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Cubbonpete ಕಬ್ಬನ್‌ಪೇಟೆ
Apart from being named after a British Commissioner, Cubbon Road also has a monument for Mahatma Gandhi and once had a cenotaph at its entrance. The area roughly within the borders of Kempegowda Road, Avenue Road, Mysore Road, and Dr TCM Royan Road was known as Pete or Old Bangalore. Here, there are several pockets named after commodities sold or communities that lived here. But there is one stretch which has the name of Sir Mark Cubbon, the British Commissioner. Cubbon park, Cubbon road are all named as a tribute to the service he rendered to Bangalore and our state. But this small area got his name for a different reason.

Along with other communities, here there were weavers too, who earned their living from handloom products. But they were not financially sound to find a strong base in the city. During Cubbon’s tenure, they approached him for assistance. Recognising their skill and to encourage handloom work, he granted them land at subsidised rates next to the present Kempegowda Road. To show gratitude to the Commissioner they wanted the area named after him. As areas nearby had names such as Arale Pete, Chikka Pete and Dodda Pete, to continue the trend this stretch was named Cubbon Pete. The road that starts from Halasuru Gate police station and runs up to Avenue Road is known as Cubbon Pete Main Road.

Though at the entrance near the Halasuru Gate Police station, there is a board with the name KM Naganna Raste, all the boards of the shops on this road still carry Cubbon’s name. Till a few years back, this area used to reverberate with the sound of looms through the day. But modern technology of textile production has considerably hit the life of loom workers. Yet here and there, a few families have still retained their traditional job.

In addition to remembering Cubbon, they have paid their tribute to the father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi. During 1940s, the nation was in the grip of Freedom Movement. Bengaluru too had its share of protests against the British. Gandhi was the ideal role model for the youth to take up social service and freedom struggle. One such group of youngsters inspired by the ideals of Gandhiji started a Gandhi Ashram here in 1944.

While working for freedom, they also started teaching children, whos could not afford to go for coaching. This initiative was well accepted and the number of students seeking help increased. This prompted them to start a school Badavara Balaga Vidya Samsthe.

The assassination of their guide and philosopher was a rude shock for them. They wanted him, though not in physical form, to be with them as a guiding spirit. So after the cremation of mortal remains of Gandhiji, a little quantity of ash was brought here. In front of the ashram, it was put deep into the earth and two little platforms one above the other of different sizes were built as a sacred monument for the Mahatma. Since then it has been there reminding the members of the ashrama the ideal of ‘service to the poor is the service to nation.’ The school ran for more than four decades on its humble premises. In 1992, a foundation stone was laid for the construction of a new building. It was inaugurated in 1997. Even today on 12th Cross of Cubbon Pete, we can see the memorial and the new building which has both Kannada and English medium.

Close to the entrance of Cubbon Pete Main Road, till 1964 there was a war memorial called Cenotaph, built for British soldiers and officers who were killed here during the third Anglo Mysore war in 1791. It was about 35-foot tall granite stone structure with the list of the soldiers and horses killed and injured in the fight, carved on it. The list was printed in a city directory published in 1905. The memorial was a prominent monument of the city centre. The present Nrupatunga Road was then called Cenotaph road.

On November 1 of 1964, Kempegowda’s statue had to be installed here. There was a widespread protest that this British vestige should be removed before the event. Ultimately, the Cenotaph was brought down, paving the way for the statue of the builder of Bengaluru. Cenotaph Road was renamed Nrupatunga Road. The debris of the war memorial was used to fill some depression between JC road and Oosmankhan road.

About two decades back, this author could locate a granite slab with only a portion of the details of the original list of the memorial. It tallied with the one in the 1905 directory.