A crowded city that makes it cooler than its climate: Bengaluru

Bengaluru sits at 949 meters above sea level. The city was once known as ‘Garden City’. It’s one of the fastest growing cosmopolitan cities. It’s a city of contrasts, known by various aliases such as India’s Silicon Valley, Pub City, Garden City, Air Conditioned City, and Gourmet’s Delight. The place is described in a dozen ways. The city hosts numerous international IT companies, public sector companies, defense organizations and many reputed educational and research institutions. Add to it a rich cultural heritage,

monuments, traditional arts and crafts, exotic cuisine, discos and pubs and combine with them the shopping malls, high rise apartments. The new face of Bengaluru includes infotainment, entertainment, science and technology parks. Bengaluru has changed over time. The city has transformed from a pensioner’s paradise to the hottest destination for the young chasing IT dreams and BPO.

A Quick Look at the History

Bengaluru means the town of baked beans was founded by Kempe Gowda around the end of the 16^th century. He built four towers to establish the boundaries. Legend says that Bengaluru got its name from the words “Bendha Kaalu’. The King of Vijayanagara Veera Ballala lost his way in a forest and landed at a lonely cottage. The old woman who lived there could offer the king only boiled beans. Then the place came to be known as ‘Bendha Kaaluooru’. BengaLooru in Kannada and Bangalore in English. Historical evidence suggest otherwise. It says that ‘Bengaluru’ was established much before King Ballala’s time in the 9^th century.

The modern day city was established by Kempe Gowda in 1537. His favourite pastime was hunting. In one of his hunting expeditions he saw a hare chase his dog. He named the place ‘Gandu Bhoomi’ (Heroic Place). He built a mud fort in 1537 and little towns of Balapet, Cottonpet and Chickpet. Even today these places are hubs of commercial and wholesale market. His son erected four watch towers to mark the boundaries of Bangalore that stand tall even today in the heart of the city. In 1638 Fathvaji captured the city but his reign did not last long. In 1687, Aurangzeb’s army captured Bengaluruand sold it for a paltry sum of three lakh rupees to Wodeyars. Time travelled and Wodeyars built the famous LalBagh in 1759, one of the most beautiful gardens that has stood the test of the times. In the same year, Hyder Ali received the City from Wodeyars II as a Jagir and made Bangalore an army town.

The history of Bangalore will be incomplete without Tipu Sultan. His palace in Bangalore still remains an example of Indo-Islamic architecture. Hyder Ali started construction of the place within the walls of Bangalore Fort and was completed during the regime of Tipu Sultan in 1791. After his death the British Administration used the palace as its office before moving to Attara Kacheri in 1868. Even today the government has preserved the palace at the centre of old Bangalore as a tourist spot.

Modern Times

Bengaluru, the fifth largest city of India, has seen an exponential rise in its population in the last 20 years. The city is considered one of the most livable cities owing to its wonderful climate and the lucrative employment opportunities it offers. The growth of the city has been exponential in recent years. The city has witnessed unprecedented industrial progress with the establishment of many large, medium and small scale industries and technical and professional institutions of national importance. But the City faces challenges too. Its challenges are unique because it has grown much faster than any other city in the world. In the last two decades its population has doubled which is unique for any city. Bengaluru is called the garden city of the country. The city boasts of large parks and open spaces in addition to tree lined avenues in almost all parts of the city.

Food, Shopping and places to go

Parking in Bengaluru, as in any other city, is a problem. During festivals it’s much more difficult. You can find even walking difficult. Commercial Street, is also called as street shopping paradise by Bangaloreans. You can get almost everything here, almost everything one can desire! Apart from affordable stuff, one can also locate some of the famous fashion brands in the world. Commercial Street is close to Mahatma Gandhi Road which is one more of the famous shopping destinations but Commercial Street is the biggest.

Price to Pay

Decades ago, Bengaluru was a green city where people flocked to spend their golden years in search of peace and health afforded by its laid back spirit and salubrious climes. Its economic life was dominated by public sector heavy weights like HAL, BEL, BHEL, and HMT.

Then, towards the end of the last century, the city’s gene mutated, abetted by radical changes in the world order and technology. Globalization and the Internet shattered national barriers to business and the work space. The Y2K scare served as the trigger. And a new city was born. Kaustav Sinha, a long-time resident of Bengaluru says ”a culture of entrepreneurship took hold turning the city into an exemplar of economic dynamism. It became a magnet for young job-seekers from all over the country creating a virtuous cycle of investment and talent”. He further adds “development was rapid. Real estate and a youth-driven consumerism boomed. Pubs and malls proliferated. Sale of cars and two-wheelers skyrocketed, earning the city the epithet: two-wheeler capital of India. The retiree paradise had to cede place to Eden of the young”

Price Vs Gain

It is a city caught unawares. It did not see its success – and the attendant problems – coming. There was no time to plan. Solutions had to be hurriedly conceived and implemented, which often sowed seeds of future problems. Infrastructure failed to keep pace with the needs. Meanwhile, success piled on and the influx continued. The city spread in all directions like spilled water spreads on the ground. Rains bring their own set of problems – water-logging of many residential and commercial areas, mixing of rain and sewage water, etc. Residents have to contend with severe road congestion in peak hours. However, the problems, though difficult, are not insurmountable. With political will and proper planning, many of the most urgent problems can be solved at least in the medium term. They must be addressed if Bangalore has to retain its hard-earned competitive advantage. Else, it risks losing its position to new suitors in the market like cities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.