Fabindia

Fabindia store at CMH Road

Fabindia is absolutely the best shop in the world! It has style cotton and silk men's & women's clothing (shirts, kurtas, shawls etc.), linens, curtains, carpets, furniture, as well as organic foods. In Bangalore, Fabindia has stores in various locations, but the biggest one is located in Koramangala [#54, 17th Main, 2nd Block, Koramangala]. www.fabindia.com

Republic Day

January 26 is a national holiday in India -- the Republic Day. On this day back in 1950, Indian government removed the Governor General and refused allegiance to the British Queen.

Mainland China

Today I decided not to have Indian food but to try something different for dinner. I went to Mainland China restaurant [#4032, 100ft Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indira Nagar]. The ambiance was classy and more importantly the food was delicious. I had duck and cabbage soup and chicken shiitake mushroom with rice for just over $15 Canadian. www.mainlandchinaindia.com

Don't urinate here

Throughout the city there are a lot of signs and billboards advising people what to do and what not to do. On one of the walls it is written "Don't urinate here". There are very few public washrooms in the city and seeing men peeing on the roads and streets is quite common.

Unfinished business

Construction site at Mahatma Gandhi (M.G.) Road

The construction and building of new condo high rises, shopping malls and office complexes is going on throughout the city, more so on the outskirts -- taking their place next to garbage dumps, sewage drains, empty lots and shanty towns. On many streets there are no sidewalks for pedestrians, and even though the buildings are completed and open for business, the whole street looks somehow unfinished.

Switch on, switch off

The power goes down about 2-3 times each day. Most people act like nothing has happened. There is only a sudden sigh of silence. Conversations continue, backup power supply kicks in usually within 10 seconds -- and the power and lights are back. Then several minutes later, the same thing happens again, only this time the power is restored and the backup power supply is switched off. During the back up time only the vital resources are kept powered up.

Vidhana Soudha

Vidhana Soudha (the Neo-Dravidian-style building)

Vidhana Soudha is a government building close to Cubbon Park. It is House of Legislative Assembly and the Administrative Office of Karnataka. The building is made of pure granite and the doors are made of pure sandalwood. Across the street is the High Court (Attara Kacheri).

High Court

High Court (the Greco-Roman style building)

Attara Kacheri (Eighteen Offices) houses the offices of the High Court of Karnataka. This beautiful 19th century building, made of stone and brick, is painted in an intense red hue. It was completed in 1864.