Entry to Bangalore & JNCASR

17 April 17, 2010

.Student Guest Hostel @ JNCASR – Bangalore, India

.I arrived by car last night at 4 AM and since then I’ve slept about 3 hours. It’s 9 AM now and already over 80 F outside. From what I can tell the JNCASR campus is outside of the main city center of Bangalore. It’s surrounded by a brink and clay wall and has casual guards at its gates. The first and most striking feature of this place is its integration with nature. The dorm building are open to the outside, there’s skylights, palm-like trees and spreads of red clay like dirt though out the complex. Many tresses and stairs lead to different (and the same) parts of the building. I found clay badmitten(?) courts, and a pingpong table but I’ve also found discarded industrial cables, bicycles and masonry supplies. It’s clear that this place is developing still.

.Breakfast was delicious. Really tasty, just want I was hoping for. Thick black Turkish style coffee (with milk and sugar) went well with crepe-like dough hugging some curry potato onion dish. Two dipping sauces, one strong with coriander the other a clear tomato based broth accompanied. I read “The Hindu” newspaper – there were minor terrorist explosions yesterday in Bangalore connected with a big cricket match (Bangalore vs. Mumbai), no deaths, some minor injuries and the match went on. Still, I’m a little afraid to leave the JNCASR campus. This morning I met another PHd student (there seem to be many living here), he even suggested I don’t go out by myself. We’ll see how restless I get today...:)

Tomorrow the conference starts. I’m sure I’ll get some more information about this place then. Hopefully I can go out to the city to get some nice photos... photos for you dear reader!

.Cheers!

.JR

Pictures: (Top to Bottom) – My room, Campus Courts, Breakfast, Entrance sign (from behind gate), Industrial Cable.