I'm musing on how problems transcend geographical barriers, diverse cultural and social backgrounds. But despite their differences, we all struggle to survive in an environment, which is not entirely conducive to our needs. Quoting Martin Luther King Jr may seem a little over the top, but on the flip side my angst will stir up no hornet's nest.

Confused? I am one of those countless faces who have made Koramangala my home. Well, Love me …love me not! My oscillating love -hate relationship with the place continues. The radical shift in the culture and lifestyle, has to a large extent been conditioned by the new global order in business, the changing skyline of Koramanagala is mute testimony to that.

On an impulse, I decide to play the word association game with someone??? Cool. I've found my Bhakra, the metro sexual male member of the family, doing his early morning grooming routine. We'll discuss the pros and cons of the metro sexual male in detail another day…I have a more daunting topic in hand . I take a couple of minutes to persuade my subject. He asks me "Now? Are you crazy?". I reply "Nope. It won't take long. ". The basic rules of the game - you are asked a word and you retort with the instant word association that comes to your mind. This one's easy. Well, I've modified the rules a little to make it more interesting, instead you name a movie in association . Hmmm! he gives in very easily. No surprise, from someone whose movie average per month is around 12, after the multiplex started operating in the vicinity .Here I go…

Koramangala - Ek Chadar Maili Si . Road Infrastructure - I know what you did last summer (Sequel - I still know what you did last summer).Public Transport - Burning Train. Traffic Management - U Turn. Health & Sanitation - Munnabhai MBBS. Cleanliness - Satte pe Satta. Public Toilets - Haqeeqat. Sewerage drains - Hell Raiser. Urban Spaces - Urban Legend. Parks - Jurassic Park. Footpath - Exorcist. Slums - Dharavi. Telephones - Phone Bhooth. Power supply - Monsters, Inc. Water supply - War of the Worlds. Law and order - Andar Bahar. Mosquito menace - The Fly. Stray dogs - Raaste Ka Patthar. Government Interactions - Jaws. Traffic rules - Fast and Furious. Unauthorized digging - Armageddon. Violating Building Laws - D . Monopoly of the Cable Operator - Blackmail. Well, I rest my case.

My 70 year old neighbor has lived her all her life, she often reminisces about the long forgotten beauty of Koramangala with its ragi fields and water bodies. Sadly the new generation will only identify with the malls, the pubs and the restaurants galore and the software companies, that is Koramangala's identity today. While I am definitely not against urbanization what ails this place is the lack of planning and infrastructure, dearth of citizen involvement, the apathy of the government, absence of lung spaces and so much more.

Every morning as I step out for my morning walk, I am taken by the calm , serene, quite surroundings which never fails to comfort me, but I hasten my steps knowing this phase will not last and before too long the noise and grime will take over. As another day rolls by I wonder ,"Where do we go from here?