A Morning in Bengaluru

Ritesh takes us from a quiet morning walk through his neighbourhood and into the working day in western Bengaluru.

1. Before the city gets going

Early morning in western Bengaluru. Green lawns, clipped hedges and a little breathing room before the traffic takes over.

2. The neighbourhood wakes up

Still quiet, but not for long. Parked scooters, an auto-rickshaw and a street already beginning to fill with the business of the day.

3. Morning business

Flowers are already on sale, the scooters are lined up, and the shade has been claimed. Bengaluru is beginning to get on with the day.

4. Where Saturday slows down

I like to spend my Saturday mornings here, at my neighbourhood library in western Bengaluru. It is one of the places where I can slow down for a while before the week starts moving again.

4. On my way

Much of my journey to work is under trees like these. Bengaluru can be noisy and crowded, but every so often the city gives you a little shade.

5. The road gets busier

This is still my neighbourhood, and the trees make quite an effective roof. By now the auto-rickshaws and scooters have joined me, so the quiet part of the morning is officially over.

6. Everybody has somewhere to be.

A few streets further on, Bengaluru is properly awake. Cars, scooters, auto-rickshaws and pedestrians all seem to understand how this works. I mostly follow their example.

6. The Metro takes over.

By this point in my journey, the city has changed. The trees and smaller streets give way to concrete, and the Metro starts to dominate the view above me.

7. Almost at the station

The station is just ahead. There are scooters everywhere, people walking in from different directions, and the working day is gathering pace.

8. Around the station

Even beside the Metro, Bengaluru never completely loses its trees. Cars, motorcycles and pedestrians squeeze through the same space, while the greenery carries on above us

9. Everyone joins in

Auto-rickshaws, scooters, cars and people on foot all converge around the station. Somehow, everybody keeps moving.

10. Underneath it all

Once I reach the station, I walk beneath the elevated tracks. The train runs above us; the road, pedestrians and traffic continue underneath.

11. Joining the commuters

Inside, I become part of the morning crowd. By now the journey is less about streets and trees and more about getting onto the train.

12. One more queue

And before I reach the platform, there is one more small part of the commute: waiting for the lift to the concourse. Some things are universal.