Bangalore explored
Introduction: Understand landscape to plan for future generations, says Dilip da Cunha, co-author of Deccan Traverses, in conversation with Puja Goyal
Dated: Sunday Vijay Times, 9 July 2006 Centrestage
DECCAN TRAVERSES - The Making of Bangaloreís Terrain by Anuradha Mathur and Dilip da Cunha, is not only about the landscape of Bangalore; it speaks of the power landscapes have in determining the nature of a place. The book tracks down the artistic and scientific developments in the late 1700s and early 1800s which have now put Bangalore on the map! Deccan Traverses is perhaps the first book of its kind that explores the depth and whatís beneath a city today.
Through drawings, photographs, texts and historic maps, Deccan Traverses travels this extraordinary landscape of Bangalore: the beginnings of the survey of the Indian peninsula; the battle drawings and route surveys that developed the language of todayís maps; the introduction and acclimatisation of plants from across the world; the intricate culture of tanks; the quarrying and ordinary use of one of the oldest rocks on earth; the world behind threaded flowers, silk and stone.
Deccan Traverses: taking shapeÖ
We came to Bangalore in 2000 to present our book Mississippi Floods, (a study of Lower Mississippi), and we thought the same sensibility could be developed towards the landscapes of Bangalore. We began to dig into the history of Bangalore and realised that much of the landscape of Bangalore was constructed in different eras; by different peopleÖ slowly the project became very ambitious and resulted in Deccan Traverses.
Bangalore is a "Tank City"!
As kids, we were taught that rivers help the civilisation flourish. What we donít realise is that not every city is dependent on a riverÖ and a river is not really necessary for a cityís development. Long before rivers got a chance to form, it was the tanks and the bands (bundh), that provided water and connected civilisations.
Bangalore is a Tank City!! Individuals like Cornwallis initiated the development of Bangalore by creating tanks. The tanks that were crucial to the growth of the City have now either dried up or used for activities like sewage disposal, boating etc. This has and will create humungous problems in the futureÖ its nothing but wrong ecology. The tanks were not meant to be wet lands forever; this is why they sometimes stink.
We have to realise that we are a Tank Civilisation and initiate an understanding of a tank system instead of taking them for granted. I think that our dependence on the Cauvery water is resulting in a lot of problems. Someone just told me that the fifth pipe will be laid to provide us with water from the riverÖ this will soon result in complete dependence on the river. The problem is that in an urban setting, it is difficult and cumbersome to maintain a tank properly; even then other things can be doneÖ we could use them as playgrounds, horticulture and agricultural purposes, parks, etc.
What you should look out for in the bookÖ
Iím sure you know about State Gazettes, they normally are a compilation of facts. You could call Deccan Traverses a form of a Gazette which will allow you to combine imagination and facts. No one picks up a Gazette to read because it is interesting, they pick it up because they want to know the fact behind a particular happening. Facts are not something that exists, they are constructed by people.
Signing off:
We want to bring about an understanding of the terrain to the people of Bangalore. It is not right to depend on the administration and authorities all the time; it is the people living in the City who should come together and give new dimensions in initiating solutions to create a tactical plan to develop a positive landscape for future generations! n
Dated: Sunday Vijay Times, 9 July 2006 Centrestage
DECCAN TRAVERSES - The Making of Bangaloreís Terrain by Anuradha Mathur and Dilip da Cunha, is not only about the landscape of Bangalore; it speaks of the power landscapes have in determining the nature of a place. The book tracks down the artistic and scientific developments in the late 1700s and early 1800s which have now put Bangalore on the map! Deccan Traverses is perhaps the first book of its kind that explores the depth and whatís beneath a city today.
Through drawings, photographs, texts and historic maps, Deccan Traverses travels this extraordinary landscape of Bangalore: the beginnings of the survey of the Indian peninsula; the battle drawings and route surveys that developed the language of todayís maps; the introduction and acclimatisation of plants from across the world; the intricate culture of tanks; the quarrying and ordinary use of one of the oldest rocks on earth; the world behind threaded flowers, silk and stone.
Deccan Traverses: taking shapeÖ
We came to Bangalore in 2000 to present our book Mississippi Floods, (a study of Lower Mississippi), and we thought the same sensibility could be developed towards the landscapes of Bangalore. We began to dig into the history of Bangalore and realised that much of the landscape of Bangalore was constructed in different eras; by different peopleÖ slowly the project became very ambitious and resulted in Deccan Traverses.
Bangalore is a "Tank City"!
As kids, we were taught that rivers help the civilisation flourish. What we donít realise is that not every city is dependent on a riverÖ and a river is not really necessary for a cityís development. Long before rivers got a chance to form, it was the tanks and the bands (bundh), that provided water and connected civilisations.
Bangalore is a Tank City!! Individuals like Cornwallis initiated the development of Bangalore by creating tanks. The tanks that were crucial to the growth of the City have now either dried up or used for activities like sewage disposal, boating etc. This has and will create humungous problems in the futureÖ its nothing but wrong ecology. The tanks were not meant to be wet lands forever; this is why they sometimes stink.
We have to realise that we are a Tank Civilisation and initiate an understanding of a tank system instead of taking them for granted. I think that our dependence on the Cauvery water is resulting in a lot of problems. Someone just told me that the fifth pipe will be laid to provide us with water from the riverÖ this will soon result in complete dependence on the river. The problem is that in an urban setting, it is difficult and cumbersome to maintain a tank properly; even then other things can be doneÖ we could use them as playgrounds, horticulture and agricultural purposes, parks, etc.
What you should look out for in the bookÖ
Iím sure you know about State Gazettes, they normally are a compilation of facts. You could call Deccan Traverses a form of a Gazette which will allow you to combine imagination and facts. No one picks up a Gazette to read because it is interesting, they pick it up because they want to know the fact behind a particular happening. Facts are not something that exists, they are constructed by people.
Signing off:
We want to bring about an understanding of the terrain to the people of Bangalore. It is not right to depend on the administration and authorities all the time; it is the people living in the City who should come together and give new dimensions in initiating solutions to create a tactical plan to develop a positive landscape for future generations! n
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