Copyright thehindu
Frustrated with the rising number of potholes in Bengaluru, a citizens’ group in east Bengaluru performed a pooja on Saturday (September 27, 2025), praying that the potholes do not claim any lives. This comes as the city’s civic bodies have begun filling potholes across Bengaluru. While such symbolic acts have been carried out in other parts of the city earlier, the Bharathinagar Residents’ Forum chose to treat a pothole as a deity and offered prayers to it. Around 20–25 members gathered on Webster Road, where they decorated the pothole with chrysanthemums and rose petals. Interestingly, the group even hired a priest to conduct the ritual with full religious chants. Surendra Ravi, president of the residents’ forum, said “there are nearly 100 potholes in Cox Town alone, and the repairs carried out so far have been substandard.” “The potholes reappear within just days of filling, highlighting the poor quality of the civic body’s work. This patchwork approach clearly isn’t working,” he said. He further added that the civic body was compelled to take up repairs only because of media attention and public criticism. “It is unfortunate that the administration acts only when there is an outcry and not on its own initiative,” he said. Mr. Ravi also pointed out that several people in the area have been injured due to potholes. In response, the residents themselves have started a pothole-filling drive, which they plan to continue if civic authorities fail to act. “We performed a ‘Homa Pooja’ to the ‘Pothole Gods’ in desperation, believing it might protect us from injury or death. Beyond that, we will continue to fill potholes ourselves as much as we can,” he added.
