As I reside
in Pune, I had long time “urge” to travel in Bangalore metro once! And my urge
became reality when I recently had a chance to visit Bangalore for a day quick
visit! And I able to ride the metro and fulfill my long pending wish. And when
I complete it, this is what I felt:
Kishore
Biyani of Future group or Big Bazaar has written a book called “It Happened in
India”. And in that book he states “The first bad thing that retailers set is
bad appearance and bad entry in a bid to make it Grand. If you make a shop with
always closed glass door, keep a security guard with dark uniform, complete
with tie and rich metal filled cap and a black stick, you perfectly hit a
disaster. People will think your shop in “Beyond their level” and will just
“move on”. You will be having rich but deserted shop! And we can see host of
such shops in all typical malls. But a shop with simple but more welcoming
entrance make people feel connected, and eventually customer will walk in with
pride and without ego hurt. Big Bazaar ensures that pride in common people”.
And coming
to Metro station, we can say metro station looks more like Hi Fi mall than a
railway station. It has all the ingredients at perfect combinations to keep the
mass away. First he as to cross the great MG Road, then comes the glass door
with metal detectors and security guards donning the look of black cat
commandos, then comes the hi fi sign boards, then the ticketing staff who
welcomed me in English! Do you think the ordinary daily laborer/ ground staff
who travels mainly in public transport comes to ride metro?
It’s not
without proof. Else BMTC buses plying on old madras road would have been empty
and all passengers would have been in Metro. But why the situation is reverse?
Do people really love the snail speed of BMTC over quick reaching in Metro?
Now you may
ask don’t we need sophistication, cleanliness standard? My answer is just visit
Kempegowda Central Bus terminus, or Shantinagar, Mysore road bus stand. They
are no less in terms of hygienic, cleanliness. But they are not end up becoming
glitter mansions; they have become people’s mansions.
If the
Metro rail don’t change its Glitter mansion image to peoples mansion, soon
there is a danger of Metro being used for Jolly ride and uploading photo in
facebook, just like what I did!
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