Wind Of Change – In Trivandrum

It’s almost a decade back that I landed in Bangalore. My mission – seek a new life, new career, and experience new thrills. During the initial days in B’lore, I got exposed and saw an all new lifestyle, food habits and social lifestyle.

A a fellow who lived most of my life in Trivandrum, it was an eyeopener in many respects. I vividly remember a lady at Koshy’s restaurant in a blue sari having a coffee and smoking  a cigarette. A lady smoking cigarette! A shocker for me! And, she was one hot milf.

Next, I found burqa clad women and I had many questions about it. I’ve not seen such conservative dressing in Trivandrum. And, one more thing, I was surprised to know that beef is a taboo and many Kerala mess which serve beef don’t include it in the menu.

Well, those were my initial experiences in B’lore. And now, when I look at the life in Trivandrum, I’m seeing far too many changes. Wonder, if it’s for the good, or bad. Only time can tell!

Trivandrum – Wind of Change 

When I was not a part of Trivandrum, what did this city change? Personally for me, my social connection in this city has shrinked. I haven’t added any new friends and many friends have left its shores to better prospects. And for me, I’ve become older, with more grey portions.

Apart from it, here are few things that I feel has changed.

#1 It appears that people are more pious or pretending to be god fearing. For instance, every small le temple is filled with devotees. In many by-roads, there are arches being built by temple  authorities. And, many temples has started Pongala. Why is this sudden rush of faith? Are people turning more kinder, more connected, helpful?

#2 As more Kerala Muslim women adopts burqa, more exclusive burqa shops are opening in the capital. Again, I’m surprised by the change. I still remember the way Muslim women in Calicut used to dress. Young  girls with a scarf and older ladies with a head dress – a white cloth with a some border over their  head. It was very unique to our culture. Sadly, it’s gone with the change.

# 3 Mega chuches are being built. For instance, the old tiled Vettucaud Church  made with lime, bricks, and wood is razed. I still remember the wooden beams, the confession chamber, and the wooden doors. There was something good about the old Vettucaud church. Sadly, it’s demolished to make for a concrete, mega structure.Why didn’t they leave the old building in tact and built a new one? Why raze that iconic church?

# Traffic islands are well maintained with grass and plans. I love this change and I wonder who had made this happen. The biggest transformation was the makeover of one derelict public park in Eastfort. Now, it’s a well maintained public space. Again, special thanks to the city planners and the individuals behind it.

# Fish stalls –  Earlier, only Connmera fish market was the mecca of fish buyers and sellers. I used to visit this place during evenings and even late at night to buy fish. The place was badly maintained, and customers had little choice about getting their fish cleaned. Now, there are many small fish stalls, like the Fish Day, near Kumarapuram. Though bit pricy, they sell fresh fish. Best part, they clean the fish.

# Sorry state of liquor shops in Trivandrum. This is a big NO for me and for the way they treat liquor buyers. The limited number of outlets, the dirty shops, the line in front of the shops, and more. Aren’t the big bosses seeing the liquor marts in Bangalore? Well, we are still living in a monopoly era. All the goddamn rules and rules. I hate it all.

# Eastfort bus stand and surrounding is still dirty, unkept. It’s like Kalyashepalayam in Bangalore. When it rains in Eastfort, then it’s flood of sludge, drain water, and every element you can expect.

# Far too many gold mortage shops in each junction, each locality. Is this a good news? Or does this tel of our debt?

# Mangoozes are over populating. Was there any ecological disturbance, due to which it started massive reproduction. Recently, I saw a mother mongooze and children crossing from one side of the road to another.

Off-topic – Gripe About this
# Cafeteria and Milma Parlour in Museum – If there are few things that won’t change, then these two are the are the perfect examples of how slow system works. How profits are ignored, how customer satisfaction and choice is ignored.

I had written earlier about the KTDC cafeteria inside Napier Museum. What agitates me is their monopoly, and the opportunity they are wasting each single day. Long back I spoke to the man working in the Milma counter here inside Museum. He said, for getting a chair replaced, he need sanction from the head office. Typical bureaucratic hand. Why can’t the big bosses see the opportunity here? Should I write a mail to them? Will it work? Or will you send one on my behalf?

My friend was telling me on how packed this Milma stall inside Napier Museum is on a weekend. People crowd to get a ice cream or a bottle of milk product. Simple question – why can’t they add 1 or 2 person to manage the stall on a weekend. Pay an extra 500 bucks to each person and earn an extra 10K for the organization.

#