'Azim Premji, Nandan Nilekani have put Bengaluru on the global map'

A candid chat about what makes Bengaluru a favourite city.

Rubi Chakravarti, entertainment professional and theatre aficionado.

1. What makes Bengaluru tick?
There is a cohesive set of circumstances, events and people who contribute to that special `make it tick syndrome'. The single-largest contributing factor is its 'make love, not war' type of attitude, when colloquially translated means 'swalpa adjust maad beku macha'. It is called being 'Bangalorerified'!


Rubi's favourite Bengaluru moment is the time spent on her morning walks in Cubbon Park. (Image: Facebook)

2. What is your favourite Bengaluru moment?
My favourite moment has to be the fragrance of the flowering trees and the squish of fresh grass under my feet on my morning walks in Cubbon Park. One gets to see a cross-section of Bengalureans at their best or worst! One sees the generosity and empathy of dedicated animal lovers. I have been moved to tears to see a young man hop off his motorcycle at a traffic signal, unmindful of angry honking behind him, to give alms to an old and hungry man. I am left speechless by the generosity of strangers who come up to tell me how much they enjoyed my performances or how I impacted their lives.

3. If you were the dictator of Bengaluru, what is the first thing you would do?
I would lock up all the corrupt politicians, corporators and bribe-takers without a trial! I would issue a blanket ban on the felling of trees and razing of the beautiful heritage structures of my city. I would also issue a diktat against people who spew garbage on our streets; ensure that all road contractors who did a shoddy job spend two days and nights without food or water in every pothole that appears on the roads; make many roads traffic-free on weekends; make it mandatory for artisans from villages to showcase their talent; and for all Bengalureans to attend at least two such shows a month. Corruption, callous behaviour of elected persons, bigotry and discrimination to be dealt with corporal punishment or tarred faces, sitting the wrong way around on a donkey. That would be one of the first laws to be passed by 'dictator Rubi'.

4. Who is your favourite Bengalurean? Why?
Other than my parents, who epitomised everything good and graceful of 'old' Bengaluru, my favourite people would be the cross-cultural people of Bengaluru that give our city the certain je ne sais quoi. They would include thinkers, artists, visionaries and entrepreneurs. People like my father, Brigadier BM Chakravarti, (founder director of LRDE), Azim Premji, NR Narayana and Sudha Murthy, Dr Devi Shetty, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Nandan Nilekani have put us on the global map. Artists like Madhu Nataraj, Arundhati Nag and Prakash Belawadi gave us dance and theatre. Priya Mascarenhas and Prasad Bidapa remind us how elegant our city really is.

5. If not Bengaluru, which city? Why?
If I ever did contemplate living in another city, it would probably be a small hamlet near the hills where I could write and learn to sing! Coonoor or Nainital would be ideal. But my heart would sing if I could relocate to Mykonos or Santorini, where my eyes could devour the beauty of the azure sea.