New Delhi, June 4 -- For years, a tiny eatery in south Bengaluru had such a bustle of activity that it represented street theatre at its best. At breakfast, it served giant idlis for as little as Rs.15, at lunch wholesome vegetable pulao with a vegetable and chutney on the side.

The clientele was a mix of white and blue collar, those without kitchens and those too busy or lazy to cook. Seating comprised plastic stools and a raised platform that served as a bench under a large tree.

A week or so after LPG prices shot up in the aftermath of the Israeli and US attack on Iran, however, this eatery closed. What the late urban historian Jane Jacobs described as the "ballet" of city life that occurred daily just outside the gates of the apartm...