On Movement and Malls : Jagadeesh B, ALF (Sravanthi K)

On Movement and Malls : Jagadeesh B, ALF

Director: Sravanthi K

Duration: 00:36:40; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 133.051; Saturation: 0.018; Lightness: 0.487; Volume: 0.200; Cuts per Minute: 0.409; Words per Minute: 142.515

Jagdeesh works on cases for people who are too poor to afford legal assistance. Here, he expresses his views on rehabilitation, displacement, compensation and explains to filmmaker Sravanthi K (S) possible legal options available to shopkeepers working in the Bangalore's famous electronic grey market - National Market and Burma Bazaar, in the face of new upmarket shopping malls and the new 'mall culture' possibly replacing their small time business operations.

Paragraph in a book:
Challenging the status quo
In 1985, French Intelligence agents blew up the R...
Warrior, the ship Greenpeace put on for protests against...
French's nuclear testing again Mururoa Atoll. One activist...
led. Just as authoritarian regimes overtly silence their...
corporations and democratic governments violate fund...
human rights in covert operations. They use psychological...
fare, intimidations, blackmailing, physical threats and...
assassinations against environmental and social ...

Killed journalists (including war reporters)
1990 – 46
1991 – 95
1992 – 66
1993 – 75
1994 - 115

Source: International Federation of Journalists

On Jagadeesh's t-shirt:World Information City. Vishwa Mahita Nagara Bangalore 2005 http://world-information.org
2005
Pan from material in a pamphlet to Jagadeesh
activist
bangalore
challenge
human rights
intimidation
journalist
kill
status quo
world information city
Cubbon Park, Bangalore

S: Jagadeesh, could you introduce yourself for us.
J: (In Kannada) My name is Jagadeesh --. I work in the organisation - Alternate Law Forum. Mostly, I handle the criminal cases. We deal with human issues and human rights give free legal advice to ?--?
Burma Bazaar
advice
alternate
case
criminal
deal
forum
free
human rights
introduce
law
legal
name
organisation
work

S: I just explained to you the problem that was happening in New Burma Bazaar. The first that I want to know about this is, this trend of pulling down old buildings and making way for new commercial complexes shopping malls, etc... this is a trend that has been seen in Bangalore since when? Can you date it and say, probably in the last 3 years or is it something that's been happening in other forms or...?
Bangalore
Burma Bazaar
bangalore
building
commercial
complex
date
mall
new
new burma bazaar
old
problem
pulling
shopping
trend

Forum
Garuda Mall
J: I would say that is from the past 4-5 years, because of the new IT (Information Technology) industries and the new BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing) and call centers coming up. So the kind of people moving into Bangalore are completely different. I think that's the main reason. And the people who are moving to Bangalore want to be exposed to different kinds of stuff... malls like Garuda Mall, Forum. That's the main reason, I think, why they are destroying, why they are removing old structures and bringing up the new mall culture. I think that's the main reason. I would say it's been for the past 3 – 4 years.
bangalore
bpo
call center
culture
destroy
different
forum
garuda mall
it
mall
moving
old
people
remove
structure

S: These shopping malls that are coming up are replacing a kind of business culture. For example, say you go to National Market. Say you go to the same shop twice. He will remember what kind of music, or what kind of CDs you are looking for. There's a certain kind of personalised service that comes in there. What's your comment about this? The fact that this kind of business culture is being replaced by the newer culture of shopping malls and complexes.
National Market, Bangalore
business
cd
complex
culture
frequent
mall
music
national market
personal
remember
replace
same
service
shopkeeper
shopping

J: Actually one needs to see what kind of people visit places like Garuda Mall or Forum or Bangalore Center, or any of these kinds of shopping complexes and what kind of people actually go to National Market. A majority of urban people will go to these kinds of centers because I think they have some kind of stigma about 'originality', about it being original, the company-make, that kind of stuff. They can afford it. They have the money. There are different ways of buying stuff.
Bangalore Central
Forum
Garuda Mall
National Market, Bangalore
afford
bangalore central
brand
buy
city
company
complex
consumer
consumption
forum
garuda mall
kind
majority
mall
money
national market
original
people
purchase
shopping
stigma
urban

Forum
J: I was just thinking about myself. Recently I got a credit card. I can go to any place. I can go to any of these Forums and buy with my credit card, even if I don't have money. But I can't go with a credit card to buy things in National Market. Even the lifestyle has completely changed. Lifestyle is the main reason why these kind of people go there.
National Market, Bangalore
buy
card
change
consume
consumer
consumption
credit
easy
fast
forum
kind
lifestyle
money
national market
paperless
people
purchase
transaction

J: But at the same time, the most important thing is that one needs to understand the economy in the urban space. It's really changing. There are people who get a salary of 50, 000, 1 lakh, 2 lakh, 3 lakh Rupees and there are people who get a salary of 800 Rupees a month. So obviously the people who get 800 Rupees per month can't even visit these kinds of places. Their affordability is quite less. So they go to National Market.
National Market, Bangalore
affordability
change
economy
lakh
national market
power
purchasing
rupee
salary
thousand
urban
visit

J: At one stage I think these shopping malls are destroying the spaces for the marginal income-generating people or less income-generating people. I would say that it will be a difficulty for the people, in the coming days. If there was no National Market, I don't think even I would have got a DVD player, sorry, CD player from National Market, which is not a so-called company one. I got it for a small price. If I wanted to buy the same Discman- CD player, it would have cost 7- 8000 Rupees. But there I got it for 1000 Rupees. If National Market didn't exist, I don't think I could have afforded that.
National Market, Bangalore
afford
brand
cd
cost
destroy
difficult
discman
dvd
exist
generate
income
less
mall
marginal
national market
people
player
poor
price
rupee
shopping
space
thousand

Burma Bazaar
National Market, Bangalore
S: What we found through our interviews is that affordability is a problem not just with marginal income people but also with a wide section of people – people who come from middle class, upper middle class families. They prefer to go to National Market or Burma Bazaar and buy electronic goods or CDs simply because it is available at a much cheaper rate. There argument, like you said is, 'Why would anybody want to spend 1000s of Rupees if the same thing is available to you for say a few 100s?' So, that was one thing that we found in the course of our interviews itself..
100
1000
affordability
burma bazaar
cd
cheap
electronic
goods
income
interview
marginal
middle class
national market
rupees
section
shopkeeper

S: Coming back to the issue of Burma Bazaar. As I just explained to you, the building adjacent to Burma Bazaar has been demolished to make way for a newer shopping complex. And there are allegations that there is political power operating behind this because one of the shopkeepers we interviewed said that apparently it is the CM's son who owns that place now. So, can you talk about this trend of demolition itself, and what kind of adverse effect it has on businessmen who have been existing there for all these years.
Burma Bazaar
allegation
building
burma bazaar
business
cm
complex
demolish
effect
exist
interview
newer
political
power
shopkeeper
shopping
trend

J: I think the issue is, if you want to construct anything new, to the present Bangalore so-called standard, you should have sufficient political background, financial background and rowdyism background. Unless you have these 3, nothing will work. That's what I would understand. Obviously it has to be the CM's son, the CM's relatives, somebody or the other.
S: Who has connections to power.
J: Who has good connections with money and who have good connection with the mafia. Unless you have that, it's quite difficult even to evict the people from the existing place because these are the people who have small dingy shops from many years have been living their lives. Today if you want to replace it and throw them out, it's quite hard. If you have a goonda(thug) background, if say 'Get out!' They will get out. And if you have political background, if you tell the administration to keep quiet, they will.
Related links: Bangalore Buzz
administration
backing
bangalore
cm
connection
construct
corruption
evict
family
financial
goonda
money
new
nexus
political
power
relative
replace
rowdy
shop
small
throw out

How many police stations will entertain a complaint by a normal person against any other person unless he has SOME kind of background, unless there's a phone call from SOME higher officer. One needs to see how many complaints are lodged in the Police Commissioner's office just because the complaint has not been entertained at the local police station. Simple duty of the police is to entertain any complaint which is brought to their knowledge and they will not do it. Simply because of the many other connections which are involved.
commissioner
complaint
connection
entertain
local
lodge
nexus
officer
police

I think it's very important for one to understand the larger context of politics, in India, the so-called democratic politics. All intention is to gain money. How do you gain money? You need to sell some property or build something. Destroy something. Have some contract of something. This is the way you will gain money.
build
contract
democracy
destroy
gain
intention
land
money
motive
politics
profit
property
sell

S: In fact, one of the complaints that these shopkeepers had was that the police were refusing to lodge a complaint against this kind of encroaching on territory. Given the fact that these are all normal business shopkeepers who are small-time. This is their source of livelihood. These are not businesses that are generating 'bundles' of money. And they don't have connections to power, or the politicians, or the rowdy elements. What kind of legal recourse do they have then? Is there any forum which would help them address the issue of where they can fight and legally what are the rights that they have.
address
business
complaint
connection
earn
encroach
fight
forum
generate
income
issue
land
law
legal
livelihood
lodge
means
police
politician
power
property
recourse
refuse
right
rowdy
shopkeeper
small
source
territory

J: Legally speaking, one needs to see what kind of shops they own. It's not possible for me to tell what kind of ...
S: Most of these are electric goods.
J: No, it doesn't matter what you are selling, or what you doing. It is the issue of what kind of space you have. Whether you have rented that space, or whether you own that space... these are the different types of... If you have rented, then what is your rent, for how long you are renting that space.
agreement
business
condition
electronic
goods
kind
law
leave
legal
license
nature
product
rent
sell
shop
space
term
type

J: But if you own the place, I think you have to give compensation of the space and the business that you are doing because you need to establish the same kind of business. To establish the same kind of business it's not so easy and not so simple. So for that you need to give the compensation also.
compensation
kind
nature
owner
property
reestablish
space
type

J: So if this (compensation) has not happened and the police have failed to entertain the complaint, they should go to the higher authorities and even lodge a complaint and then following that, they can go to the court also. They can go to the court and ask for a stay order or for the compensation. They are different remedies in the court. They can go to the court and ask for a stay order of demolition if they want.
authority
compensation
complaint
corrupt
court
demolition
entertain
fail
higher
police
remedy
stay order

J: And another fact of demolition is that if the building is old, and the owner decides to demolish the building and he CAN demolish it. Even demolishing the building if there are tenants and he has to ask to evict the tenants. He is supposed to issue a legal notice to them to leave the place. And whatever contract they have, he has to fulfill the contract. And only after that he can demolish the building.
agreement
building
contract
decide
demolish
evict
fulfill
issue
leave
legal
license
notice
old
owner
tenant

J: Basically, what these people will do is they will show that it is an old building and it will not stand. It doesn't have the capacity to stay there, to run any business over there. So these are the main reasons that they give for why they want to demolish
building
capacity
danger
demolish
old
reason
stand
unsafe

J: If you look at the kind of buildings that they are destroying and the new malls that are coming up, I think all the places were old buildings. It's very easy for them to say that the old buildings won't sustain. It's not safe for human stay so they need to be evicted.
building
destroy
evict
human
kind
mall
new
old
place
sustain
type
unsafe

J: But in that sense, I think if their rights have been violated. If they have not done the right procedure and proceedings, they can go to court and ask for the...
S: They can directly approach the court?
J: Yeah. They can approach the court.
S: And is this only for people who own the spaces there or is it also for people who have rented office spaces.
J: Even for people who have rented the spaces. Because if I'm a tenant in your house, there's a specific method to evict me from that space.
approach
correct
court
direct
evict
method
own
procedure
proceeding
proper
rent
right
space
specific
tenant
violate

J: Either the agreement has to be closed. It depends on what kind of agreement you have with the tenant. In the agreement itself there will be things written... reasons why you can get evicted from the place. And only on that basis you can go with that. There's a procedure to follow. If they fail to follow the procedure, you can go to the court and ask for the stay order, not to dispossess you from the space.
agreement
basis
close
court
dispossess
evict
follow
kind
leave
license
nature
place
procedure
space
stay order
tenant
type
written

S: And also you were talking about how the people who own the complexes show that these are old complexes and then get them demolished. The fact is, this particular complex – New Burma Bazaar, which they fear is going to get demolished VERY soon is just 20 years old and we went through it. We shot within it and it looks perfectly fine.
Burma Bazaar
complex
demolish
fear
new burma bazaar
old
own
years

S: And so...
J: See, YOU and I can say it looks perfectly fine, but even to test the building there's a proper procedure. So engineers have to test the building and the foundation. If it just 20 years, I don't think they have to demolish the building, unless there's a proper report from the engineer section saying there's something wrong with the foundation. They need to show some reason why they are demolishing that. Unnecessarily you can't just build a house today and tomorrow you can't demolish. There should be some reason. So, Without reason if you going to demolish, you can go for...
build
building
demolish
engineer
foundation
procedure
proper
reason
report
test
wrong

S: So, what you are saying is that there's a particular procedure which needs to be followed before the owner can demolish the building. And if it's not, these shopkeepers can go to the...
building
demolish
follow
owner
procedure
proper
shopkeeper

J: Anybody. The occupants CAN go the court. And if I've rented this space. And I've rented for so-and-so period. I'm paying you proper rent. I'm not violating any of the norms. And tomorrow if you come and ask me to get out of this place, definitely I can't. Because there's a reason why I have rented this place and there's something which I'm running from this place, which is NOT illegal. I'm doing my business. If you are chasing me out of this place, to establish my OWN business, I need space, I need time and I need my business. So who will give the LOSS for this business. So you will have to compensate. You can't dispossess me like that. So I can go the court and ask for an injunction NOT to dispossess me from this place.
business
compensate
court
dispossess
get out
illegal
injunction
loss
norm
occupant
period
place
reestablish
rent
space
time
violate

S: You mentioned legality, legal business. The fact is most of these shopkeepers ARE selling pirated goods. Would that curtail the amount of freedom they have?
J: Most of the shopkeepers, sell pirated DVDs, CDs. Is there anything on record to show that they are selling pirated DVDs?
S: No. As far as I know.
J: Yeah. So, if there is no record to show that you are selling pirated DVDs, then it's OK.
S: So that's the loophole that they can use.
business
cd
copyright
curtain
dvd
freedom
goods
legal
loophole
piracy
record
sale
sell
shopkeeper

J: If I'm selling pirated DVDs and you can't accuse me of selling pirated DVDs. There should be some material, some grounds, some proof. Either the police might have raided my shop. They've arrested me. I've got a conviction. I have been convicted. I am a convicted person. Only then I can say that the things in my shop...(are pirated). So, then you can dispossess me. That's a criminal activity. So what is the document you have to prove that I'm doing illegal business. The present existing law says that pirated versions of DVDs and CDs are illegal to sell. It is ILLEGAL. But, yeah.
S: There's no proof then.
J: There should be some proof. You can't accuse someone and throw them out. There should be some proof that you ARE doing illegal activity. You have to SHOW that
accuse
activity
arrest
business
cd
convict
copyright
criminal
dispossess
document
dvd
exist
goods
grounds
illegal
law
material
piracy
police
proof
prove
raid
throw out

Burma Bazaar
S: Also, one more point that we touched on, but tangentially is... the fact that it is not just about giving these shopkeepers compensation for the space. It is also about, the kind of access they have to customers. There's a certain set of customers, like we mentioned before, who go to National Market and Burma Bazaar, to buy a certain kind of goods. And just providing these people compensation will not recreate the same kind of an environment for them, which will be a positive contributor to their business.
access
burma bazaar
business
compensation
contribute
customers
environment
goods
kind
national market
people
positive
recreate
shopkeeper
space
type

Bangalore International Airport
S: Is there anything that can be done about this? Because when we spoke to the shopkeepers...
J: See, it's a larger question. It is a limitation to the resettlement or rehabilitation that we are talking about. It's a limitation. Legally, if you look at any other developmental activity which happens in India, I would say typically in India, the people who are displaced, for example take the airport, Bangalore International Airport which is going to be constructed, or Upper Krishna Project, Almatty Dam, whatever spaces. Even, the IT corridor, which they are constructing in Bangalore. What are they giving? The LAW says that you should be compensated. What are you compensating? You are supposed to give cash, and you are giving cash. But that's not REHABILITATION according to me.
activity
airport
almatty dam
bangalore international airport
cash
compensate
construct
development
displace
india
it corridor
law
legal
limitation
money
rehabilitation
resettlement
upper krishna project

J: What is that rehabilitation? One needs to look deeper into the way of rehabilitation. Because I think, JUST by giving cash, in terms of compensation, is definitely not sufficient. Because it's true that if you destroy the space. It's not one Burma Bazaar. I think it's more the space of Burma Bazaar. It's not the physical existence of Burma Bazaar. It's more the space.
S: It's the kind of access it gives to the shopkeepers and customers.
J: So, THAT's the important aspect
Burma Bazaar
access
burma bazaar
cash
customer
deeper
destroy
entity
exist
monetary
money
physical
rehabilitation
shopkeeper
space

J: the interesting point is to see what kind of people walk in here. I can walk in barefoot. I can walk in with Hawaii sandals. But is it possible for me to walk in barefoot with any sandals to any of these super shopping complexes. You can see the difference in treating people. I can walk in. Nobody will stop me. But, the treatment will be completely different.
casual
complex
discriminate
people
profile
shopping
status
treatment

J: But in National Market, I don't think that...
L: It's a problem at all.
J: I'm not saying that it' does not exist at all in National Market. If you go cleanly dressed, you will get certain respect. But when it comes to all these shops, I don't think that's the case. Whatever you are, you are buying my product. I'm happy. So that's it.
S: So elitism is not really an issue in National Market..
National Market, Bangalore
buy
customer
dress
elite
exist
national market
problem
product
purchase
respect
shop

J: What is the percentage of... or how many people can be elitist in this space? One needs to understand in those terms. So, the issue of compensation, or creating another mall... in a way to the SHOPKEEPERS and creating another mall in an issue of space is completely contradictory. Neither can you give compensation to these people and ask for the rehabilitation. And at the same time, on the other side, creating your OWN big shopping mall and allowing people to come in... both are contradictory.
Demolishing a building is an issue of space. But then to construct a fancy mall with high-end vendors is contradictory because the smaller shopkeepers ideally should be compensated not just monetarily, but should be 'rehabilitated' in the NEW space.
build
compensate
contradict
create
issue
mall
own
rehabilitation
shopkeeper
shopping
space

J: Probably the best example will be why slums exist in urban spaces. It is very simple. Throw out one slum from this place to another place. But you need to understand the economy surrounding that slum. The people living in the slum will either be doing domestic work in nearby houses or doing road cleaning, or doing some kind of work.
S: Situated around that place.
J: Yeah. Situated around that. So, if you displace, if you rehabilitate this slum, taking it some 20 kilometers away and putting up a structure and all... people can't live there. Maximum what they can do is rent out that space to somebody else and come back to the same place. So, one needs to understand THIS logic properly.
cleaning
displace
domestic
economy
environment
place
rehabilitate
rent
slum
space
structure
surrounding
understand
urban
work

J: So, in that sense, you might build one more mall, but, what will happen? Ultimately, I think, you'll see that people will still, sell pirated versions of DVDS, books, clothes, outside the shopping mall.
book
build
clothes
dvd
mall
outside
piracy
shopping

S: Also, talking about the displacement itself. Even within the people getting displaced itself, there is a hierarchy. For example, there are those that own shops within this complex. Then there are those who have rented these shops. Then there's a question of hawkers, who are not WITHIN the complex, but were AROUND the complex. And if the complex were to go, even THEY would be affected. So, do they also have legal provisions or is it is just a...
around
complex
displace
grey market
hawker
hierarchy
informal economy
legal
near
own
provision
rent
shop
surround

J: It's not. Even for the rented, if the government is destroying something, many times what happens is that, how the economy works is that the owner of the shopkeeper, will not disclose that he has rented this space to... in a document he will not show. Because if he shows in a document that he has rented this place, then he will have to pay tax. He has to show his income, then he has to show his tax to that income, all these things. To escape all these things, he also will not show.
declare
destroy
disclose
economy
escape
evasion
government
income
own
pay
rent
shopkeeper
show
tax

It's not legally quoted. What will happen is that ultimately, the people who rented will be THROWN out, easily thrown, not giving ANY compensation. The person who ACTUALLY owns, in paper (garbled) terms. He will get compensation. Only he will get compensation.
compensate
legal
own
rent
throw out

J: A very interesting example is when Almatty Dam got filled in 2002, 2003 again. Bagalkot got submerged. Part of Bagalkot got submerged. What is interesting is that the people who were living in rented space got nothing. They were not even counted as living in that space. You would never know, the government doesn't know who you are. You are not living there. You don't have any house. Just thrown out. The owner of the house will give you back your money, whatever deposit you paid and ask you to vacate the place. If you won't vacate it's fine. You live there. Because anyway it is going to get submerged. That is what happens. So, the people actually with rented... you are talking about the hawkers, but I'm talking about the rented. The people who had actually rented itself, even THEY will not get anything. There's no question of hawkers. Hawkers, according to the government concept, do NOT exist.
2002
2003
Almatti Dam
Bagalkot
almatty dam
bagalkot
compensate
deposit
exist
flood
government
hawker
invisible
money
place
rent
space
submerge
vacate

S: Is it illegal activity according to the existing law?
J: If it's restricted in that area, so that they can't do any selling. If it is restricted. Assume that they are not doing anything there. If you claim that you are doing it there, that itself is a crime. So, what do you get? Technically speaking, that is what my problem with the issue of rehabilitation is. When people say it is 'rehabilitation', I think one needs to understand THESE terms of the rehabilitation. What is National Market's dependency and what is the usage of National Market. Who has access National Market. Who else owns the economy. What are the other surrounding activities around National Market. National Market is not just one space which exists.
S: In isolation...
J: I think the surrounding activities of National Market ALSO need to be seen. That I've not seen anywhere in India.
S: You are talking about the question of rehabilitation. Rehabilitation doesn't take ALL this into account is what you are saying.
account
activity
around
claim
crime
current
declare
dependency
economy
exist
illegal
india
isolation
law
national market
own
rehabilitate
relate
space
surround
usage

J: Are you aware of this kind of trend of demolishing and building of other complexes (phone starts to ring) happening in other places in Bangalore.
Bangalore
bangalore
building
complex
demolish
trend

J: (On phone speaking in Kannada.) Hello? Yes Sir. Yes. Yes. In which office? Yes. Should I see whether I should come. Who? Who? No one else is there? Is anyone coming this side in the evening. Give work. I know I will come.
office
phone
work

S: I was asking you if you are aware of this kind of trend happening in other places in Bangalore. Pulling down old buildings and making way for newer commercial complexes. If you could just mention a few areas in Bangalore.
bangalore
building
commercial
complex
demolish
new
old
place
trend

J: Garuda Mall. Bangalore Center. Forum, to an extent.
S: Are you aware of WHAT existed there before Forum?
J: I'm not sure what existed before. In Garuda Mall I've seen some old buildings that existed. (phone rings.) But I'm not sure exactly what was there in that place.
bangalore central
before
building
exist
forum
garuda mall
old
original
place
space

J: (On phone) Taher. Yeah. Sorry? Hello? No. I'm at Cubbon Park. Cubbon Park, Cubbon Park. No I think I will be going to CFD (Center for Film and Drama). I'll just call you once I come there. Can you pick up my letter?
center
cubbon park
drama
film

J: Whatever was existing in Garuda Mall, I'm not very sure. I had seen...
S: You said you had seen some old buildings.
J: Some old buildings, yeah.
S: Are you aware of this kind of trend happening near Shivajinagar, around the place.
J: Shivajinagar?... No, actually. I'm not sure. I travel very little now, because of my court work. Probably my route will be from Vasant Nagar to Corporation.
S: So you are not aware of...?
J: No, I'm not aware of...
Shivajinagar
Vasant Nagar
aware
building
corporation
court
garuda mall
old
place
route
shivajinagar
travel

S: Also, organisations like ALF – Alternate Law Forum, would these organisations be a good platform for these kinds of people, for the shopkeepers to approach legal help?
advice
alf
approach
help
legal
organisation
platform
recourse
shopkeeper

J: Yeah. Anybody can approach ALF (Alternate Law Forum) for legal help. We can help them. It's not a problem. We can help them in the court. We can advise them what best can be done. So, anybody can come and approach ALF.
advise
alf
anybody
approach
court
help
legal
represent

Booth posters:

Are we really living in an information society when most information has been privatized? Good Question.

Why is copying called stealing even though the original does not disappear? Good question.
An Airtel Broadband and Telephone Services booth. Three firangis (foreigners), including Edward Crompton on the extreme left, are putting up Wicity banners.
A small shamiana tent set up where many computers are lined up and people are working on a few of them.
Booths have winning entries of poster competition by Robert Luxembourg stuck on them.
banner
booth
copy
copyleft
copyright
disappear
edward crompton
information
original
privatized
robert luxembourg
society
steal
world information city

J: On that road, there is one more passage which enters Old Burma Bazaar.
S: Yeah. From the main road. That is the passage which has been blocked now.
J: No. That's the small passage you are talking about. The small gate.
S: Yeah yeah.
J: I'm talking about one more in the Tribhuvan (Theatre) road. One more passage which enters.
S: There is an entrance now for Burma Bazaar. I'm not saying there is no entrance. But the passage which has been blocked because the land has been acquired...
J: I've seen the passage blocked for many years actually. I was trying to walk in that passage about 4-5 years back but it was blocked.
S: Because what we told is there's a...
J: It used to actually go into some other building and then enter the main road. Now there's a big mall which has come up.
: You are talking about the one from the circle right?
J: From the circle yeah. That used to come to the old building and then enter. Then you can go to Sapna Book Stall.
S: No. I think you are talking about National Market because.
J: No. National Market is this (right) side. I'm not talking about National Market. I'm talking about Burma Bazaar itself.
Burma Bazaar
National Market, Bangalore
Sapna Book Stall
Tribhuvan Theatre
acquire
acquisition
before
block
building
circle
enter
entrance
land
mall
national market
old
old burma bazaar
passage
road
sapna book stall
tribhuvan

S: Because what the shopkeepers told us is that there was this passage.
J: I know. I think they are talking about the same passage, same passage which you are talking about. Actually there's a new mall which has come up in that Kempe Gowda circle.
S: It hasn't come up as yet.
J: The Burma shopping mall has come up. It was actually the same kind of stuff, which they destroyed and built a shopping complex kind of building. It's a building now. In the same place, there's a small gate which actually comes into the old Burma Bazaar , then you can go to Sapna Book Stall from the same place. Then you can come out and enter into New Burma Bazaar.
Burma Bazaar
Kempe Gowda circle
Sapna Book Stall
building
complex
destroy
enter
kempe gowda circle
mall
new
old burma bazaar
passage
sapna book stall
shopkeeper
shopping

S: What these people were saying is that this passage that existed has been blocked now. Because this land has been acquired now – the complex next to theirs. And it is affecting business a lot because now you don't even know that there's this complex unless you come to Sapna Book House. From the main road, for example, it is not visible, anymore. We saw people who were coming till this demolition site and searching for the complex, but couldn't find it. So, they were talking about how it was really affecting their business. Is there any legal provision for this kind of a process of enclosing and restricting customer access to businesses.
access
acquisition
affect
before
block
business
complex
customer
demolish
enclose
exist
land
law
legal
passage
provision
restrict
site
visible

J: I'm not very sure. In the principle of natural justice, if there is a way which exists for years and one cannot stop that unless there's some other way. So if there's no other way to enter National Market then, if that is the only way, then I think that they can ask for a way to re-open that same road.
National Market, Bangalore
enter
justice
national market
principle
road
route
stop
way

S: the thing is that that's not the only way.
J: Then it is a problem.
S: But then it is the most prominent way.
D: No. But why is it stopped?
S: It is stopped because there's this complex which is being constructed now, near Burma Bazaar, which used to be an old building. But it's being pulled down now to make way for a commercial complex. And the passage went THROUGH Burma Bazaar, AND the complex to reach the main road. Whereas now, one, is because construction is happening the entire site is blocked out. Secondly, when the complex comes up also, they are not going to give Burma Bazaar, either the shopkeepers or the customers, free thoroughfare through their compound. So, there's a closing in that is happening.
Burma Bazaar
block
building
burma bazaar
commercial
complex
construct
customer
free
old
only
passage
progress
prominent
route
shopkeeper
site
thoroughfare
way

D: What kind of complex is it that's coming up, do you know?
S: It's a shopping mall just like any...
D: Just like these big ones?
S: Yeah, yeah.
D: I don't think there's a market for big ones in that area.
S: No. Probably not as big as Bangalore Central or Garuda Mall but definitely something which is more upmarket
J: They are building small building, different kind of (garbled) building. There is actually one more which has come up in the Kempe Gowda Circle itself. It looks pretty posh.
D: The one that has all these stalls and stuff?
J: it is just visible from the Kempe Gowda Circle. From Kempe Gowda Circle, you can see that it is a new building which is UP there. I think they used to sell sugarcane and all over there. But now there is a big building.
Bangalore Central
Garuda Mall
Kempe Gowda Circle
area
bangalore central
big
building
complex
garuda mall
informal economy
juice center
kempe gowda circle
mall
market
new
shopping
sugarcane
upmarket

S: It's not as upmarket as say, Bangalore Central. But it is definitely up market given the kind of space that Majestic is. Yeah. So, that would be a problem then. In spite of the fact that it is affecting their businesses.
J: They need to show how much it is affecting their businesses. If it is seriously affecting their business and if there is a way that has been naturally used by people which has been there for long, then they can go for the legal remedy.
Bangalore Central
Majestic
affect
bangalore central
business
legal
majestic
remedy
serious
space
upmarket

S: But they need to prove that their business is being adversely affected.
J: Adversely affected and since how long the space has been used. Was it the natural way that has been used for many...
D: If it is a street then..
J: They can't block it.
D: Yeah.
S: If it is a road.
J: If it is a road. Yeah. If it is not a road and it is a very private space which...
D: If it is the second building's space that should be left, then they cannot block it.
adverse
block
business
natural
private
prove
road
space
street
use

D: (garbled) might be for that Burma Bazaar, the entrance is actually from this side and...
J: It was a very small road. I have seen that. IF that is the same thing you are talking about, it's a very small passage. It was a small passage, which was very convenient, especially for me. I used to walk from this hand (right) to that hand (left) and walk out. Now, if you go in, you have to come back from the same road. See, if you are in Majestic, to reach that place, you have to come all the way back to Tribhuvan and from Tribhuvan you have to go in.
Burma Bazaar
Majestic
Tribhuvan Theatre
burma bazaar
convenient
entrance
majestic
passage
road
small
tribhuvan theatre

Majestic
Sapna Book Stall
You have to go back on the same road. But previously, you could come back on the road from Majestic because your center point is Majestic. And if your center point is Majestic, if you are walking from Mysore Bank to Majestic, you can go from this end and exit from that end, and go to Majestic. So, now to go from Mysore Bank, you won't feel like going in because you have to come back, instead of being able to walk out like before. You have to go to Sapna Book Stall. I used to walk on the same road.
center
end
exit
majestic
mysore bank
road
sapna book stall

Pad.ma requires JavaScript.