolition men clambered over the observatory of St Joseph's college building to bring down a historic edifice. And don't even get me started on their now-castigated lethargy on polling day.They were swift to come up with excuses the Election Commission was to blame that they didn't have voter ID cards, their names were missing from the electoral rolls, etc. Yeah, right, so what did they do about it? And what did they do when they wanted a visa to enter the land of milk and honey and green cards? Didn't they fill up numerous forms, waited in long queues and endured bureaucratic bulldozing?
So, we talk. A lot. Like we did when the metro rail authorities moved in on the beautiful Rashtriya Vidyalaya Road in Bangalore South. To call it a lovely green stretch would be a gross understatement it's one of the most elegant tree-covered roads and to walk down there as the early morning sun's gentle rays filter through the rich green leaves is to experience the beauty of a newborn day. Sadly, the metro has been planned along this road. But that decision was taken some time ago and we had ample time to try and get the route altered, if we wanted to. But, we waited, talked a lot, didn't really push for a change and when it was time for the green barricades to be put in place, that's when the death of these trees became an inevitable reality. We made some of the usual noises to assuage our guilt and promptly went to the neighbourhood darshini for the usual by-two coffee, no sugar please.When the Joseph's building was brought down, the noise was more muted, largely from bleeding-heart alumni who did nothing to ensure the building was conserved. It's sad that among all the brilliant minds who studied here, not a handful pooled their technical and financial resources to come up with a workable plan to restore the heritage structure to its original grandeur. All the chatter was about how the Jesuits should have saved the building. Even as the old building will survive as memories in ageing minds, fading sepia prints and postable pixels, the new one will come up soon, a brand new testament to the ongoing mission of honing young minds. Maybe next time we'll actually do something.