Tipu Sultan's forces during the Siege of Srirangapatna. Introduction : Exploring Bangalore It was a cool sunny morning in Bangalore and I had a day to spend as a tourist exploring the city. Putting aside my fears of being a non-kannadiga, I ventured out with the Metro as my magical no-conversational vahan to take me to a prearranged list of places to visit. It was a fairly fun day trying out thick, crispy dosas, savoury coffee and marvelling the weather as I walked my way from one place to the other. I walked through the roads with colourful Karnataka transport buses speeding to market places with fresh and vibrant flowers along with plastic stationary being sold in roadside impromptu markets. A sight I got to see was Bangalore fort, which began construction in 1537 as a mud fort. The builder was the ruler Kempe Gowda I, a vassal of the Vijaynagar Empire and the founder of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda is honoured in many ways in the city with locations and buildings named after him. The...
There used to be a time when I lived more on my balcony than inside my room. Now I sit down in the same spot on my study table, facing the window, trying to look out through the negative spaces between the drying clothes. As days go by, I miss how the outside of my window used to look. When I was 12, my family unanimously decided to annexe the balcony into our rooms. On paper it was a great idea; the balconies were tiny and any added space in our small rooms would be awesome. I recall the process of this annexure, with numerous masons working in the house, demolishing a few existing walls and then constructing new walls and windows. I remember thinking how astronomically huge the rooms felt to me at that age, although the extension was barely 2.5 feet in width. I would frequently play cricket in that tiny extension, with no clue of what I had lost. Another 13 years later, now I feel we didn't gain much, the rooms are darker, the quality of space in the house feels low and we have b...
It took me a considerable amount of time to read this book, hindered by exams, deadlines, and outings with my friends, oscillating between complete engrossment and utter boredom; all of which culminated in last week, where I couldn't put the book down. The story elicited a range of emotions in me, from the obvious romantic ‘heart-eyes’ to the outright disgust over the protagonists’ actions. I am certain that the author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, intended for all readers to experience these contrasting feelings. He deliberately crafts his characters to be deeply layered, spending extensive paragraphs ensuring you comprehend how their minds process everything, only to surprise you when the context shifts their actions. In my view, the story features three protagonists: the two alleged lovers who have been separated by various people and circumstances, and lastly, a man who presents as the most significant reason for this separation. The outcome of the highly detailed writing is that...
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