On Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 3:51 PM, Zainab Bawa <[email protected]> wrote: > Again, I should clarify that what I am saying does not imply that Muslim > families are very outgoing and accept anyone - I have never tried renting a > place in Shivajinagar or parts of Frazer Town such as Mosque Road. Surely, > Muslim families would come with their own biases. When I was trying to rent > places in Tilaknagar and Byrasandra areas three years ago, the broker kept > showing me places owned by Muslim families. He would say that because I am > Muslim, I would be secure in a Muslim home. In fact, I would have felt more > insecure there because they would perhaps pry on me constantly and be > devastated by my forward going nature.
One datapoint. I lived in Lakkasandra which is close to Dairy circle/Wilson Garden in Bangalore. Our landlord was a Muslim but they were some of the nicest people we met. Me any my roomie were Hindu so were one other family staying in the 2-storied bungalow. The area was predominantly Muslim (we did not have problem with it having grown up in Mumbai with smorgasbord of friends). Most of my Mumbai friends were not bothered about it but many colleagues who were born and brought in Bangalore gave me questioning looks when they came to know where I lived. Some even gave me the "practical" advice of moving away to a "safer" area in case of communal riots. Another Muslim friend of mine had a lot of trouble finding accommodation in Bangalore as well. > It is my hunch for now, but the nature of property ownership in Bangalore is > only compounding these biases in the city - something to add to my Ph.D > thesis research portfolio! I refuse to accept that Bangalore is a > cosmopolitan city. It is very much rooted in the biases of caste that are > prominent in South India and in family traditions. The cosmopolitanism of > this city is highly cosmetic. I completely agree to this. Very cosmetic. -- Vinayak
