Looking at the choice of entertainment and leisure for Bangaloreans today, it is hard to imagine how the citizens a few decades ago were able to unwind.Amusement parks, pubs, multiplexes, malls and the vast range of restaurants were unheard of and people seemed perfectly contented with their cinemas and theatres.Bangalore has something for everyone today, barring, perhaps a beach but they are seeking out more escape routes from their routine. The Bangaloreans of the past seemed to derive much pleasure from the little things and a visit to Lal Bagh, Cubbon Park or a weekend movie gave them a high.And an annual exhibition or a circus in front of the Bangalore City Railway Station, where the present BMTC bus terminus stands, was something they eagerly looked forwarded to.All that the exhibition boasted were rickety merry-go-rounds, giant wheels, a stunt motorcyclist scorching the inside of a globe on his mobike and some food stalls.But this was a must on the Bangalorean’s list of to-do things each year and he considered it to be among the ity’s big events each year.Today, such exhibitions would scarcely cause a stir and would even be laughed at. People used to stop in their tracks on the streets and read billboards stuck on walls announcing the arrival of the exhibition or circus and the “grand” entertainment they offered.And people marked their calendars as they read about the daring trapeze artistes, performing beasts and clowns. And off they would go to the Bangalore Bus Stand, as it was called then, on their old BTS buses and stand in line to enter the big top.And before the present bus stand was built, buses terminated and started from all four sides of the big basin, which once was a huge tank. And at the end of the show, they’d trudge back to the designated bus stop and talk about the “great” time they had.Today’s Bangalorean, spoiled for choice, would wonder what they were talking about. Soon, newer forms of entertainment, later the great Bangalore circus tragedy where a big fire snuffed out lives of hundreds of children, and the advent of the bus stand at the venue, saw these forms of leisure disappear.So did several old cinemas around the Majestic area, Cantonment and across the city. The advent of the TV and the disincentive of negotiating Bangalore’s notorious traffic have also seen some Bangaloreans spend their leisure hours indoors, venturing out only for a short walk to the neighbourhood market or park.— [email protected]
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