Bengaluru: ‘Yatha Raja Tatha Praja’ — goes an ancient Sanskrit saying, while describing the perils of a dictatorship and the importance of the rule of dharma.
But what if the reverse were also true — especially in times when democracy is the political order of the day.
A ride down Doddaballapura Road in North Bengaluru recently made this correspondent wonder whether criticisms of governments, by the people, are always valid, and whether citizens also have some duties towards their fellows, if democratic life is to remain meaningful.
Doddaballapura Road, now a state highway, has for quite some time now, seen heavy traffic on account of intense commercial and residential development in this zone.
Not too long ago, the highway was lit up by the administration, aesthetically, using solar technology.
However, some highway lights, positioned on the median, appear vandalized at intermittent locations (several pictures of lights placed on the orange sticks have been taken with geo-mapping for veracity), vindicating the belief that good infrastructure is indeed a public right, and respecting it is also public duty.
About Yelahanka
Yelahanka, a well-known suburb in Bengaluru and the former capital of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda, the founder of the city, is in a league of its own.
With a topography peppered by temples dating back to the Mahabharata era, to extremely well planned layouts by the Karnataka Housing Board during the 1980s, this constituency is known for its excellent quality of life thanks to a largely middle and upper middle class population and a healthy mix of urban and rural energies.
In recent years, this part of town has seen rapid development after the international airport was set up in Devanahalli.
