MG Road – 'A Road Beyond' (Final) (Tushar, Karman, Savyasachi)

The newly constructed monstrosity on MG Road, the metro station has proved to be quite a tourist hot spot. A lot of the tourists arrive at MG Road by the metro and take a walk down brigade road but not many think of walking down MG Road. A walk down MG Road can tell you everything about Bangalore and its history.

Bangalore has a cycle sharing system referred to as ATCAG. You can register online for the cycle service with a government ID proof and use a cycle from any station to move around Bangalore and drop it at any station at the end of your journey. These cycles are an efficient way of commuting especially around MG Road since there is an abundance of the stations. Taking the cycle down MG Road from the metro station you will first come across Gangaram’s bookstore. Gangaram’s used to be on MG Road but now has moved to Church Street. The bookstore is one of Bangalore’s oldest bookstores and has a huge compilation of books on all topics. Earlier you would find stationary also at Gangaram’s but now its only books. It is definitely a place to visit and spend some time out of a busy schedule.

Taking the cycle down MG Road will bring you to Cauvery Arts and Crafts Emporium. This emporium is a government establishment and has all the arts and crafts of Karnataka; it will give you a quick look at the arts and crafts of all of Karnataka. You could also pick up a few souvenirs for your family and friends from here. It might be a little overpriced but it is the best and the most legitimate option. Cycle down another 350 meters and you will come across Mayo Hall. Mayo Hall was used as a Municipal Office and space for Public meetings, now the BMP and traffic court use it as their office space. At Mayo Hall you will see lawyers working on affidavits to make some easy money and drinking hot tea and coffee from the stalls right outside. Mayo Hall’s architectural beauty is also something you should look at since the British built it in the late 19^th century. Mayo Hall’s complex also has a museum which was set up in 2011, named Kempe Gowda Museum. The museum does not have any artifacts but it narrates Bangalore’s history and Kempe Gowda’s contribution to it. The museum also has a giant 3D map of Bangalore to portray the city’s development. The museum has not been publicized yet, therefore not too many people know of it.

There was a German missionary, Reverend Dr. Ferdinand Kittel, who came to Karnataka in 1853 and worked on Kannada literature. Dr. Ferdinand edited rare Kannada classics and made it available for the public, he also composed a minor epic on Jesus Christ in Kannada. Dr. Ferdinand earned an honorary doctorate for compiling the Kannada-English dictionary. There is a statue erected of Dr. Ferdinand down the road from Mayo Hall for all his contributions in Kannada literature. The statue is a few meters from Mayo Hall on the way to Trinity Church.

When you cycle down to Trinity Church, you might want to take a little detour down Prime Rose Road and Brunton Road. The two roads connect MG Road to Richmond road and a walk down the road will be beautiful. Earlier, the two roads had houses and fruit orchards but now commercial complexes of corporate companies occupy it. You might still notice the reminiscence of the orchards and old houses. The shade provided by the trees and the sky scrapes add to the ride down the road. You can spend time by yourself in these quiet lanes, as there is not much traffic down these roads.

Finally you reach Trinity Church, the church was built in 1852 and can accommodate up to 700 people. Stone tablets of British Army Officials and their families adorn the walls of the church. Trinity Church is built in the British Renaissance style and has beautiful interiors. The furniture, stained glass window, which depicts the baptism of Jesus, a few stone, tablets, the bell and the cross were all made in England and brought to India. Local artists of Bangalore made the intricate carvings on the stone tablets. English was used in the Church until Independence after which it was changed to Tamil, since the people visiting the church were mostly Tamil speakers.

There is a ATCAG station near Trinity Church where you can end your journey and leave the cycle. This entire stretch may have given you a brief on Bangalore’s history and shown how development has killed the essence of MG Road, from a single lane with a promenade to a four-lane road with an overhead metro.