Don't get used to these three

Having the last word is a proposition fraught with danger. Any meaningful discourse on the city has to be a virtual SWOT analysis. Sadly, the weaknesses and threats overwhelm the strengths and opportunities - in gravity, if not in numbers...
Corruption
My mind races back to my first day in Bangalore, nearly 23 years ago. At the City railway station, I had to cough up an illegal 'fee' to get my perfectly legal luggage, booked in the brake van, released; then I had to succumb to a cabbie's whims and shell out the fare he had deemed fit for 9.30 am.If this rant about mundane things sounds familiar, I am not surprised. Some things just haven't changed.
The culture of making money on the side, and on the sly, is prevalent in Bangalore for as long as one can remember. The common Bangalorean encounters it while getting simple tasks done. Be it registering a home or expediting a passport, getting an electricity connection or obtaining an NOC, it's speed money that acts.
We loathe corruption but have come to accept it. This resignation is a dangerous thing. The biggest source of disquiet is that most of the loot makes its way to political pockets. Can we forget why the birth of the international airport was delayed? Do you know why investment and opportunity are bypassing India's fifth largest metropolis. The answer: a disease called corruption that's destroying this city.
At stake are the very image and reputation of Bangalore. It has come to be known as one of India's most corrupt places. An unacceptable sobriquet for a city that aspires to be a global destination for investors and tourists. Corruption is no go for a town hoping to take a place in the pantheon of great cities.
Swalpa Adjust Maadi
A delightful term, swalpa adjust maadi, is a veneer on wrongdoing of all types. Grin and bear inefficiency and sloth in government offices; turn a blind eye to civic monstrosities; ignore the neighbour who hurls that garbage-filled packet into your compound; tolerate violators of traffic rules because, some day, you might behave similarly. These are just a few of hundreds of inconveniences Bangalore puts up with. The 'adjustment' almost always works in favour of those indulging in errant behaviour.
It's pointless blaming only the government or its arms for the difficulties we put up with. Of course, they are responsible; but we, citizens, are no less culpable. People like us follow a take-it-easy policy because we are at home, and believe we can behave any which way we want to at home. These very people fall in line when abroad - once they sense other societies don't suffer nonsense easily.
Lack of civic sense, and of a sense of responsibility, has made us Bangaloreans cynical. We excel in pointing fingers, rather than in looking within and trying to find solutions. We crib that everything under the sky is wrong, little realizing we are to blame, too. Our tolerance of, and participation in, bending rules has made us the creators of our own suffering.
Insularity
The moment a new Bangalorean - or one perceived to be an 'outsider' -steps out and attempts conversation, a blast of unfriendliness hits her. The nemesis could take the form of an extortionist auto driver, a boorish bus conductor, an indifferent cop or a hostile babu in a government office. These are just examples visible in public. Thankfully, the average Bangalorean, ever a friendly soul, is in a majority.
It's not xenophobia, mercifully; it's sheer chicanery. "I will show you we also can" seems to be the motto. The 'we also can' aggro betrays a pointless desire to compete with other provinces in parochialism and intolerance. Practitioners of this mantra - most of them gathered under organizations controlled by myopic politicians -only show themselves in a poor light and sully the excellent image Kannadigas enjoy.
A land (read Karnataka) and a language (read Kannada) that have earned seven Jnanpith awards, and numerous other laurels, have the innate strength to safeguard their interests. Bangalore's strength lies in its diversity and plurality; exclusion can only undo the cosmopolitan identity it has earned. Its opportunities, climate, cuisine and amiable people beckon all. The sore point is the cheeky attitude of a microscopic minority. Unfortunately, this is what sticks. Witness how hospitable Rajasthan's image has taken a hit following sexual attacks on foreigners.
Bangalore's biggest asset is its industrious Kannadiga who welcomes people from other cultures and states with open arms. His genial nature has won hearts far and near; her acumen and enterprise are acknowledged the world over. Sadly, his ��� and his city's ��� image has taken a beating because of a hydra-headed monster that answers to either of these three names: Corruption, Swalpa Adjust Maadi and Insularity. The sooner it's exorcized, the better.