'Bangalore' (officially 'Bengalūru') (;
pronunciation: in
Kannada and in
English) is the capital of the
Indian
state of
Karnataka. Located on the
Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.5
million (65
lakh), making it India's
third-most populous city and
sixth-largest metropolitan area. Though historical references to the city predate 900, a written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537. In that year,
Kempe Gowda I, whom many regard as the architect of modern Bangalore, built a mud fort in the city and established it as a province of the
Vijayanagara Empire.
During the
British Raj, Bangalore developed as a centre for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the
Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrants from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and
North India for developing and maintaining the infrastructure of the cantonment.
After India gained
independence in 1947, Bangalore evolved into a manufacturing hub for
public sector heavy industries—particularly
aerospace, telecommunications, machine tools, heavy equipment, and
defence. The establishment and success of software service firms in Bangalore after the liberalisation of
India's economy has led to the growth of India's
information technology industry. Bangalore is referred to as the ''
Silicon Valley of India'' and accounts for 35 percent of India's software exports.
[Bangalore Crumbling". The Sunday Express. 2006. Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. 5 December 2004] The city emerged as one of the best places to do business in the world in a list compiled by
CNN-Time Warner group in 2007.
[Best places to do business in the wired world". CNN. 2007. CNN 6 September 2007] Home to prestigious colleges and research institutions, the city has the second-highest literacy rate among the metropolitan cities in the nation. However, as a large and growing metropolis in the
developing world, Bangalore continues to struggle with problems such as air pollution, traffic congestion, and crime.
On
December 11,
2005, the
Government of Karnataka announced that it had accepted the proposal by
Jnanpith Award winner
U. R. Ananthamurthy to
rename Bangalore to its
Kannada name, 'Bengaluru'.
["From today, Bangalore becomes Bengalooru". The Times of India. 2006. The Times Group. 1 November 2006] On
September 27,
2006, the
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change, pending approvals from the Government of Karnataka and citizens of the city.
[2]
On
October 7,
2006, the
Government of Karnataka accepted this resolution and decided to officially implement the name change on
November 1,
2006.
[3]
Etymology
The name Bangalore is an
anglicised version of the city's name in the
Kannada language, Bengaluru. The earliest reference to the name "Bengalooru" was found in a 9th century
Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a "veera kallu" (literally, "
hero stone", a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). Researchers have deciphered by this (Halegannada/Tamil) Ven+kala+oor or place of the fierce battle (Kannada:Ben+gala+ooru). In the inscription found in
Begur, "Bengaluru" is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890. It states that the place was part of the Ganga kingdom until 1004 and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the "City of Guards" in Old Kannada.
[K. Chandramouli. "The City of Boiled Beans". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 25 July 2002] An article, published in
The Hindu, states:
["Inscription reveals Bangalore is over 1,000 years old". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 20 August 2004]
A popular
anecdote (although one contradicted by historical evidence) recounts that the 11th-century
Hoysala king
Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda kaal-ooru" (
Kannada: ಬೆಂದಕಾಳೂರು) (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which was eventually colloquialised to "Bengalūru".
[4] There are also theories that the name has a floral origin and is derived from the tree
Benga or "Ven-kai", also known as the
Indian Kino Tree (Pterocarpus marsupium).
["History of Bangalore". Bangalore Guide 2006. Bangalore Guide]
History
Main articles: History of Bangalore
After centuries of the rule of the Western Gangas, Bangalore was captured by the Cholas in 1024 in a conquest that extended the chola empire upto the river ganga which later passed on to the Chalukya-cholas in 1970. In 1116 the
Hoysala Empire, overthrew the Cholas extended its rule over Bangalore. Modern Bangalore was founded by a
vassal of the
Vijayanagara Empire,
Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort and a
Nandi Temple in the proximity of modern Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda referred to the new town as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes".
["About Bangalore - History". Department of IT and Biotechnology. 2006. Government of Karnataka.]
Within the fort, the town was divided into smaller divisions called 'pete's (). The town had two main streets:
Chickkapete Street, which ran east-west, and Doddapete Street, which ran north-south. Their intersection formed the Doddapete Square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary.
[Vagale, Uday Kumar. . Digital Libraries and Archives. 2006. Virginia Tech. 27 April 2004.]
During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as "Devarāyanagara" and "Kalyānapura" ("Auspicious City").
After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore's rule changed hands several times. In 1638, a large
Bijapur army led by Ranadulla Khan and accompanied by
Shahji Bhonsle defeated Kempe Gowda III and Bangalore was given to Shahji as a
jagir. In 1687, the
Mughal general Kasim Khan defeated Ekoji, son of Shahji, and then sold Bangalore to Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar (1673–1704) of Mysore for 300,000 rupees.
[ The bean city S. Srinivas ][5] After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759,
Hyder Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the
de facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed to Hyder Ali's son
Tippu Sultan, known as the Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the
British East Indian Empire after Tippu Sultan was defeated and killed in the
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore "pete" to the
Maharaja of Mysore, choosing only to retain the
Cantonment under their jurisdiction. The 'Residency' of Mysore State was first established at Mysore in 1799 and later shifted to Bangalore in the year 1804. It was abolished in the year 1843 only to be revived in 1881 at Bangalore and finally to be closed down in 1947 with the departure of the British. The British, found it easier to recruit employees in the
Madras Presidency and relocate them to cantonment area during this period. The Kingdom of Mysore relocated its capital from
Mysore city to Bangalore in 1831.
["Mysore (CAPITAL)". Encyclopedia Britannica. 1911 ed.]
Two important developments during this period contributed to the rapid growth of the city: the introduction of telegraph connections and a rail connection to
Madras in 1864.
South Parade (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) during colonial times.
In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a
twin city, with the major part consisting of the "pete's", whose residents were predominantly
Kannadigas, and the "cantonment" where the British stationed itself and created a predominantly
Tamils population who were employed by the British. Bangalore was hit by a
plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. New extensions in
Malleshwaram and
Basavanagudi were developed in the north and south of the pete. Telephone lines were laid to help co-ordinate anti-plague operations, and a health officer was appointed to the city in 1898. In 1906, Bangalore became the first city in India to have electricity, powered by the
hydroelectric plant situated in
Shivanasamudra. Bangalore's reputation as the Garden City of India began in 1927 with the
Silver Jubilee celebrations of the rule of
Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV. Several projects such as the construction of parks, public buildings and hospitals were instituted to beautify the city. After Indian independence in August 1947, Bangalore remained in the new
Mysore State of which the Maharaja of Mysore was the
Rajapramukh. Public sector employment and education provided opportunities for Kannadigas from the rest of the state to migrate to the city. Bangalore experienced rapid growth in the decades 1941–51 and 1971–81 , which saw the arrival of many immigrants from northern Karnataka and . By 1961 Bangalore had become the sixth largest city in India, with a population of 1,207,000.
[Digital Libraries and Archives]
In the decades that followed, Bangalore's manufacturing base continued to expand with the establishment of private companies such as
Motor Industries Company (MICO; a subsidiary of
Robert Bosch GmbH), which set up its manufacturing plant in the city. Bangalore experienced a boom in its
real estate market in the 1980s and 1990s, spurred by capital investors from other parts of the country who converted Bangalore's large plots and colonial
bungalows to multi-storied apartments.
[Benjamin, Solomon. .Environment&Urbanization Vol 12 No 1 2006. United Nations Public Administration. 1 April 2000.] In 1985,
Texas Instruments became the first
multinational to set up base in Bangalore. Other Information Technology companies followed suit and by the end of the 20th century, Bangalore had firmly established itself as the
Silicon Valley of India.
Geography
Main articles: Bangalore Metropolitan Environment
Bangalore lies in the southeast of the
South Indian state of Karnataka. It is in the heart of the Mysore Plateau (a region of the larger
Precambrian Deccan Plateau) at an average elevation of 920
m (3,018
feet). It is positioned at and covers an area of 741
km² (286
mi²).
The majority of the city of Bangalore lies in the
Bangalore Urban district of Karnataka and the surrounding rural areas are a part of the
Bangalore Rural district. The
Government of Karnataka has carved out the new district of
Ramanagaram from the old Bangalore Rural district.
The topology of Bangalore is flat except for a central
ridge running
NNE-
SSW. The highest point is
Doddabettahalli, which is 962 m (3,156 ft) and lies on this ridge.
["Studyarea- Bangalore". Centre for Ecological Sciences. 2006. Indian Institute of Science.]
No major rivers run through the city, though the
Arkavathi and
South Pennar cross paths at the
Nandi Hills, 60 km (37 mi.) to the north.
River Vrishabhavathi, a minor tributary of the Arkavathi, arises within the city at
Basavanagudi and flows through the city. The rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi together carry much of Bangalore's
sewage. A
sewerage system, constructed in 1922, covers 215 km² (133 mi²) of the city and connects with five
sewage treatment centers located in the periphery of Bangalore.
["Each drop of water counts". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Ltd. 11 March 2004]
In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. The Kempambudhi Kere, since overrun by modern development, was prominent among those lakes. In the earlier half of 20th century, the Nandi Hills
waterworks was commissioned by
Sir Mirza Ismail (
Diwan of Mysore, 1926–41 CE) to provide a water supply to the city. Currently, the river
Kaveri provides around 80% of the total water supply to the city with the remaining 20% being obtained from the Thippagondanahalli and Hesaraghatta reservoirs of the
river Arkavathy.
[6] Bangalore receives 800 million
litres (211 million
US gallons) of water a day, more than any other Indian city.
[ "Thirsty Bangalore seeks divine help". Hindustan Times. 2006. HT Media Ltd. 9 June 2003.]
However, Bangalore sometimes does face water shortages, especially during the summer season in the years of low rainfall. A
random sampling study of the
Air Quality Index (AQI) of twenty stations within the city indicated scores that ranged from 76 to 314, suggesting heavy to severe air pollution around areas of traffic concentration.
[. Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005.]
The Hesaraghatta Lake in Bangalore
Bangalore has a handful of freshwater lakes and
water tanks, the largest of which are Madivala tank,
Hebbal lake, Ulsoor lake and
Sankey Tank. Groundwater occurs in
silty to
sandy layers of the
alluvial sediments. The Peninsular Gneissic Complex (PGC) is the most dominant rock unit in the area and includes
granites,
gneisses and
migmatites, while the soils of Bangalore consist of red
laterite and red, fine
loamy to
clayey soils.
[soils]
Vegetation in the city is primarily in the form of large
deciduous canopy and minority
coconut trees. Though Bangalore has been classified as a part of the seismic zone II (a stable zone), it has experienced quakes of magnitude as high as 4.5.
[7]
Due to its high elevation, Bangalore usually enjoys salubrious climate throughout the year, although freak heat waves can make things very uncomfortable in the summer.
[8] A common refrain among Bangaloreans is that summer has gotten progressively hotter over the years. This could be due to the loss of green cover in the city, increased urbanization and the resulting
urban heat island effect, as well as possibly
climate change. The coolest month is January with an average low temperature of 15.1 °C and the hottest month is April with an average high temperature of 33.6 °C.
[9] The highest temperature ever recorded in Bangalore is 41 °
C and the lowest ever is 7.8 °C
[[1] Extreme Temperatures Around the world ]
Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12 °C (54 °F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 36–37 °C (100 °F). Bangalore receives rainfall from both the northeast and the southwest
monsoons and the wettest months are September, October and August, in that order.
The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent
thunderstorms, which occasionally cause power outages and local flooding. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 180
mm (7
in) recorded on
1 October 1997.
Civic Administration
| 'Bangalore City officials' |
| 'Mayor' | Mumtaz Begum |
| 'Municipal Commissioner' | S Subramanya |
| 'Police Commissioner' | N Achuta Rao |
The
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP, ''Bangalore Metropolitan Council'') is the
municipal corporation in charge of the civic and infrastructural assets of the city. The district of Bangalore is home to seven other city municipal councils such as those in
Yelahanka,
Bommanahalli, Dasarahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Pattangere, Bytarayanpura and Mahadevapura. The Government of Karnataka proposes to merge these seven councils into BMP to form Greater Bangalore.
["Greater Bangalore: single corporation likely to be set up". 2006. The Hindu. 30 September 2006.]
The BMP council comprises 100 elected representatives, called "corporators", one from each of the 100 wards (localities) of the city. Elections to the council are held once every five years, with results being decided by
popular vote. A
mayor and
commissioner of the council are also elected through a quota system from a
Scheduled Castes and Tribes candidate or to an
Other Backward Class female candidate.
["Narayanaswamy is new Mayor". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited. 30 November 2004.]
Bangalore's rapid growth has created several problems relating to traffic congestion and infrastructural obsolescence that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike has found challenging to address. A 2003 ''Battelle Environmental Evaluation System'' (BEES) evaluation of Bangalore's physical, biological and socioeconomic parameters indicated that Bangalore's water quality and terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems were close to ''ideal'', while the city's socioeconomic parameters (
traffic,
quality of life) scored poorly.
[10] The BMP has been criticised by the Karnataka High Court, citizens and corporations for failing to effectively address the crumbling road and traffic infrastructure of Bangalore.
["High Court pulls up BMP for bad roads". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Ltd. June 29 2005] The unplanned nature of growth in the city resulted in massive traffic
gridlocks that the municipality attempted to ease by constructing a
flyover system and by imposing one-way traffic systems.
The Public Utility Building on MG Road.
Some of the flyovers and one-ways mitigated the traffic situation moderately but were unable to adequately address the disproportionate growth of city traffic.
In 2005 both the
Central Government and the State Government allocated considerable portions of their annual budgets to address Bangalore's infrastructure.
["Budget to trigger growth of metros: PM". MSN India. 2006. Microsoft India. 12 February 2006.] The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike works with the
Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the
Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) to design and implement civic projects. Bangalore generates about 3,000 tonnes of
solid waste per day, of which about 1,139 tonnes are collected and sent to
composting units such as the Karnataka Composting Development Corporation. The remaining solid waste collected by the
municipality is dumped in open spaces or on roadsides outside the city.
[van Beukering, Sehker, et al. . International Institute for Environment and Development. 2006. March 1999.]
The
Bangalore City Police (BCP) is headed by a
Police Commissioner, who is an
Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The BCP has six geographic zones, includes the Traffic Police, the City Armed Reserve, the Central Crime Branch and the City Crime Record Bureau and runs 86 police stations, including two all-women police stations.
["Bangalore City Police". Bangalore City Police. 2006. Karnataka State Police.] As capital of the state of Karnataka, Bangalore houses important state government facilities such as the Karnataka High Court, the
Vidhana Soudha (the home of the Karnataka state legislature) and
Raj Bhavan (the residence of the Governor of Karnataka). Bangalore contributes two members to India's
lower house of
parliament, the
Lok Sabha, and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly.
[11] Electricity in Bangalore is regulated through the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL). Like many cities in India, Bangalore experiences scheduled
power cuts, especially over the summer, to allow electricity providers to meet the consumption demands of households as well as corporations.
Economy
Main articles: Economy of Bangalore
Bangalore's
Rs. 260,260
crore (
USD 60.5
billion) economy (2002–03 Net District Income) makes it a major economic centre in India.
[. Department of Economics and Statistics. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 16 Dec. 2005. ] Indeed, Bangalore is India's fourth largest
["Bangalore most affluent market". 2006. Business Standard. Business Standard Limited. 23 Aug. 2006] and fastest growing market.
["Bangalore market to grow most". 2006. Business Standard. Business Standard Limited. 25 Aug. 2006] Bangalore's
per capita income of Rs. .49,000 (US$ 1,160) is the highest for any Indian city.
The city is the third-largest hub for
high net worth individuals (HNWI / HNIs), after
Mumbai and
Delhi. Bangalore is home to over 10,000 individual dollar millionaires and around 60,000 super-rich people who have an investable surplus of Rs. 4.5
crore and Rs. 50
lakh respectively.
["Bangalore third richest city in country".2007. Times of India.Times of India. 1 Apr. 2007] As of 2001, Bangalore's share of Rs. 1660 crore (US$ 3.7 billion) in
Foreign Direct Investment was the third highest for an Indian city.
[Mathur, Om Prakash. . 2006. The Urban Partnerships Foundation Aug. 2003] In the 1940s industrial visionaries such as
Sir Mirza Ismail and
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya played an important role in the development of Bangalore's strong manufacturing and industrial base. Bangalore is headquarters to several public manufacturing heavy industries such as
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Bharat Electronics Limited,
Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and
Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT). In June 1972 the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was established under the Department of Space and headquartered in the city. Bangalore is called the "Silicon Valley of India" because of the large number of Information Technology companies located in the city which contribute 38% of India's
Rs. 100,000
crore (US$ 22 billion) IT and software export market.
[. Nasscom. 2006. Nasscom] Bangalore's IT industry is divided into three main
"clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (
STPI);
International Technology Park Bangalore (ITPB), formerly International Technology Park Ltd. (ITPL); and
Electronics City.
Infosys and
Wipro, India's second and third largest software companies, have their largest campus in Electronics City. As headquarters to many of the global ''SEI-CMM Level 5 Companies'', Bangalore's place in the global IT map is prominent.
Infosys Headquarters
The growth of Information Technology has presented the city with unique challenges. Ideological clashes between the city's IT moguls, who demand an addressal of the infrastructural problems of the city, and the state government, whose electoral base is primarily rural Karnataka's agricultural workers, are aplenty. In July 2004 Wipro CEO
Azim Premji threatened to pull his company out of the city, stating, "We do not see the situation (state of Bengaluru's infrastructure) improving in the near future".
["Wipro threatens to quit Bangalore". Rediff. 2006. Rediff.com India Limited. 27 Jul. 2004.] It must be noted, however, that IT companies do not pay any property tax to the state government, depriving it of much needed revenue to improve infrastructure. However, most infrastructural improvements are done only in areas that directly benefit IT companies, leading to the perception that the common people of Karnataka are subsidising the already rich IT industry.
Biotechnology is a rapidly expanding field in the city. Bangalore accounts for 47% or 127 of the approximately 265 biotechnology companies in India.
Biocon, headquartered in Bangalore, is the nation's leading biotechnology company and ranks 16th in the world in revenues.
Transport
The HAL Airport has been an issue of contention between successive State and Central governments and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Bangalore's
HAL Airport (
IATA code: 'BLR') is India's third busiest
["Traffic Trends". Airports Authority of India. 2006. Government of India.] and functions as both a
domestic and
international airport and is well connected to several destinations in the world. The liberalisation of India's economic policies has led to an increase in the number of domestic carriers within India, with several carriers such as
SpiceJet,
Kingfisher Airlines,
Jet Airways and
Go Air servicing the city.
Air Deccan, with its hub in Bangalore, has the most number of flights into and out of Bangalore. Unlike most airports in the country which are controlled by the
Airports Authority of India, the
''quasi'' government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited owns and operates Bangalore's HAL Airport, and also uses it to test and develop fighter aircraft for the
Indian Air Force. The airport, being a relatively small one, is currently facing difficulties in handling the spurt in air traffic. This situation is expected to be eased when the new
Bangalore International Airport, which is being constructed in
Devanahalli in the outskirts of Bangalore, becomes operational. Currently targeted to be inaugurated in April 2008, this airport will have two runways and is being built to handle 11 million passengers per year.
[12]
Bangalore is well connected to the rest of the country through the
Indian Railways. The ''
Rajdhani Express'' connects Bangalore to
New Delhi. The city is also connected to
Mumbai,
Chennai,
Kolkata, and
Hyderabad, as well as other major cities in Karnataka. An intra-city rapid rail transport system called the ''Namma Metro'' is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2011. The
Bangalore Metro, once ready, will encompass a 33 km (20.5 mi) elevated and underground rail network, with 32 stations in ''Phase I'' and more being added in ''Phase II''.
Three-wheeled, black and yellow
auto-rickshaws, referred to as ''autos'', are a popular form of transport. They are metered and can accommodate up to three passengers. Taxi service within Bangalore is provided by several operators commonly referred to as ''Citi taxis'' which can take in up to four passengers and are usually metered and more expensive than auto-rickshaws.
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates a fleet of 4824 BMTC public buses, servicing an average of 3,700,000 commuters. While commuters can buy tickets on boarding these buses, BMTC also provides an option of a bus pass to frequent users. The regular buses of BMTC are blue-coloured and the fares on these buses are nominal. The new additions to BMTC are pink-coloured buses which are reserved exclusively for women and green-coloured buses reserved exclusively for holders of bus passes. BMTC also runs more than 48 air-conditioned red-coloured Volvo buses on major routes.
Demographics
The ''Bull temple'', one of Bengaluru's oldest temples
As of 2005 Bangalore had a population of over six million, making it the
third most populous city in India and the
27th largest city in the world by population. With a decadal growth rate of 38%, Bangalore was the fastest-growing Indian metropolis after New Delhi for the decade 1991–2001.
[globalization] Residents of Bangalore are referred to as ''Bangaloreans'' in English or ''Bengaloorinavaru'' in
Kannada. While
Kannadigas are the majority of the population, the cosmopolitan nature of the city has caused people from other states of India to migrate to Bangalore and settle there.
["Kannadigas assured of all support". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 23 July 2004] Scheduled Castes and Tribes account for 14.3% of the city's population.
Kannada, the official language of the state of Karnataka, is widely spoken in Bangalore.
According to the 2001
census of India, 79.37% of Bangalore's population is
Hindu, roughly the same as the
national average.
["Census GIS Household". censusindiamaps.net. 2006.] Muslims comprise 13.37% of the population, which again is roughly the same as the national average, while
Christians and
Jains account for 5.79% and 1.05% of the population, respectively, double that of their national averages. Women make up 47.5% of Bangalore's population. Bangalore has the second highest literacy rate (83%) for an Indian metropolis, after Mumbai. Roughly 10% of Bangalore's population lives in
slums
["Total Population, Slum Population...". Census of India, 2001. 2006. Government of India.] — a relatively low proportion when compared to other cities in the developing world such as Mumbai (42%) and
Nairobi (60%).
[Warah, Rasna. "Slums Are the Heartbeat of Cities". The EastAfrican. 2006. National Media Group Ltd. 6 October 2003] The 2004
National Crime Records Bureau statistics indicate that Bangalore accounts for 9.2% of the total crimes reported from 35 major cities in India. Delhi and Mumbai accounted for 15.7% and 9.5% respectively.
[. National Crime Records Bureau. 2006. Government of India. 2004.] Tensions between one of the minority lingual groups, the
Tamils, and the majority
Kannadigas have led to numerous altercations.
[Nair, Janaki. . Centre for Study of Culture and Society. 2006.] Later the same year, the Karnataka Government, acting upon the directives of the Government of India, agreed to release 205
tmc of water from the river Kaveri to the Government of Tamil Nadu, which resulted in anti-Tamil riots that left 20 people dead.
["Bollywood ban in language fight". BBC News. 2006. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 November 2004] After the demolition of the ''
Babri Masjid'' in the North Indian city of
Ayodhya in 1992, communal violence between Hindus and Muslims spread to Bangalore, during which Muslim houses and
huts as well as an
Arabic school for Muslim girls were raided and
torched.
["Communal Violence and Denial of Justice". Human Rights Watch. 2006. Apr. 1996]
Culture
Main articles: Culture of Bangalore
Bangalore is known as the "Garden City of India" because of its climate, greenery and the presence of many public parks, including the Lal Bagh and
Cubbon Park.
Deepavali, the "Festival of Lights", transcends demographic and religious lines and is celebrated with great vigour.
Dussera, a traditional celebratory hallmark of the old
Kingdom of Mysore, is another important festival. Other
traditional Indian festivals such as
Ganesh Chaturthi,
Ugadi,
Sankranthi,
Eid ul-Fitr, and
Christmas are also celebrated.
Bangalore is home to the
Kannada film industry, which churns out about 80
Kannada movies each year. Most Kannada movies are
musicals, and their soundtracks are very popular in the city. The popularity of Kannada movies has spawned a new colloquial
dialect, ''
Bangalore Kannada'', which draws upon youth culture and influences from English and other
Indian languages.
The diversity of cuisine available is reflective of the social and economic diversity of Bangalore. Roadside vendors,
tea stalls, and South Indian, North Indian,
Chinese and
Western fast food are all very popular in the city.
Udupi restaurants are very popular and serve predominantly vegetarian, regional cuisine.
Brigade Road
Bangalore has many clubs and bars, and is sometimes referred to as the "
Pub Capital of India". Bangalore also hosts many rock concerts, with
Iron Maiden,
Aerosmith,
Scorpions, Roger Waters, Uriah Heep,
Jethro Tull, Joe Satriani, INXS, No Doubt, Safri Duo,
Deep Purple,
Mark Knopfler,
The Rolling Stones, and
Bryan Adams, among others, having performed in the city.
Cricket is the most popular sport in Bangalore. A significant number of national cricketers have come from Bangalore, including current
Indian cricket team captain
Rahul Dravid. Other cricketing greats from Bangalore are
Gundappa Vishwanath,
Anil Kumble,
E.A.S. Prasanna,
Venkatesh Prasad,
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar,
Syed Kirmani and
Roger Binny. Many children play
gully cricket on the roads and in the city's many public fields. Bangalore's main international cricket stadium is the
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, which hosted its first match in 1974. Bangalore has a number of elite clubs, like the Bangalore Golf Club, the
Bowring Institute and the exclusive
Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members
Winston Churchill and the Maharaja of Mysore.
Education
Schools in Bangalore are either run by the state government or by private, sometimes religious, organisations. Private schools in Bangalore typically use
English as the medium of instruction and are affiliated with either the
Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the
Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Karnataka Secondary Education Examination Board. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in
Junior College (also known as Pre-University) in one of three streams —
Arts,
Commerce or
Science. Upon completing the required coursework, students enroll in general or professional degrees.
Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, Chief Engineer and later Diwan of Mysore (1912–19), played an instrumental role in shaping the early history of education in Bangalore
["Sir M. Visvesvaraya". Karnataka.com. 2006. Karnataka.com].
The University of Agricultural Sciences was started as a vocational school under his direction. He was also closely associated with the establishment of the
Indian Institute of Science in 1909, Sir M Visvesvaraya also founded the prestigious
University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering(
UVCE) in 1917. Bangalore is home to several other nationally renowned universities such as the
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B),
National Law School of India University,
National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences and
Bangalore Medical College.
St. John's Medical College and Bangalore Medical College are consistently ranked among the top ten medical schools in India. Bangalore's IT industry recruits extensively from the city's large pool of engineering colleges.
The National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) is one of the three places in India where
stem cell research is being done.
Media
Bangalore commands one of the largest
mass media markets in India. Major national English newspapers have subsidiary publications for the city, including ''
The Hindu'', ''
The Indian Express'' and ''
The Times of India'' (''
Bangalore Times''). ''
The Times of India'' is the most widely read newspaper in Bangalore. ''
Prajavani'', a sister publication of the ''
Deccan Herald'', is a popular Kannada newspaper in the city.
Vijaya Karnataka is the largest circulated Kannada daily in the city. Newspapers in other regional languages are also available in the city. National periodic journals and magazines such as ''
India Today'', ''
Frontline'' and ''
Outlook India'' also circulate widely in the city. Kannada periodical magazines such as ''Sudha'', ''Taranga'' and ''Mayura'' are also widely circulated.
In addition to the numerous
AM radio stations run by
All India Radio (AIR), Bangalore has private
FM radio stations such as
Radio City (91.1 MHz),
Radio Indigo (91.9 MHz),
Big FM (92.7 MHz),
S FM (93.5 MHz),
Radio One (94.3 MHz),
Radio Mirchi (98.3 MHz),
Fever 104 (104 MHz), and government-run FM stations such as
Vividh Bharati (102.9 MHz) and
IGNOU's
Gyanvani (107.6 MHz).
["Radio ga-ga: 6 more FM stations". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited. 6 January 2006.]
The state-run, nationally broadcast
DD National provides both national and localised television coverage.
Cable Television distributors provide cable channels of independently owned private networks such as
Star and
Udaya TV. These are broadcast in Kannada, English and Hindi. DTH (
Direct To Home) TV services are available from
Dish TV,
Tata Sky &
DD Direct Plus.
Sister cities
References
;Notes
1. The total area of Greater Bangalore has been mentioned in the Karnataka budget of 2007-08 as 741 km². Finance Budget for 2007-08
2. It will be `Bengaluru', resolves BMP
3. It’ll be ‘Bengaluru’ from Nov 1
4. Many miles to go from Bangalore to Bengalooru Vijesh Kamath
5. "The Mughal Throne", Abraham Eraly, Phoenix, London, Great Britain, 2004 (ISBN 0-7538-1758-6), Incidental Data, page 538.
6. FAQ
7. The Rediff Interview/ Dr S K Srivastav, additional director general, Indian Meteorological Department Onkar Singh
8. Rise in temperature `unusual' for Bangalore
9. Bangalore
10. . Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005. (page 30)
11. "Members of Karnataka Legislative Assembly". National Informatics Centre. 2006. Government of Karnataka
12. Expressway for airport drive R. Krishnakumar
;Additional sources
★ Hasan, Fazlul. Bangalore Through The Centuries. Bangalore: Historical Publications, 1970.
★ Vagale, Uday Kumar. . Digital Libraries and Archives. 2006. Virginia Tech.
27 April 2004.
★ . Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005.
★ Hunter, Cotton, Burn, Meyer.
"The Imperial Gazetteer of India". 2006. Oxford, Clarendon Press. 1909.
★ "Bangalore."
Encyclopedia Britannica. 1911 ed.
External links
★
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike - (Municipal government)
★
Bangalore one service portal
★
★
★
Bangalore's satellite map from
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