An Evening at Cubbon Park
The festive season has finally arrived. Come October, India prepares for a string of celebrations that lie ahead: starting with Durga Puja/Navratri, then comes Lakshmi Puja, and shortly after Diwali arrives in style. This year, I'm celebrating Diwali from my new base in Bengaluru.
I have no complaints though! The city is a lot less congested owing to so many travelling back to their homes; the weather is as good as it can get - and the arterial roads and avenues are all brightly lit up. Having the Saturday before the big day to myself, I wondered what I could do to make it eventful. It was then that the idea to visit Cubbon Park struck me.
And so I picked myself up from a lazy Saturday slumber around four in the evening. Fortunately, the Halasuru metro station is only a ten-minute walk from my residence here; and the Cubbon Park entrance is situated right next to the metro. It was only a matter of transiting via the metro for a couple of stations. Luck was in store as the moment I entered the platform, the metro arrived. Excited, I got in. Ten minutes later, I was entering the park premises.
A fresh coat of rainfall ensured that the ground was relatively wet; I could almost smell the petrichor around. The beauty of Cubbon lies in the fact that you are caught off-guard by its calming presence every single time! The pleasant evening sunlight was playing peek-a-boo through the towering canopies of the age-old trees. Amidst that, I began my walk. The layout is deceptively simple - there are a few main pathways that one can follow across the garden - but I always prefer deviating and walking through the actual grounds, lush green most of the year and especially pretty after a hint of rain. Here's Cubbon through my lens today:
The ideal Cubbon experience is to bring a bedsheet or a long cloth; spread it out over the grass, and listen to the melody of birds chirping, squirrels scampering about, children playing and dogs running around. Time seems to slip into another dimension here - not once have I looked at my watch when I visit it. This weekend seemed especially better since it was a lot less crowded - so I trotted along, until I met my furry friend of the day Mili (yeah, I just named her):
I absolutely LOVE the fact that I am a magnet of sorts when it comes to finding dogs. I find our indie strays to be incredibly kind and full of love. How can anyone not like them? Unsurprisingly and true to their nature, that one belly rub Mili got made her a loyal companion for the rest of my time at the park. With her little paws she moved by my side, sometimes sprinting ahead when curiosity got the better of her, but always remembering to find me back and sit nearby - as if to say, "this is my hooman now!". I spent some more time with Mili while perching myself on a bench nearby, occasionally petting her on her head, and finding solace under the shades. When it was time to leave, Mili let out a low whine - complaining that she craved more love. I promised her, another day!
It was still around 5.45, so my next thought was to visit Church Street. I was sure that it would be fairly happening on the eve of Diwali (not that it isn't usually!). And boy was it. Church Street can be reached by getting down at the MG Road metro - just a stop away from Cubbon. Guess who I ran into as soon as I made the exit: Yusuf Bhai, the famous perfumer from Dubai! He was in Bangalore for the launch of his first outlet in the city. Post the fan-moment, I made a customary visit to Blossom's Book House albeit I did not have much to pick there. I've already pre-ordered Sonia Gandhi's autobiography, Belonging: A Journey of Love on Amazon, and I expect it to be a riveting first-person account of the higher echelons of Indian politics.
Before closing out the evening, I finally settled for one of my favourites, the Toffee Nut Crunch Latte at Third Wave Coffee. You're allowed to self-pamper, okay? It was delicious, of course. Deep down I knew I had walked enough today to offset the extra sugar intake; my Bengali genes make it difficult to resist such indulgences!
Since it was the Diwali weekend, we have some lights on our balcony that add a very elegant look. I turned it on today after a hiatus: it looks lovely. Enjoy being virtually present on my balcony with cool winds blowing all around.
I wish you, dear reader, abundant prosperity and happiness as you celebrate Diwali/Kali Pujo with your loved ones.