PONDERING the roar that is new Bengaluru today, my eye spotted a bird which I’ve never seen before. It’s not the screaming one that wakes me up at 5AM, but which I spotted by accident. It’s not the raptors that fly in the sky, nor is a crow. Nor for that matter is a finch.
It is a strange bird, around the size of a British Starling, but with green wings and a brown body, and a tiny little voice. If only I had managed to snap the thing before it flew off to pastures new.
As I said last time I was in this beautiful city, if the authorities are not careful, they will destroy the trees, the plants, the butterflies and the other flora that decorate this Karnataka paradise.
Everywhere around you is the sound of trees being felled, of drills being wielded and of metal being welded. If India wants an example of what can be done to a city, it need look no further than Shanghai. I stayed there earlier this year in the Pudong “district”, and the only other living creature apart from humanoids were four forlorn sparrows.
The last thing Bengaluru needs is three more ring roads. But I would hazard a wager if such things were permitted here, that three are already planned. It’s a garden city by default, and needs to be kept that way. Which is obviously just my humble opinion. Money often wins in this world. ♦
