Roads and pavements - and Malleswaram

I had a request a week or so ago for pictures of what the roads and pavements were like, considering India's terrible reputation for traffic. Sometimes the pollution can be oppressive, and travel times vary, but that's equally true of London even if traffic lights are less rigorously observed. Mostly pedestrians walk on the road even where there are pavements, but today was the first time I've walked down a main street or high road (Malleswaram) and thought only about the shops and stalls around me rather than the traffic/dogs/likelihood of tripping - sadly no photos today of the beautiful flower garlands, but they will follow... and I did have a delicious (if not very Indian) doughnut...

Malleswaram is the location of Mantri Square Mall which is the biggest in India (according to their website) and home to a cinema, food court, the Body Shop and a Marks and Spencers (oddly reassuring, but I'm not planning on regular shopping). Rather than the mall, which is good for practicalities but not always that inspiring, we went to see the fruit, flowers and veg in the market, wondered around past lots of fabric and clothes shops and finished at a restaurant for a thali selection of excellent if rather hot vegetarian food, followed by gulab jamun (honey/syrup soaked Indian doughnuts), banana and ice cream. There were lots of families out, and it felt like one of the more 'normal' places we've spent time in, particularly off the main road, where the streets were quiet, cool and treelined. A little more like the garden/pensioners city of Bangalore folk stories than other areas. Should we ever need to move, I think I'd be very happy there...

This is me walking down the street (there were plants overhanging the pavement and just isn't really worth using). On the right of the photo above are women ironing in the street - the irons are enormous things with hot coals in them, I've yet to make friends with our local person, but will put up photos when I do.

Around the city there are lots of murals decorating various government and other buildings - I'm not sure whether there was a policy decision taken, but my favourites so far are the local (ish) animals, and the surprisingly specific defence ones...