Ok, Bangalore’s population is close to ten million now and the city is bursting at its seams. There is a huge space crisis in Bangalore, I am not talking about realty, property etc, Â but about living space. Â There is no escape to be found from the maddening crowds. Â Parks, restaurants, markets, malls – literally every public space is choked with people at all times. Â I think to have a sense of space is very essential for general well being. Â I am not sure that is appreciated enough. Â With the city becoming increasingly claustrophobic, stress levels are bound to rise – traffic jams, parking problems, road rage just to name a few. Â Also, this implies that going out to relax and unwind is not a good idea. Â With crowds everywhere, one will only end up getting more stressed. Â Restaurants where an average meal for two would be upwards of Rs. 2000 are packed to the brim !
The importance of living space was recognized pretty early on, Lebensraum was an ideology introduced more than 100 years ago, but was perversely misused by the Nazis to justify their crimes.
I know that it is hypcritical to complain about crowds, when one is part of the crowd themselves. Â We know the solutions like better urban planning is just an illusion given the state of things in India. Â So what are the alternatives ? Moving to the countryside will not work, since there is a lack of basic infrastructure. Moving to other second tier cities, Mysore, Kolhapur and working remotely from there is probably a better idea.