Meet Bengaluru's buskers, who make art, type poems and charm strangers

Busking is traditionally defined as the act of putting up a street performance for voluntary donations

It’s become routine for the folks stepping out of Blossom Book House on a Saturday evening to do a double take as they leave the city’s favourite haunt for old books. Sitting on the steps outside this bookstore on Church Street is a clutch of young people, some of whom sketch furiously while others go clickety-clack on typewriters. Rahul Kondi, a user experience designer by the week, is one of those with a typewriter. After he’s done writing a short poem, he hands it to the person he’s written it for.

Kondi asks for no payment in return. Contributions can