Soon, Avenue Road won’t be the favourite destination for books and jewelry. Amidst protests, it’s all set to be widened into a main road that connects KR Market and Gandhinagar. Citizen Matters takes a look at what happens to an old Bangalore street when it confronts a rapidly growing city.

For generations, students from LKG to PG have thronged
Avenue Road for cheap books.

Here, books have been elevated to a religion.

But this religion isn’t for all. This child bookseller will only learn to read book titles.

Avenue Road is an old locality, and home to thousands of small businesses. It’s so congested that the temple’s speakers point upwards and not into a window.

That’s the reason, BMP has decided to widen.

The arrow on this temple wall marks 7.5 mts from Avenue Road. Everything in between, including a major part of this
this temple, will be demolished or moved.

Books can be shifted easily.
Not bricks and livelihood.

His business has wheels. Move it a few meters
and hopefully life will carry on.

But Chunnilal isn’t as lucky. He’ll have to find a new place.

Or him. He hopes that an alternative will show itself up.

The Post Office, an old and interesting building is set to go too.

You don’t have to be this astrologer on Avenue Rd to realise that the road will be widened, sooner or later.