Built by Hand

When you hear the phrase “built by hand,” the image of fine craftsmanship comes to mind. We have come to understand, however, that built by hand is just the norm for creating just about anything here. Whether its massive 14th century palaces and temples in Hampi or roads and flyovers (overpasses) in modern Bangalore, people with hand tools are the main machines at work.

We live on Airport Road, which is a major east – west artery in the city. Traffic on this roadway is a constant flow of trucks, cars, buses, autorickshaws and two wheelers (motor bikes). Stirred by complaints registered primarily by the Information Technology (IT) giants that have been driving Bangalore’s meteoric growth, infrastructure projects in Bangalore have been moved to the fast lane.

About two weeks ago a crew was given the task to widen Airport Road. Equipped with nothing more than hand tools, they conducted themselves with zeal in the demolition of anything that stood in the way of the soon-to-be expanded road surface. The concrete curbing was broken with hand-held sledge hammers. Earth and debris was moved with short handled shovels to small metal pans or large leather bags. They were then hoisted by hand to a small flatbed trailer pulled by a farm tractor. The 20 ft. long covered bus stand lasted only 1 ½ days under this onslaught. A small sign indicating the bus stop had been relocated to Kodiholli goes unnoticed as people continue to gather in the dirt and mud where the Airport Road bus stand once stood.

This first burst of infrastructure energy has now given way to a pause, we suspect, on what to do with all the underground infrastructure of water pipes, sewage conduits, telephone cables and fiber optics bundles now exposed. It is a bit ironic that the fiber optic arteries on which the IT industry depends are now helplessly exposed in the dirt and mud for all to walk over or stand upon as they wait for the bus to Kodahalli. Go configure.