Bangalore University

Up here at 57 Lakshmipura Cross, things are a bit different from the city center. Bangalore University has this branch on Hesarghatta Road in Vidyaranyapura, and it’s a long trek for most of us. The road is often dusty because of all the construction going on nearby. The building itself is quite plain, with wide corridors and classrooms that echo when they’re empty. You see students standing in groups near the gate, complaining about exams or talking about where to get lunch. The staff rooms are filled with the smell of old paper and ink. We spend a lot of time dealing with registers and student IDs. There’s a small tea shop just outside the cross where everyone goes when they need a break from the fluorescent lights. The garden in the front has a few bushes and some grass that we try to keep green, but the Bangalore sun makes it tough. It’s a quiet area mostly, except when the college buses arrive or leave. Sometimes the power goes out and we just sit there waiting for the generator to kick in so we can finish our typing. It’s not a high-tech hub, just a place for learning and administration. We have some old benches under the trees where people sit to escape the afternoon heat. It’s a simple life out here in 560097, far from the malls and the fancy offices.