Day One: Lodgings and Food

The first thing to do is to call back home and tell them I am hale and hearty in Bangalore. I do so. Next, I walk out of the airport. There is a line of EasyCabs and I take one. I need to go to the Indian Institute of Science. Which Indian Institute of Science? There are many in Bangalore! Thankfully, I had read the ICCBN guidelines for reaching the venue. See, I don’t know much about Bangalore. The place is called Indian Institute of Science and is also known as Tata Institute. Its near Yeshwanthpur. Oh That One! The taxi speeds away.

The journey was kinda comfortable. The driver is Prasanna, who is a friendly guy. He is a local, lives with his family, earns a salary of 8K as an EasyCabs driver, has no girlfriend and loves to hang out with friends.

By the way, Hills are called Betta in Kannada compared to Malaya in Tamil. You say Solpe Solpe Kannada Paratha for ‘I understand a little Kannada’ as opposed to Kunjum Kunjum Tamil Terio for the same about Tamil. The scripts are very different and yet the languages are claimed to be very similar having originated from the Dravidian family. For one: the word to show respect or to refer to as an elder brother in both languages is Anna.

Anyhow, I reach Jawahar Guest House after having a little trouble in finding the place. It is, incidentally, a 36.43 KMs from the new Bangalore International Airport. It is 1805 hrs by now. IISc campus is beautiful. Lots of woods and a very casual environment. There’s a youthful air about the place.

I reach the guest house, check-in, keep my stuff, take a brief rest, get comfy. Now is the time to get working. I had already called the local event coordinator and asked him if I could visit the camp venue and ensure everything is fine and working. He bluntly refused (he is one of the most unfriendly and hostile guys I have ever met – but then all administration guys are such; perhaps its a needed attribute). And yes, he was also ‘Sorry for that’. Yeah. Alright. Okay!

So, no scope for getting any work done. 1830 Hrs. How do I pass time? All alone? I head over to the IISc Gymkhana football ground; student hostellers are playing a game of football. It is fun watching them play. A few of them were really talented players. But it kinda grew over me and I started to get bored. It was then that I noticed a student sitting nearby, watching the game. I walk over to him. He is Naveen, pursuing a Masters in Electrical Design (that’s what i remember, but he took a long and complex name). He is in his last week at college, busy working on his thesis on MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output). He is not much into FOSS, has heard of Bar Camps. He tells me a few places I can hang out at: Sankey Tank (a lake), ISCON Temple (10 minutes walk down Yeshwanthpur).

After it gets a little dark, we leave. I go for a walk to Yeshwanthpur market to buy something to read and something to write at. I buy Digit July Edition and a notepad plus pen. I come back to the guest house; while my time away by talking to family and friends, scribbling nothingness, wasting time…

Lonely, I’m Mr Lonely,
I have nobody, For my own
I’m so lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely
I have nobody,For my own
I’m so lonely,

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