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Few
Cities in the World has the power to attract and motivate a casual
visitor to move there permanently. Bangalore is one of those rare
cities which makes people who are new to the City to call themselves
proud Bangaloreans. However the name Granite City has nothing to
do with residences. It is another name given to the city for its
Granite Exports alongwith software and flowers.
Bangalore,
with a wonderful climate is already a Pensioner's Paradise. With
well developed residential areas, broad roads with well grown trees
on both sides, good shopping malls, no wonder people prefer to move
here permanently.
Bangalore was already called the Electronic City of India but the
establishment of the Silicon Park on the out skirts has converted
it into the Silicon City of the world. The city is the playground
of many Indian as well as multinational Infotech companies. Bangalore
has made a niche for itself in the international arena in terms
of its growth and with major players in the IT industry gaining
footholds here, Bangalore came to be best known within India for
being the country's unofficial high-tech capital.
The
City of Bangalore has been growing at a rapid pace on all fronts.
It was Kempegowda who was responsible for building the modern city
of Bangalore (c1537), erecting a mud fort here to the north of the
now existing fort which covered the area of Avenue Road and its
surroundings. This he is said to have done at the instructions of
Emperor Achutaraya and it is he who raised the Basavanagudi(temple)
and expanded the Gavigangadhara and Someshwara temples. He is also
credited with the construction of the Sampangi tank, the Kempambudhi
and the Dharmambudhi tanks in Bangalore.
New extensions were added to the old town by creating Chamarajapet
and Sheshadripuram in 1892, the former named after Chamarajendra
Wodeyar and the later after Dewan Sheshadri Iyer. The Tata Silk
Farm founded in 1896 near the Nagasandra and Yediyur villages became
the nucleus of a future extensions of the city.
Two
new bigger extensions, Basavanagudi (named after the Basaveshwara
Temple or the Bull Temple in the Sunkenahalli village) and Malleshwaram
(named after the Kadu Malleshwara Temple in the old Mallapura village).
Kalasipalyam (near the old fort) and Gandinagar were laid out between
1921-1931. During the post-Independence period Kumara Park came
into existence in 1947 and Jayanagar was inaugurated in 1948.
The
former Cantonment, named as Civil and Military Station after 1881
had nearly a dozen revenue villages in it which included Binnamangala,
Dodkunte,Domlur, Nilasandra, Blackpalli and Ulsoor. The names given
to the roads in the Cantonment were according to the military arrangement
and campus. Thus, there was Artillery Rd., Brigade Rd., Infantry
Rd., Cavalry Rd., etc. The South Parade (presently Mahatma Gandhi
Road) was to the south of the Parade Ground.
As
the area was administered by a Resident, there was his quarters
called Residency and hence the Residency Road. In around 1883, three
extensions were added to the Municipal area of the region, viz.,
Richmond Town, followed by Benson Town and Cleveland Town. Blackpally
is the present Shivajinagar area. At Binnamangala was created the
Indiranagara extension during the late 1960s.
Many
new firms/Companies came up in areas like Airport Road, M.G.Road,
Cunningham Road, Infantry Road, Hosur Road, Whitefield and the Electronic
city. The well planned residential areas near these places are Koramangala,
Jayanagar, J.P.Nagar and (HAL) Hindustan Aeronautics. Newer areas
like Bannerghatta are also considered by those who do not need to
live near the city.
The
older parts of Bangalore though a bit crowded, are livable, especially
if one seeks a regional cultural flavour. Kannada and Marathi speakers
are found in larger numbers in Malleswaram and Basavangudi :Tamils
in Ulsoor and Shivajinagar. Thippasandra is little Kerala. Cox Town
and Frazer Town has a decided Christian flavour. The Gujarati and
Marwadi communities predominate in the old business areas near the
Railway station. On the whole the modern town areas like Jayanagar,
Koramangala, Sadashivanagar and Indiranagar are cosmopolitan. The
latest layouts are beginning to show a sprinkling of people from
several countries. (because of the IT boom).The Karnataka Government
has identified an 'IT Corridor' in Bangalore and is expected to
spend a whopping Rs.200 crore over the next two years developing
it. This IT corridor stretches from Whitefield through Indiranagar,
Koramangala, Hosur Road, HSR Layout, Electronics City, JP Nagar
and Banashankari. Since most IT companies are located in this corridor,
their employees too, of course, prefer to live in adjoining areas.
Which is why Airport Road, M.G. Road, Hosur Road, Cunningham Road,
Infantry Road, , Whitefield, Electronic City, Koramangala, J.P.
Nagar, Jayanagar and HAL are areas of choice for most IT professionals.
Some of the popular residential areas within the city are
Palace Orchards/Sadashivnagar
This area is located north of the city centre.
With property prices in the higher brackets, it is possibly the
most up-market residential area in Bangalore.
M.G. Road/Brigade Road
M.G. Road and Brigade Road are the main commercial areas of Bangalore.
Residential areas nearby are Brunton Road, Rest House Road, St.
Mark's Road and Lavelle Road.
Airport Road/Indiranagar
An eastern suburb, Indiranagar is easily accessible from both the
city centre and the Airport.
Koramangala
Located south of Indiranagar, Koramangala is quite a favourite with
IT professionals. Despite being 7 kms from city centre, property
values here are quite high.
Ulsoor
The scenic man-made lake in Ulsoor has seen a spurt of building
activity in the last few years. Its proximity to M.G Road has jacked
up the property prices here.
Jayanagar/J.P. Nagar/Banashankari
The proximity of these areas to Electronic City has been the main
reason for their growth in the recent past. However Jayanagar is
one of the largest colonies in Asia and these areas are the most
popular areas of Bangalore.
Malleshwaram /Basavanagudi
While Malleshwaram is in the north of Bangalore, Basavanagudi is
in the south. Both these areas are the oldest in Bangalore and most
of the residents are all original inhabitants of the City. 8th Cross
in Malleshwaram, and Gandhibazar/ DVG Road in Basavanagudi are the
most popular areas in Bangalore for shopping during festival times.
Malleswaram has been home to several important personalities and
institutions. Bangalore's own Nobel laureate, C.V. Raman, the late
Veena Doreswamy Iyengar, and M. Chinnaswamy after whom the cricket
stadium is named, academician M.P.L. Sastry, poet G.P. Rajaratnam
and Dewan Seshadri Iyer all lived here. Among institutions here
are the Canara Union club set up by Konkani-speaking people in 1930
that to this day hosts a variety of cultural activities, the Malleswaram
Association, hub of the area's sporting activity since 1929, and
the Chowdaiah Memorial hosting all the great names in music and
theatre. According to recent figures available with the Bangalore
Development Authority (BDA), Malleswaram's net population density
is 521 persons per hectare, while Bangalore City Corporation standard
is 352 per hectare.
Some
of the other prominant areas in the City are Sanjay Nagar and RT
Nagar, Hebbal, Vyalikaval, Yeshwanthpur, Sriramapura, Rajajinagar,
Vijayanagar, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Chickpet, Chamarajpet, V V Puram,
Mavalli, Hanumanthanagar, Padmanabhanagar, Hosakerehalli, Sarakki,
BTM Layout, Domlur, Gandhinagar, Vasanthanagar, Vivek Nagar, Cox
Town, Frazer Town, Benson Town.
Local Transportation in Bangalore is very good. The city buses run
by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation can get you
to any place in the city. Most popularly called by its erstwhile
name of "BTS", these buses although can help you reach
your destination safely, they do not keep time. So the best way
to get around Bangalore is with the alternate tranport called the
Auto rickshaw. Rickshaw
rides are the most nostalgic form of local transportation. It is
the classic mode of getting around in the city which is now more
and more popular with commuters. A rickshaw is a three wheeler which
fits two or three people and is also a cheap way of travelling around
the city. The fares are usually 1.5 times the normal fare if you
travel before 6.00 am or after 10.00 pm. A picture of the aut rickshaw
is to the right.
Bangalore with its numerous nick names also sometimes referred as
the country's unofficial high-tech capital, because of the booming
software exports and being the centre for information & technology
in India. It is also a major industrial and commercial centre with
scientific and research activity. However of late, the city is losing
some of its international investors to its neighbours Hyderabad
and Chennai.
The
main reason being that the prime real estate in the centre of
Bangalore is still undeveloped, as are large swathes of greenery,
which together with the parks, provide the lungs of the choking
city. Investment in infrastructure has not been forthcoming, which
is one of the major hurdles. Pavements are rarely seen other than
around MG Road. In 1960, there were 20,000 vehicles on the roads,
now there are 1,300,000 and the authorities themselves put the
capacity of the roads at only 350,000. The international airport
planned at Devanahalli, near Bangalore is only in paper. Pot holed
roads, daily power cuts, water shortages, poor public transportation,
inadequate housing and increasing pollution are just some of the
problems that have come hand in hand with the city's success.
A good thing that happened to Bangalore is the construction of
62-km six-lane outer ring road (ORR) which was
the best solution for decongesting the heavy vehicular traffic
from the central city and links up with the national and the State
highways. The ORR was conceived in the 1980s and was bogged down
by illegal temples and structures that came up along it and land
acquisition problems. At one time, BDA had 40 litigations on its
hands. The Outer Ring road connects BTM Layout, J.P. Nagar, Banashankari,
Jalahalli, Hebbal, Hennur, Koramangala, K.R. Puram and Hosur Road.
Bangalore's
poor bus system is unable to cope with demand either within the
city centre or in the new outlying business districts. As a result,
employees are often transported in and out in private company coaches
and the city has seen a massive increase in the number of both two-wheeler
and three-wheeler vehicles, popularly called as auto rickshaws are
often, the most polluting forms of transport. Private Taxis called
City taxis have recently become a very popular mode of transport
for the public. These radio taxis are operated from a common control
room and the Regional Transport Authority has permitted three private
companies and the Karnataka Radio City Taxi Owners and Drivers'
Association to offer the service. However there are several illegally
operated radio taxis also which the authorities have warned the
public to be aware of.
Every city has its own culture, traditions and customs. Bangalore,
too, has its own distinct personality and way of life. However there
are no major or special care one needs to take while visiting.
JAI
KARNATAKA | JAI KANNADA MATHE | JAI BENGALURU
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