The cabs of many companies criss-cross the length and breadth of Bangalore. But one area not very intensely covered is Kadugodi. Put on your trekking shoes and join me in my Kadugodian odyssey.

Kadugodi - the name evokes a myriad of emotions for it’s residents as they trudge through life. There are quite a few things that rise to the top of my mind when I think of Kadugodi. The sleepy village waking up to the call of evolution from the IT corridor in Whitefield, the wonderful variety of beggars who truly amaze with their high standards of innovation and adherence to their vision statements (even in their pretended blindness), the small shop where Moidukka sells his mouth watering puttu kadala (a Kerala delicacy), the truckers who try their level best to trap innocent walkers under their wheels, the spiritual seeker from every corner of Friedman’s flat world, the hallowed portals of educational institutions, the inebriated pleasure seeker tripping out of the road side toddy shop, the innards of various animals on display in the meat shops that spring up during weekends like mushrooms after the first shower and the sleepy Whitefield station with it’s resident guardian dog all make up for a wonderfully vibrant heart warming picture that needs to be savored by every connoisseur of life.

The picture of Kadugodi would be incomplete without the police station whose workload seems to have increased in recent times with more professionally qualified burglars on the prowl. And an interesting thing to note is that the phone numbers of a nearby bank and the police station are the same except for the last digit. A friend inadvertently stumbled on it when he attempted to call up the bank and reached the police station where the policeman who picked up the phone was insistent that he could come over anytime and they would open an account for him.

The main road that runs through Kadugodi cuts across the railway tacks. The railway level crossing near the Kadugodi station affords opportunities for drivers to take a break from the back- breaking roads since it gets closed every ten to fifteen minutes leading to many interesting traffic problems and affords the drivers a very good opportunity to practice all the swear words possible, irrespective of language. This also provides the kids lazing around with a priceless opportunity to learn “what they don’t teach you in school”. If someone were to stay near the level crossing for a couple of months, he would have enough material to write a book known as “How to insult people, antagonize them and win arguments”

A village shanty also happens on all Thursdays with the villagers bringing an assortment of items to sell. Anyone good at the art of bargaining could get good deals over there.

Another inseparable part of the scenery are the merry band of monkeys always on the look out to grab the bag of any unsuspecting visitor. Well, Kadugodi was once a forestland and the simians were it’s original inhabitants. With the incessant tree felling they have been forced to adapt for survival. Kadugodi has a place of worship dedicated to the head of the Vanara Sena. There is a legend behind it, but I will save it for later.

And there are a couple of bakeries run by people from God’s own country serving out delicacies to the village folk and changing their food habits to ensure hypertension and diabetes. For the altruistic soul there is an orphanage run by Mr. Sharma who has brought light to many a dark life.

On the roadside, serious looking groups of people sit in circles totally focused on gambling away their wife’s earnings. Some of them are so intent in their work that they don’t have time for a bath. Their matted hair stands testimony to this fact. They have spectators too who analyze the game standing around the players.

A couple of banks also have branches on the main road where the ATMs display a more friendly attitude than the staff sitting inside. Some residents say that the EQ (Emotional Quotient) of an ATM is higher than that of the staff. However the IQ (Ignorance Quotient) levels of the senior staff is also said to be really high.

I have to stop for now…………but if we meet somewhere and if you are in the mood to listen, I can tell you more about those amazing residents of Kadugodi…….