Have been thinking bout this for quite a while now… The face of Bangalore has changed beyond recognition. I somehow dont seem to connect with most of the places in the city. I was part of this discussion on FB  with a few very close buddies of mine regarding how certain key areas of Bangalore has changed and the landmarks have started disappearing.  Few of the favorite hangouts of our yester years is too hard to connect with. Missing those somewhat quite evenings in 4th block complex, drive in one of the most beautiful roads in south Bangalore – Sangam circle to Southend Circle.  Having Softee opp Jain Temple, run down the Ragigudda temple hill.. wish it were un-barricaded as earlier, 20 rs movies at Swagath theatre, Cricket matches at Green Pitch (not so green anymore)  and Quality pitch.., Vadilal icecreams opp telephone exchange, etc ..  Gone are the days when one didn’t have to worry about traffic woes in the city but now shudder at the thought of driving out in the weekend even if its to pick up grocery. I would prefer a weekday anytime than venture out around the weekend. The other pain which i personally feel is the new “mall culture”.. Every block seems to come up with a new superstore ever week. Though it means a lot of options but it somehow seems to be a hassle as well.. Jayanagar’s traffic and parking woes in 9th block seem to have increased after the opening up of a very famous mall. I don’t completely say they are bad coz i frequent them quite often myself. I am ready to live with “mall culture” , most Bangaloreans wouldn’t mind either 😉 .. So before i completely fail to connect with this city beautiful, a dear friend and i thought of having this bucket list of things we wanna do in Bangalore and places  we would wanna visit while we still breathe and are alive in the few green pockets of Bangalore. So here goes……

Number 1 : though not in any order was to visit the famed Bangalore Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum (VITM). I wouldn’t say that i was completely impressed with the place though but it is definitely a must visit. I have been to better museums but this had a nostalgic feel since i was visiting this place after almost 15 years.. Few old memories of the place was us running around as kids  pressing all the buttons which bring the models into play. The ground floor has the engines and dinosaur exhibits.  Also try n catch up on the several shows which are presented, for instance we watched the “Taramandal Show” which explains how to identify Constellations and star patterns in the night sky. Pretty interesting. Also saw a replica of the wright brothers Smithsonian flight model.    The First floor had the Fun Science and the Electronic exhibits.  The Second floor had the Space and Biotechnological exhibits. The Third floor housed the BEL house of electronics and a kiddies corner with a few fun learning games. The entry fee is bout 20 bucks and the various shows inside cost bout 5 bucks each. You could easily spend a good 3-4 hours in there and though you wouldn’t be raving bout the place but certainly you will not be disappointed.  My advice : Take your kids along, have fun learning and relive your childhood.

Here are a few pics from the visit.

The Museum is located on Kasturba Road. Parking can be done near the Cubbon Park entrance and then a 100m walk back on Kasturba road should take you right to the museum. You could also visit the Aquarium and take a toy train ride at Cubbon Park, We skipped the toy train ride. and the Aquarium isn’t a pretty sight to watch either. Go if you must !!

For more info, check the museum wiki link here.

PS : Feel free to help me add on items to my bucket list of things to do in Bangalore. I would try and update my list on here in the next few days.

Cheers

me