Being a cheap and lazy guy who doesn’t want to spend all his time at home online, I have consciously avoided getting another internet connection at home, after a previous TATA Indicom wireless modem connection outlasted its usefulness and was therefore unceremoniously discarded.
This meant that I did not check email / update my website / surf arbitly for seven whole days, and this has led to much rejoicing because it has shown me that I don’t depend on the net as much as I had previously assumed.
Nevertheless, despite the past seven days of my life having as much content as an entire season of Seinfeld, there were some random things I did manage to do, and one of them was to check out the new Swagath Garuda Mall in Jayanagar, after having written about it a few days ago.
Right at the outset, let me tell you that this building is an excuse for a mall. In fact, I would go on further to say that even a big bazaar in its place would’ve served a far better purpose, despite being among my least favourite establishments. At least the latter stacks up on half liter packets of Nestle Goodlife milk and Oreo cookies, combined with attractive discount offers on the purchase of Real Activ juice containers.
There is no common area in the mall like you have for most malls that you might’ve seen. There are only two entrances – one to climb the stairs to get to the third and fourth floors to reach the food court and INOX, and the other entrance to the Westside store, which occupies the entire ground floor.
The Landmark bookstore has no direct entrance and one has to get in through the Westside store to access it, and the entire roundabout way of accessing the few stores in that ‘mall’ would lead anyone to believe that they skipped the entire design phase during the making of this mall.
The ‘multiplex’, on a Monday afternoon, was screening three movies, one Telugu, one Kannada the other one being ‘Hello’. I’d rather have watch the same episode of ‘Hum Paanch’ six times in a row, than sit through any one of those three movies being screened at that time.
At 1600 on Monday, I think I was the only person not employed at that mall who was present there, and although I was totally thrilled about the absolute lack of people, it was quite evident that the lack of people was due to the lack of anything worthwhile to do at that place.
I wish to apologize to anyone who wants to take this apology for having gone out on a limb to engage in premature celebrations with regard to how this mall and the multiplex and bookstore within would change the face of south Bangalore as we knew it. To my immense relief, PVR isn’t that far away from this mall in any case. Maybe south Bangalore doesn’t really need a mall because we aren’t mall rats per se.
I haven’t been there and I already like the sound of it. something tells me this one is going to be nice and not happening. if you know what i mean. the kind of place you can saunter into with chappals and tracks. have some juice, catch the odd movie. its so jayanagar! true, we aren’t the mall types. we’re the bda complex types
@Vyshnavi,
True, we are the BDA complex types, but even BDA complexes allow you to loaf around. You can’t exactly loaf around INSIDE a WestSide or a LandMarks store. It has been done in a no-frills manner, but you can’t waste time there to your heart’s content.
Thankfully, the complex and the arbit space in its vicinity remedies this urge whenever it surfaces.
Well said. Especially that South Bangaloreans are not just mall-rats, they are positive mall-gourmets. The delicious PVR is in South Bangalore and even if it wasn’t SBites are known to travel more than 25KM if it means good food or good time.
There’s another dud coming up next to Woody’s, this time by Mantri and will host a PVR I hear. The road there can barely take the traffic today, I shudder to imagine what happens if the mall becomes popular. Especially since the concept of a driveway and proper parking is so alien to this city’s new planners!
@Vidooshak,
To escape traffic woes, I’d recommend cycling, if you’d be game for it.
So far as movie halls are concerned, I am honestly glad that the Swagath Garuda is such a low-profile type place, and is not conducive to too much of loafing around. It makes the place more utilitarian and consequently, is worthwhile for visits strictly on a need basis.