I continue on the one way to the city. The road is a bit narrow in this stretch. Trivandrum is a city that has tiny hillocks built into its geography. The plain stretches can be found mostly near Thambanoor and the East Fort area. Everywhere else the roads climb and drop in small degrees. It is similar to Kottayam. Kochi is flat out for the vast majority. Once you go towards the east, the road winds and climbs. One thing that is worth mentioning about the city is its roads.

For a long time, some of the roads in the city have been kept really good. The Kowdiar stretch comprising the Raj Bhavan - the Governor's residence - up to the Museum has always been in tip-top condition. It is always a joy to ride on this stretch. The canopy of trees on either side provides shade and a beautiful aesthetic to the road. Various housing colonies branch out from the road. The road leading to Shangumugham Beach from Chaka junction is another long stretch that has remained in great condition over the years. I feel it is this long drive along the periphery of the airport that adds to the charm of going to the beach.

Another stretch that has come up in recent years is the Kesavadasapuram - Pattom stretch, the one I took now. Over the past few years, the city has developed its roads and kept them well-maintained. This has made it easier to drive in the city, although the number of vehicles on the road has increased tremendously. The pandemic saw the need to have personal vehicles. Public transportation came to a halt during the lockdown. When it restarted people were hesitant to take it owing to fear. An industry that saw growth in those unprecedented times was the automobile industry. Two-wheeler sales shot up. People were taking loans to buy a scooter.

I take the sharp turns along the road. Along the way I see a bike lying fallen in front of a clothing store. I know the store. It has always attracted my attention whenever I took this road. It is a sports apparel store that always had a sale going on. The sign board in front of it advertised the ongoing sale for the whole year. I wondered how a shop can sustain putting out a sale throughout the year. Once I visited it out of curiosity. They had good products on display at competitive prices. I liked a particular shoe and wanted to buy it. But they had run out of my size. I left the shop feeling a bit disappointed. The old brand has changed and a new one has taken over. They are also dealing in sportswear. The shutters are closed tight.

Soon enough the road becomes whole again. I reach the PMG junction and continue on with the ride. At the PMG bus stop, a bus stands still. The windows are shut except for the drivers. I slow down when I pass it. It stands there like a ghost bus. It might have been picking up people when everyone disappeared. I bank towards the left to have a look at the opposite side of the bus and the doors. They are closed. The only explanation for a bus to stand like this is the one I just gave. A few meters away lies the Vikas Bhavan Bus Depot. If it had to be parked then it would have been parked there. Besides this is a super fast. The board reads Thiruvananthapuram. Reading the names of the other cities, the bus was coming from the far north. These buses are mostly parked in the main bus stand in Thambanoor. I shift my focus to the road.

I am entering the administrative part of the city. Within a radius of three kilometers lies all the major buildings that run the state government and its machinery.

Trivandrum is the capital city. It has always been synonymous with the lifestyle of a government servant. Many of them have made this city their home. Others stay a bit further away in their villages and town. They flock in large numbers in morning trains and leave by the multiple trains plying in the evening in the two directions. This is convenient for the students and the working professionals going back to their hometowns on the weekend or whenever they get a good stretch of holidays. Some of my college mates who were day scholars were solely dependent on these trains for their daily commute.

The city is a hub for education. There are schools in every locality. Plenty of colleges can be found throughout the city. Education has been an integral part of the city from its early inception. The Travancore kingdom was particular about education and helped set up many of these higher education establishments. I have heard tales of my father traveling all the way from our hometown to take up a six-month course here. His anecdotes paint a picture of a city that was rich with the educated and fuelled the intelligentsia and the artists alike. Kerala university played a central role in it.

The development of the city followed the needs of these people. Apartments and villas sprung up to cater to the needs of these people. Someone who works in the secretariat or any other state government office would be spending a major chunk of their life working in Trivandrum without seeing any transfers. They would settle in the city and call it their home. A lot of colonies have sprung up because of this.

When the state decided to open up for IT companies, Trivandrum saw a radical transformation. Technopark was established in Kazhakootam. It started growing at a great pace and saw the influx of some of the major IT companies. This brought in a huge pool of professionals who were young and wild. Their influence prompted the city to wake up from its slumber and grow.

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Ask anyone before the inception of Technopark if they saw the city growing to what it is, and their answer begins with a hearty laugh. When I was in college, Kazhakootam was growing. IT companies were slowly settling in and making their offices. The steady flow of professionals was increasing year on year. The majority of them belonged within the age bracket of twenty to thirty. They were making money and wanted to enjoy their lives. I like to refer to Kazhakootam as the new Trivandrum. The cultural shift here is way more than in the heart of the city.

When I was passing out, I felt the pace of development to be normal. Coming back here after seven years, I understand that I was wrong. I wasn’t able to comprehend the rate at which the city was developing. As Kazhakootam was growing up at a fast rate, it trickled down to the rest of the city.

I got a taste of it during my occasional visits. We drove to Kazhakootam area to visit the cafes and restaurants springing up every week. Soon we were hanging out in the city itself. A lot of new joints were opening up in the heart of the city. There were teenagers and youth to cater to in the city. The upper class was waiting for something like this to happen in their neighborhood. Opportunists saw this and jumped into the fray.

One day I had a conversation regarding this with Anna. She had studied in a medical college at the far end of the district. Trivandrum was the focal point of her travels. She was here for four more years after I passed out. Her view on this brought in an element I had completely forgotten to factor in - the coming of the National Highway. The work started during the time I had left the city and so I wasn’t aware of it. I did see it as it was being constructed a couple of times. But it never caught my attention as it has now.

The NH made it easier for people to travel to Trivandrum from the northern cities. For years the state of the road was not that great. It became small as it approached the city. The project saw the building of flyovers and multiple lanes along the length of the road. This saw a lot of development at a blistering pace along the vicinity of the NH. All this compounded the growth and expansion of the city. Places that lay on the fringes of the city have been integrated into it over time. Although it doesn’t come in comparison to the expansion of Kochi and the integration of its nearby towns, it surely has changed how we define Trivandrum.

The heart of the city is never going to change. I think I don't want it to. It is beautiful the way it is. It is seeing growth and development, which I am fine with until it hampers what is already in place. Sustainable development with a vision for the future is how we should be going ahead.

To my left is the famous Mascot Hotel. This has been a landmark of Trivandrum for a very long time. I have never been inside it. It is quite expensive. One of my friends had kept his wedding reception here. I was away for work and couldn’t make it. G V Raja stadium lies ahead of me. I will be taking a slight right turn from the junction in front of it. Its walls have been covered with beautiful wall art. They are a treat to go through. They are mostly on the other side of the stadium. One should see them from that end at a leisurely pace. I would suggest parking your vehicle and walking through the pavement beside it.

I reach the junction and take a slight right. On the right is the state legislative assembly. The gate remains closed for the majority of the time. On special occasions like Onam or Christmas, the building gets draped in lights. That is a beautiful sight.

Being the capital, festivals are celebrated with much fanfare. The state government sponsors some of the events throughout the festive week. It attracts a lot of people. The streets are illuminated with lights and events take place at various locations. Onam is the main festival of the state and the way Trivandrum city celebrates it is a beautiful feeling.

During Onam, I like to drive on the stretch from the secretariat to the museum following it all the way to Kowdiar. The tall trees, buildings, and institutions are draped in lights. Loudspeakers blare out songs celebrating the harvest season and King Mahabali. Flower stalls witness record sales. Restaurants prepare themselves to cater to the needs of the people with the delivery of Onasadhya at their doorsteps. It is quite useful for people who can’t make the dishes that populate the plantain leaf from left to right. Last year my parents were with us. I was just about to come back from my workplace. By the time I arrived my parents had reached. A quick plan was made to go to a resort for a couple of days and chill.

This gave us no time to prepare the Onasadhya. We ended up ordering it from someone we knew. We also invited a couple of our friends to partake in the meal. It was a good gathering. Dad took the video of us feasting. It was a really hilarious video. Mom takes the centre stage followed by dad. The video becomes fun when dad starts his commentary on the events taking place in it. The way he did this, we were laughing so hard, our stomachs hurt. This is the crux of the festival - to be with our near and dear ones and enjoy a hearty meal together. I wore a shirt she had gifted me along with a mundu. She wore a traditional Onam saree. She looked really pretty in it. Our friend clicked a beautiful picture of us. We were hugging and laughing at some comment I had passed. I have taken a print of it to go into the photo album. We want our memories to be tangible and easily accessible.

I stop right in the middle of the road. I take out my phone and access WhatsApp. I look at her DP. It is a black-and-white picture of us. It is a beautiful one. I have put the same image as my DP. I received good feedback from my friends. They loved it. I rub my thumb over the picture. I can feel her. She is always with me. When I close my eyes I can see her clearly. This is just temporary. Things will go back to being the way it was soon. That is what I believe in.