Bengaluru: Amid Bengaluru’s chronic pothole crisis, the road named after India’s revered philosopher-president and educator remains a symbol of civic neglect, highlighting the irony in a city that celebrates Teachers’ Day yet fails to maintain infrastructure honouring its inspiration.

In the outskirts of Bengaluru, along Acharya Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Road in Soladevanahalli—a stretch near educational institutions in the north—commuters face a daily ordeal of uneven surfaces and craters. Named after Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the scholar-statesman whose birthday India observes as Teachers’ Day, this road embodies the city’s broader infrastructure woes.

Local resident Anand, a daily commuter, describes dodging potholes that deepen with every rain. “It’s ironic,” he says.

“We honor a great teacher with a road that’s teaching us hardship instead—vehicle repairs, back pain, and delays.” Students from nearby colleges navigate the bumpy path on two-wheelers, risking accidents amid dust and debris from repeated utility digs.

Bengaluru’s pothole menace persists despite deadlines and funds. In 2025, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered fixes within weeks, yet thousands remain unfilled, with poor-quality repairs crumbling quickly.

Utility works exacerbate the issue, leaving scars that turn into craters.

This neglect shames Radhakrishnan’s legacy of dignity and progress. As India’s tech capital boasts global ambitions, basic roads like this one—bearing an icon’s name—demand urgent respect through lasting repairs, not patchwork promises. Residents urge authorities to prioritise such

symbolic stretches, turning tribute into tangible improvement.