Bangalore:
Bulls, Flowers and TATA.
Our
first day in Bangalore started with a trip to Bull Temple which is home to one
of the worlds largest Nandi idols and is made entirely of granite. There was a
clear difference from the grandiose temples we had visited in North India. The
temple was small and consisted only of the Nandi shrine. The tower over the
shrine was constructed in the early 20th century and adorned with Saivite
figures and motifs. Our stop, which was only going to take twenty minutes due
to the modest nature of the temple was extended by almost half an hour when we
stopped at a local vendor who had set up shop outside the temple. Needless to
say, he made a killing.
Our
next stop was Bangalore Fort, which was considerably smaller than the ones we
had visited in Delhi and Agra. This was due to much of it being destroyed by
the British. From there we took a short walk to a produce and flower market
where we were met with vibrant colours and the strong aromas of fresh fruits,
vegetables, and spices. It got even more interesting when we went inside the
large building at the center of it all. Down the aisles hung elaborate flower
arrangements made to decorate the statues of deities or to be worn by brides
and grooms during weddings. At the end of all the aisles, there was a large
room that housed giant piles of beautiful, bright flowers, all of which had
been individually threaded onto string. I don't think I’ve ever seen so many
flowers in one place, and I couldn’t even begin to fathom how long each pile
had taken to make. As we were leaving the market we happened upon a massive
Jersey cow just hanging out in the middle of everything. As we made our way
around her she turned and much to the vendor's surprise, gobbled up three
cucumbers from a stall. As a man tried to shoo the cow away we all started
laughing and so did all the vendors and locals. Even though it was something so
silly it was such a nice moment because we could all just laugh at the same
thing together. In most other cases when a joke was told or something happened
around us it would have to be translated to us so we would get this second-hand
joke which feels a lot like when it takes you a little too long to get a
punchline.
We
hopped back on the bus and headed to TCS (TATA Consulting Services). We had
already been somewhat exposed to the TATA brand as it seemed to be everywhere
we looked. This made a lot of sense later when we found out they work in ten
different industries. From finance to manufacturing to hospitality, you name it
TATA does it. What interested me most about the organisation was their
commitment to the community, they shared a quote from the founder of TATA; “In
a free enterprise, the community is not just another stakeholder in the
business, but in fact the very purpose of its existence. What comes from the
community should go back to it many times over”. TATA gives back in many ways,
they fund many NGO’s and give half of every dollar made to charity. However,
what resonated most with me is a program they have at thirty-three rural
schools around India. Over the past four years, five hundred and eighty TATA
employees have volunteered their time during weekends to teach courses and peak
the interest in kids living in rural areas to join the corporate world. This
year they had employed 92 people from the program while many others joined
companies like Intel, Cisco, and IBM. It was extremely humbling to see such a
large corporation focus so much time and energy on working with their
community.
Our
last stop of the day was MG Road (known for its shopping and nightlife) where
we spent some time unwinding after another busy day. Can’t wait to see what
else Bangalore has in store for us.
Jade Fern
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