GANESH IN THE GARDEN CITY - BANGALORE

VICTORIAN BANGALORE

Holy Trinity Church (1851) near Trinity Circle on Mahatma Gandhi Street, in Bangalore, looked like any other English Parish Church, but this one had some how come down to land in India.  It faced East, like all English Parish Churches and the original nineteenth century bell is still rung every Sunday just as it always has.

The Eastern end of the church has an 'Angel Hammer Beam Roof', which must have reminded its English Congregation of some of the finest parish churches back in England.  Sitting in the polished wooden pews, gave a sense of another time in the distant past and one could almost hear the strains of the pipe organ, playing a familiar hymn.  The commemorative slabs around the walls told the story of the men of the British Regiments, who had worshipped in the Church two centuries ago - some had succumbed to cholera, some to battle wounds but the last tablet on the left wall, caught the eye - this gentleman must have been a member of the Regiment carrying out the first geographical survey of India - this necessitated going through unchartered territory in the relentless pursuit of measurement, sometimes with dire consequences !

BANGALORE - I.T. vs HEROIC NATURE

Silicon Valley it might be, but the real wonder of this city, is LalBagh Gardens.  This was Nature putting man in his place.

The giant Tamarind Tree seemed to stretch up into the clouds, it was so tall.  "This is where your 'Worcester Sauce' comes from" Vijay, our guide, informed us.  That tree commanded respect.... after all, a bottle of 'Worcester Sauce' on the breakfast table, no matter what country you were in, imbued the table with Englishness, with home and security, everything in its rightful place, of parents and grandparents and the continuity of lineage and all that is unchanging and best.

With its massive trunk and branches, the huge Candle Tree manages with rugged dexterity, to produce delicate white flowers, which bloom right out of its woody bark, as if by magic.  The Redwood Tree pods are so hard and strong, that only a fire could break them apart to reveal their inner secret, a perfect container,  with an individual compartment for each of its 3 smooth, shiny seeds, cushioned in the softest down, hidden from gaze, until only the most extreme conditions could crack the pod and allow germination to take place.

Fronds hanging in delicate, fragile, vertical wisps, - the Weeping Chinese Cypress, suggested the melancholy trees, wrapped in mist,  in a Chinese scroll painting and then the antidote, the Colville Wonder Tree, with its bright orange blooms, hanging in heavy exotic bunches - a riot of indulgence !

The tall, straight, heroic Talipot Palm, 75 years old and in fruit only once in a lifetime, would die afterwards - a kind of Botanical tragedy.  And the overwhelming Palmyra Palm, providing writing material for all the ancient scriptural texts  and ayurvedic documents from centuries ago - the nature of its palm leaf fibre led man to develop cursive script, because straight lines would cause the leaf to tear !

The wonder of this Garden of Eden !