Public parks and government offices open
The Hindu
More relaxations likely as pandemic severity wanes
Lockdown-weary citizens made a beeline for parks and beaches after the State government opened the outdoor facilities to the public on Tuesday.
In April, the administration had declared public spaces off-limit for citizens to prevent gatherings after the Delta virus-driven second COVID-19 wave swamped the State somewhat belatedly.
The much-awaited return to the outdoors opened a lifeline for a large segment of citizens yearning for expansive spaces, nature, fresh air, sunshine and normality.
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”