Once Upon A Frame

“Majestic-ge bartira?” It is a question almost every Bengaluru auto driver knows, and one that comes with its own math. At Majestic, trains, BMTC buses and the Metro converge, journeys begin in every direction, and an auto driver who nods without hesitation probably already knows he will find a passenger for the return trip.At the heart of this great transport knot is a railway station that has been part of Bengaluru’s travel story for nearly six decades. In 1968, as the city’s railway traffic outgrew the old arrangements, Bangalore City station opened to accommodate the demands of a city that was beginning to move faster.Over the years, it became simply Bangalore City to some, Majestic to most, and a place inseparable from the rituals of leaving and arriving: steel trunks, packed suitcases, hurried goodbyes on the platform and that familiar instruction, “Call me when you reach.”In 2016, it was renamed Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Bengaluru railway station, after Sangolli Rayanna, the 19th-century freedom fighter from the state. Today, its 10 platforms handle more than 180 passenger and express trains a day. More than 4,500 people also come here daily without intending to travel at all, but to see someone off or welcome someone home.With its red-and-white facade, tall windows and signboards in Kannada, Hindi and English, the station has grown into a landmark in its own right. But perhaps its real significance lies in the stories its walls have heard over the years and the thousands of departures, arrivals and small reunions that they have stood silent witness to.Once Upon A Frame is a monthly column that revisits Bengaluru through then-and-now photographs, pairing archival images with frames from the same spots today. From vanished facades to surviving street corners, readers are invited to send in old photographs, memories, and suggestions for places they would like us to revisit across the city. Write to metrolife@deccanherald.co.in

Source: Deccan Herald