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Bangalore
BACKGROUND
& HISTORY
Bangalore
is the capital of Karnataka. The presence of a large number of
Indian defense and scientific labs and institutes of higher learning
has given Bangalore an orientation towards science and technology.
In recent years this has borne fruit in a big way -- it is India's
IT capital with a score of hitech firms setting up not just branches
but their global R&D centres as well...
Bangalore
is also an attractive city to work in, with an ambience quite
different from other Indian metros. The character of today's Bangalore
was created mainly by the British influence in the Mysore kingdom
of yesteryears, the extended military areas and the large labs
mentioned earlier.
The
cool weather was preferred by the British who never really adjusted
to the heat of Indian plains. Until recently Bangalore was sedate,
pleasant, and predictable. Now however visitors say it is becoming
--still becoming --an exciting, even upsetting, vibrant city.
HISTORY
Around
the 1500's there were many groups set on aggrandizement, like
the Vijayanagar empire, South Indian sultanates, the Marathas
and others. An upwardly mobile chieftain named Mr. Kempe Gowda
established a fortified encampment. This gradually developed into
the city of Bangalore. Later Tipu Sultan of Mysore built a park
and palace here. (In fact before Tipu was defeated by the British
he was about to set up a rival joint stock company to compete
with the East India Company, which ran most of the British possessions
in India of those days.) The town of Mysore closeby was the ceremonial
capital, while Bangalore was the commercial capital of the princely
state of Mysore.
The
Mysore kingdom which the British thought it politic to restore,
was considered very progressive compared to contemporary horror
stories. Far sighted statesmen who ran the state were very quick
on the uptake so to speak, thus Mysore had India's first iron
and steel works, besides hydroelectric power generation and the
like --as far ago as 1903. Bright and talented people from all
over India were attracted by Mysore state, so there is today a
remarkable level of culture and sophistication in Karnataka state
and Bangalore city.
Today,
executives of global multinationals too find it excellent : many
large global IT firms have a presence there. However the pace
of change has been very rapid. The earlier city was "over- planned"
in some visitors' opinion. But this careful and tidy planning
has gone haywire now. It is a boom town but the infrastructure
has to catch up.
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