Bangalore Lake story: reflections on the spirit of a place

Abstract

This article is based on an ethnographic case study conducted during a small project on the public-private development of lakes in Bangalore. Using conceptualizations of place and implacement as developed by scholars such as Casey and Anderson, this article unpacks the relationship between sociopolitical processes and modification of landscape during the implementation of a public–private partnership lake development project of Hebbal Lake. The disappearance of designated places along the lakeshore that are accessible to different users tends to favor a monoculture of consumer experiences, which can be seen as a hidden form of displacement of other users. I suggest that by physically modifying the “places” on the lakeshore that once supported multiple human-geographical interactions, certain people can experience displacement even if they are allowed to access the lake.

Keywords:

• place-making
• Bangalore
• lake conservation
• development
• displacement

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge my coresearchers Sowjanaya R. Peddi and Sreeja K.G. on the Hebbal Lake project, which started as an assignment in a course, and later this study was accepted as a longer project with a grant from Sarai, CSDS. Their support made this article possible. Dr. Sundar Sarukkai from Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, Manipal University provided the inspiration to my entry into place studies and helped me conceptualize the article. Dr. Carol Upadhya and Dr. A.R. Vasavi from National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore guided my project and gave me valuable feedback on the initial drafts and presentations of this article. I am also grateful to the extensive and helpful feedback from the two anonymous reviewers of my article, and from the editor of the Journal of Cultural Geography that allowed me to complete and revise my article into its final form. I would also thank Dr. Michael Goldman, Dr. Smriti Srinivas, and Dr. Solomon Benjamin, for their inputs and suggestions. My sources of information, my interviewees and countless users of the lake who shared their knowledge and opinions are invaluable to this study. I also thank Rohan D'souza, Vinay Baindur, Leo Saldhana, and Sudhira, H.S. who are some of those indefatigable activists who assisted me during the project and the putting together the story of Hebbal Lake.⁹

Notes

1. The respondent used the term Sadhu Tantrik to refer to a holy man following certain forms of meditation. From his manner of speaking he wanted to express a sense of magic, mystery, fear and respect for the person who came on new moon nights. Unless otherwise mentioned, all non-English terms are in Kannada, the local language. Tantra (Sanskrit), however, is a system of Indian philosophy that has a rich tradition of praxis. For an introduction to the philosophy and practices of Tantra, see Feuerstein (1998).

2. I am aware that this term could have a positive connotation but in contemporary times a displacement of people is often forced migration.

3. See, for instance, one of the articles in the weekly magazine, Outlook (Srinivasaraju 2005).

4. Sarai is a program of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), one of India's leading research institutes which focuses on critical thought around development issues. Sarai renders its research and creative work into the “public domain” and as participants in this project we chose to make our fieldwork observations available through a blog.

5. The exact word which the respondents used was sthana, which I have translated as “designated place.”

6. Figures are from the website of the LDA. The count varies in different sources and reports not because of the confusion in the number of lakes, but due to the differing extent of the administrative area classified as “Bangalore urban” during different periods of urban expansion. See Rau (1986) for a report on status of lakes in Bangalore. Also see Mohan (2004) for an interview with Rau.

7. For a study that deals with transformation of another lake in Bangalore from a different perspective, see Sunderesan (2011).

8. For more on the anti-privatization campaign, see the website of the Environment Support Group, Bangalore: http://www.esgindia.org/campaigns/lakes/press/karnataka-high-court-committee-strongly-html.

9. A number of news articles, protest meetings, and study reports on this issue have had an impact after the completion of our project. The private company withdrew its plan for the floating restaurant after the objections raised by bird watchers and environmentalists. Due to the widespread publicity received in these campaigns, Hebbal continues to be accessible to multiple users. A non-governmental activist organization Environment Support Group filed a public interest litigation suit against what was perceived as lake privatization. Other lakes that were to be leased out on the DOT scheme were granted a reprieve by the court. However, since the MOU was already in place with the hotel group in charge of Hebbal, there was no rollback. The MOU is legally valid for another 10 more years, till May 2021.