Bangalore
Bangalore (
Kannada: ; in Kannada and /'/ in
English) is the capital of the
Indian
state of
Karnataka. Located on the
Mysore Plateau in southwestern Karnataka, Bangalore has an estimated metropolitan population of 6.1 million (2006), making it India's
third-largest city and
fifth-largest metropolitan area. Though historical references to the city predate 900 CE, a written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537, when
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.
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,
Bengalūru. The new name was expected to be effective from November 1, 2006.
["Exit Bangalore, enter Bengaluru, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai". The Times of India. 2006. The Times Group. 6 Dec. 2005] However, after changes in the political leadership of the state government, it is unclear whether the proposed name change will be implemented.
["Cabinet to be expanded on Friday, Name Change". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 14 Feb. 2006]During the
British Raj, Bangalore developed as a center for colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the
Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrant
Tamil,
Telugu and
North Indian workers for developing and maintaining the infrastructure of the cantonment.
[Destination: Bangalore. Dir. Jim Kerns. 2005] The city's temperate climate, which is milder than those of other cities in the country, has been a major attraction to people from other parts of India.
After India gained
independence in 1947, Bangalore evolved into a manufacturing hub for
public sector heavy industries—particularly
aerospace, space and
defence. The establishment and success of
high technology 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 Dec. 2004] 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.
The name Bangalore is an
anglicised version of the city's name in the
Kannada language, Bengalūru. The earliest reference to the name
Bengalūru 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). In this inscription found in
Begur,
Bengaluru is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890 AD. It states that the place was part of the Ganga kingdom and was known as
Benga-val-oru, the "City of Guards" in old Kannada. An article, published in
The Hindu, states
["Inscription reveals Bangalore is over 1,000 years old". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 20 Aug. 2004]:
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] 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 (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which was eventually colloquialised to
Bengalūru. The city as it is known today was named by
Kempe Gowda I.
An inscription found near
Begur, reveals that the district was part of the Ganga Dynasty until 1004 CE and was known as Benga-val-oru, the
City of Guards in old
Kannada. The
Cholas of
Tamil Nadu ruled over the city from 1015 to 1116 until the town came under the rule of the
Hoysala Empire. Modern Bangalore was founded by a
feudatory of the Vijayanagara Empire, Kempe Gowda I, who built a mud fort 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
petes (
IPA://) or localities. The town had two main streets:
Chickpete Street ran east-west and Dodpete Street ran north-south. Their intersection formed Dodpete square — the heart of Bangalore. Kempe Gowda's successor, Kempe Gowda II, built four famous towers that marked Bangalore's boundary.
[Vagale, Uday Kumar. "Public Space in Bangalore: Present and Future Projections". Digital Libraries and Archives. 2006. Virginia Tech. 27 Apr. 2004.]During the Vijayanagara rule, Bangalore was also referred to as
Devarāyanagara and
Kalyānapura ("City Auspicious").
[K. Chandramouli. "The City of Boiled Beans". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 25 Jul. 2002]After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, Bangalore's rule changed hands several times. It was captured by the
Maratha chief
Shahaji Bhonsle prior to a
Mughal invasion. The city became part of the Kingdom of Mysore when the Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb leased Bangalore to Chikkadeva Raja
Wodeyar in 1689. After the death of Krishnaraja Wodeyar II in 1759,
Haider Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Mysore Army, proclaimed himself the
de-facto ruler of Mysore. The kingdom later passed on to Haider Ali's son
Tipu Sultan, known as the
Tiger of Mysore. Bangalore was eventually incorporated into the
British East Indian Empire after Tipu Sultan was defeated and killed in the
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799). The British returned administrative control of the Bangalore
pete to the
Maharajah of Mysore, choosing only to retain the
cantonment under their jurisdiction. Under British rule, Bangalore was incorporated into the
Madras Presidency. 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.
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The South Parade and MG Road are important social and cultural landmarks of the Bangalore Cantonment. |
In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a
twin city, with the
pete, whose residents were predominantly
Kannadigas, and the Bangalore Cantonment, whose residents were mostly migrants from Tamil Nadu.
[Digital Libraries and Archives]Bangalore was hit by a
plague epidemic in 1898 that dramatically reduced its population. 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 was included in the dominion of
Mysore State. 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
Kodagu. 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 multistorey apartments.
[Benjamin, Solomon. "Governance, economic settings and poverty in Bangalore".Environment&Urbanization Vol 12 No 1 2006. United Nations Public Administration. 1 Apr. 2000.]The establishment of multinational companies such as
ANZ Bank and
Citibank as well as international
fast food chains such as
Pizza Hut and
Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in the 1990s continued to expand foreign investment in Bangalore. The city witnessed one of its largest media events ever when it hosted the 1996
Miss World beauty pageant, which was seen by over two billion viewers worldwide.
["A Globalized Culture Clash". Public Broadcasting Service. 2006. Public Broadcasting Corporation. Jan 2003.]Many of these developments were met with opposition from groups fearing the loss of the city's national and linguistic identity. Widespread protests organised against the
Miss World contest by women's organisations led to the arrests of about 1,000 protesters. In 1996 farmer activists attacked and damaged the KFC outlet in Bangalore, accusing it of "representing western food habits which are not needed in India".
[ "McDonald's plans expansion despite war fears:Reuters". Rediff.com. 2006. Rediff.com India Limited. 7 Nov. 2001]Through the 1990s the state government promoted large-scale development projects such as the construction of sports
stadia and exclusive apartment complexes, which resulted in the demolition and resettlement of poorer settlements to distant peripheral locations.
[1990s] In the mid-1990s, Bangalore's economy grew many fold because of the
software boom. Contrastingly, employment opportunities in almost all other sectors, in the city's manufacturing industries, declined.
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A street map of Bangalore depicting the Bangalore Cantonment enclave surrounded by Bangalore city localities. |
Bangalore is situated in the southeast of the
South Indian state of Karnataka. It is located 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 2190
km² (1,360
mi²). Bangalore District borders with
Kolar District in the northeast,
Tumkur District in the northwest,
Mandya District in the southwest,
Chamarajanagar District in the south and the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu in the southeast. The Bangalore Urban district is divided into three
taluks:
Bangalore North, Bangalore South and
Anekal. The Bangalore North taluk is a relatively more level plateau, while the Bangalore South taluk has an uneven landscape with intermingling hills and valleys.
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 Arkavathi, arises within the city at
Basavanagudi and flows through the city. Together, rivers Arkavathi and Vrishabhavathi 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 Mar. 2004]In the 16th century, Kempe Gowda I constructed many lakes to meet the town's water requirements. Later in the 20th century, the Nandi Hills
waterworks, commissioned by
Sir Mirza Ismail (
Diwan of Mysore, 1926"41), provided adequate water supply to the growing city. Bangalore currently relies heavily on water
reservoirs from the Kaveri
basin and on Vrishabhavathi and Arkavathi
water treatment plants to meet the water needs of its population of six million. 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 Jun. 2003.]However, water shortages, especially during the summer, are commonplace. 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.
["Environmental Impact Analysis". Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005.]For purposes of comparison, India's metropolitan cities
Ahmedabad,
Delhi and
Kolkata were classified as having heavy pollution, while Bangalore and
Mumbai were categorised as having moderate pollution.
[Panwar, Sharma. "Air Quality: Status And Classification Of Cities Based on Indicators". Tata Energy Research Institute. 8 Dec. 2004] |
The Agara Lake, at sunset. Bangalore has a large number of lakes — of these Sankey lake, Ulsoor lake and Yediyur lake are the most prominent. |
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. Bangalore receives adequate rainfall from the Northeast
Monsoon as well as the Southwest Monsoon. 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. Bangalore has not been affected by major
seismic activity due to it being located in a seismically stable zone (Zone II). Only mild tremors have been recorded in the city.
Because of its elevation, Bangalore enjoys a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded is 38°
C (102°
F) and the lowest is 11°C (52°F).
["Historical Weather for Bangalore, India". Weatherbase. 2006. Canty and Associates LLC. ]Winter temperatures rarely drop below 12°C;(54°F), and summer temperatures seldom exceed 38°C; (100°F). The wettest months are August, September and October, in that order. The summer heat is moderated by fairly frequent
thunderstorms, and occasional squalls cause power outages and local flooding. Most of the rainfall occurs during in late afternoon, evening or night, and rain before noon is infrequent. The heaviest rainfall recorded in a 24-hour period is 180
mm (7
in) recorded on
1 October 1997.
| Bangalore City officials | | Mayor | Mumtaz Begum |
| Municipal Commissioner | Kalaikurchi Jairaj |
| Police Commissioner | N Achuta Rao |
|
 |
The Karnataka High Court, also called Attara Kacheri, is the supreme judicial body in Karnataka and is located in Bangalore |
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 other municipal corporations such as those in
Yelahanka,
Bommanahalli, Kengeri, Krishnaraja Puram and
Whitefield. The city 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 Nov. 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, terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystem were close to
ideal, while the city's socioeconomic parameters (
traffic,
quality of life) scored poorly.
["Environmental Impact Analysis". Bangalore Metropolitan Rapid Transport Corporation Limited.. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 2005. (page 30)] 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.
[[http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jun292005/state1911192005628.asp "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. 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 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 Feb. 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. "Analysing Urban Solid Waste...". 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 Traffic Police, City Armed Reserve, Central Crime Branch and 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, Vidhana Soudha and
Raj Bhavan. Bangalore contributes two members to India's
lower house of
parliament, the
Lok Sabha, and 24 members to the Karnataka State Assembly.
["Members of Karnataka Legislative Assembly". National Informatics Centre. 2006. Government of Karnataka] 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.
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The Public Utility Building on MG Road is an important commercial landmark in Bangalore. |
Bangalore's US$ 47.2 billion economy makes it a major economic centre in India.
["All India figures at a glance". Department of Economics and Statistics. 2006. Government of Karnataka. 16 Dec. 2005. ] As of 2001 Bangalore's share of US$ 3.7 billion in
Foreign Direct Investment was the 3rd highest for an Indian city.
[Mathur, Om Prakash. "Impact of globalisation on cities and city-related policies in India". 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 Earth Movers Limited (BEML) and (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 US$ 22 billion (
Rs. 100,000
crore) IT and software export market.
["Annual Report, 2004-05". Nasscom. 2006. Nasscom] Bangalore's IT industry is divided into three main
"clusters" — Software Technology Parks of India, Bangalore (
STPI);
International Technology Park Ltd. (ITPL); and
Electronics City.
Infosys and
Wipro, India's 2nd and 3rd largest software companies, have largest campus in Electronics City. As headquarters to 38% of global
SEI-CMM Level 5 Companies, Bangalore's place in the global IT map is prominent.
["IT Scenario Karnataka - IT Industries". Department of IT and Biotechnology. 2006. Government of Karnataka. ] 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 traditionally
bureaucratic state governments, 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 Bangalore's infrastructure) improving in the near future".
["Wipro threatens to quit Bangalore". Rediff. 2006. Rediff.com India Limited. 27 Jul. 2004.] The Hosur Road, which connects Bangalore to the Electronics City, is a heavily congested road in the city. The road is also part of the
National Highway (NH7) and therefore witnesses heavy
truck traffic as well.
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. The
Bangalore Stock Exchange is the largest in South India.
 |
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 fourth busiest
["Traffic Trends". Airports Authority of India. 2006. Government of India.] and functions as both a
domestic and
international airport. Direct flights from Bangalore fly to destinations in
Asia, the
Middle East and
Europe. The liberalisation of India's economic policies has led to increase in the number of domestic carriers within India, with several low-cost 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 dual-vested interests in the airport along with an increase in air traffic to Bangalore led to a prolonged tussle for operational ownership between the HAL and the Government of Karnataka. In 1991 plans for a large-scale
Bangalore International Airport were conceived; however, the project was repeatedly delayed due to
red tape and friction between the private companies involved and the state government. Clearance for the construction of the US$ 288 million (Rs. 1,300 crore) airport was eventually granted in June 2004, with
Siemens AG,
Zurich Airport and
Larsen and Toubro as its major private stakeholders. Construction work on the airport began in July 2005.
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 (formerly Madras), Kolkata and
Hyderabad and to other major cities in Karnataka. 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
City Taxis and can take in up to four passengers and are usually metered and relatively more expensive than auto-rickshaws.
Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) operates a fleet of 3,207 BMTC public buses, servicing an average of 2,800,000 commuters.
["At Present". Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation. 2006. Government of Karnataka.] An intra-city rapid rail transport system called the
Bangalore Metro is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2008. The 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.
However, despite all of this, Bangalore's infrastructure is not accomodating enough for the thousands who travel around its roads everyday. Traffic jams are very frequent and many roads are not paved. Though plans are underway for a Metro and for several highways, the work is being hampered by the state government. Though the IT companies in Bangalore have started several projects with their own finance, the government's refusal to cooperate has put a stop to these ventures.
As of 2005 Bangalore had a population of over six million, making it the 3rd 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. While Kannadigas accounted for 38% of the population, sizable minorities from Tamil Nadu,
Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh and
Maharashtra exist.
["Kannadigas assured of all support". The Hindu. 2006. The Hindu Group. 23 Jul. 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, as are
Tamil,
Telugu,
Urdu and
Hindi. English is the
lingua franca of the city's
white-collar workforce.
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. The city's workforce structure is predominantly non-agrarian, with only 6% of Bangalore's workforce being engaged in
agriculture-related activities. 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 such as Mumbai (54%) and
Nairobi (60%).
[Warah, Rasna. "Slums Are the Heartbeat of Cities". The EastAfrican. 2006. National Media Group Ltd. 6 Oct. 2003] Bangalore's
per capita income, at 2001 levels is
US$ 1,110.03 (Rs. 53,625).
[slumpopulation]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.
["Crime in Mega Cities". National Crime Records Bureau. 2006. Government of India. 2004.].
Communal tensions between the city's two largest ethnic groups, the Kannadigas and the Tamils, have led to numerous altercations. In early 1991, tensions between the two groups flared up with the proposed installation of a statue honouring the Tamil poet
Thiruvalluvar in the city. Widespread
agitation and
protests organised by groups sympathetic to Kannadigas led the Commissioner of the Bangalore City Corporation to withdraw permission to unveil the statue, which remains wrapped under cloth.
[Nair, Janaki. "Battles for Bangalore...". 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 Nov. 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] In 1997 the demolition of a stone structure in a
mosque in
Jayanagar led to violence in sensitive areas in the city that left four dead.
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 movies each year in
Kannada. 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, 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. Bangalore has many clubs and bars, and is sometimes referred to as the
Pub Capital of India. Popular nightspots in Bangalore include HiNT,
Pecos and
TGIF. Bangalore is also a popular venue for
Western rock concerts, with
Mark Knopfler,
Jethro Tull and
The Rolling Stones,Joe Satriani,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 and
Anil Kumble,
E.A.S. Prasanna,
Bhagwat Chandrasekhar,
Javagal Srinath. Many of the city's children play
gully cricket on the roads and in 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,
Bowring Institute and the exclusive
Bangalore Club, which counts among its previous members
Winston Churchill and the Maharajah of Mysore.
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 enrol 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 directives. He was also closely associated with the establishment of the
Indian Institute of Science in 1909,
University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering in 1917 - popularly known as
UVCE. 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 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.
International Institute of Information Technology - Bangalore (iiit-b), is one of the new generation premier Graduate schools in India offering M.Tech. and PhD programs in the field of Information Technology.
Bangalore has a number of
public libraries with free entry to all visitors. The oldest of the
the city's public libraries is located in the historical Sir Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall in Cubbon Park.
Bangalore commands one of the largest
mass media markets in India. Major national English newspapers have
subsidiary publications for the city, including the
Times of India (
Bangalore Times),
Hindustan Times,
The Hindu and
Indian Express. The
Deccan Herald is the largest circulating newspaper in the city and is headquartered in Bangalore. The
Prajavani, a sister publication of the
Deccan Herald, is a popular Kannada newspaper in the city. Vijaya Karnataka claims to be 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 heavily in the city. Kannada periodic 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 five
FM radio stations —
Radio City,
Radio Mirchi,
Radio One, Gyanvani and All India Radio's
Rainbow FM, and many more are on their way. Plans to add new FM stations have been approved by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Successful bidders for radio broadcast licenses in Bangalore include
Radio Mid-Day.
["Radio ga-ga: 6 more FM stations". Deccan Herald. 2006. The Printers (Mysore) Private Limited. 6 Jan. 2006.] The state run, nationally broadcast
Doordarshan provides both national and localised television coverage.
Cable Television providers air cable channels of independently owned private networks such as
Star and
Udaya TV. These are broadcast in English and Hindi as well as in Kannada.
*
WikiSatellite view of Bangalore at WikiMapia *
Bangalore Development Authority*
Bangalore Mahanagara Palike*
Bangalore cyber police*
Bangalore City Police*
Information on various Govt. Departments*
Links to various departments
