By Parul Jain
U.S. President Barrack Obamas statement Its going to be Buffalo and not Bangalore pretty much explains everything.
It seems like Bangalore is threatening the preeminence of many cities. Many U.S. nationals have been moving to the city lately; why wont they, when they have lucrative job opportunities, cheap medicines, affordable living and a fashionable society?
Over the years, Bangalore has emerged as the most important city in South India, leaving Chennai behind. Apart from being the IT hub, it is also a melting pot of cultures. Over the last five years, Bangalore has seen the migration of nearly ten thousand expatriates. The high density expat population has made the city culturally essential and fashionable, said Mr. Jagdish Raja, a theatre artist.
The city has created itself from scratch. Its been a home to Nobel laureate Sir. C.V.Raman who discovered what is now called the Raman Scattering.
Bangalore has viewed performances by Enrique Iglesias, Hadouk Trio, Backstreet Boys, West life, etc. Many indigenous rock bands have left their mark everywhere they perform, for example the band called Thermal and a quarter was the first band in south Asia to make their music available under creative commons.
In the world of education, various residential schools and universities like the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) have been attracting a large chunk of foreign students: most of them have settled here. The IIT and IIS graduates are counted amongst the best in the world, a large number of these graduates hold respectable positions in organizations like NASA; many are deans and professors in the top five science colleges in the world. As a matter of fact, recently two IIS students unlocked several mysteries about the black hole- their study gained them worldwide acknowledgement, especially from professors of Harvard University.
Bangalore is gifted with natural beauty. Honestly, it has been on a decline of late but it is definitely better than many other cities in India. The climate here is not that hot and sultry as it is normally perceived, it may be a little difficult for westerners to acclimatize here for a while though.
Many international news channels these days like the BBC and CNN have covered Bangalore in South India while forecasting the weather. This too in one way shows how important Bangalore has become of late.
All the political conflicts in Karnataka have had a diminutive effect on Bangalore. You can see bandhs or local shutdowns once a while but one can still see the bustling crowd in Brigade road and a long queue of devotees in the famous Someshvara temple.
Bangalore has become a conference city- the first choice of place for scientists and delegates to hold meetings. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) meetings always take place here.
According to Fortune 500, Bangalore has a sizeable number of billionaires when compared to other cities in India.
Poverty like every other city is an issue here as well. The story of a barber who went on to own a Rolls Royce from earning a meager Rs.20 a day twenty five years ago is commendable. We can give him the benefit of doubt though; there have been several such men who have worked hard to lead a comfortable life, and they have succeeded. The divide between the rich and the poor does exist; every person has his own tale to tell. Some issues get resolved instantly while some are delayed or sometimes denied.
The energy levels in the city is amazing, Bangalores contribution to the world economy is noteworthy. Many call it the city of future.
Thomas Friedman, an American journalist once said on his visit to Bangalore, You know you are in Bangalore, you know you are in the silicon valley of India, When you got to play golf and caddy on the first tee it would say you can either aim at the Microsoft building or the IBM building. You know youre in Bangalore when you see the Pizza Hut advertisement say gigabytes of taste.
With 1500 IT firms and an exuberant lifestyle Bangalore has become the new Bombay, its become a focal point for many migrants.
A city which is a pool of talent, opportunities, culture and cuisines Bangalore is one such city which cannot be overlooked when reading about India. If it is India, it is Bangalore.
A final year student studying B.A.(Hons)Economics at Daulat Ram college, Delhi University. She likes reading books, articles, or journals on various economic issue with a special inclination towards recent financial crisis and its repercussions. Recently completed her term as a Google student ambassador. She wishes to continue with her interest in economics by pursuing masters in the same and public policy as the main subject.