My impressions of Bangalore

From being a city that was entirely alien to me, Bangalore now seems to have an extensive history behind its Kannadiga dominated façade. I have now come to realize the background behind its multicultural nature. The fact that houses, people, not just from the southern parts of India, but also from all over the Peninsular subcontinent as well as Britain is due to the various events that took place in the context of its history. Also, staying in the isolated satellite town of Yelahanka, I had minimal information regarding the existing lifestyle in the city, let alone the Cantonment Area. Earlier, my impression of Bangalore was that of an orthodox city, rightly called the Pensioners’ Paradise with minimalistic shindig. However, I now in reality is incredibly aristocratic and well developed with a cosmopolitan outlook. This perhaps, is due to the influence of various multinationals, as well as, various IT firms that have been established in the Silicon Valley of India.

They are highly influenced by the other rapidly growing economies in terms of their vastly capitalistic approach, contrary to the socialist economy, which formed the basis for development after the Indian Independence. Also, I have been able to understand, what goes behind the scenes in the ‘glamorous’ lifestyles of IT professionals as well as Call Centre employees. Despite the comforts and luxuries available to them in abundance, they seem to lead a very disgruntled and displeased life. Living under the constant pressure of performing well and constantly being monitored for optimal performance, leads to several health perils, in the form of Hypertension and extreme stress. Also, the training that they go through has a high possibility of emotional as well as psychological degradation as they try overcoming their Mother Tongue Influence (MTI) on their speech. This brings me to question whether they are able to understand and experience the true nature of serenity and contentment in life as they live in a very materialistic and career centered environment. Additionally, the entire notion of uncertainty that runs parallel with their professional lives is further corrupting.

Moreover, I was able to recognize the root of the existence of the Anglo Indian Community and realized their importance in present day Bangalore as well as its bygone era. They were able to promote as well as accelerate the growth of English language as a mode of communication, making it Bangalore one of the largest English speaking areas. This has allowed effective communication with the world allowing the process of globalization to take place with a rapidly accelerating speed. Due to this, several foreign companies have been outsourced to Bangalore, which is the root cause of the phrase ‘ to be Bangalore-d’.

Furthermore, I learnt how the separate production units, differentiated on the basis of the final goods they provided, functioned with minimal interaction between these entities. Also, it was interesting to know how a caste system existed despite the society being relatively modernized during the British Raj. Also the attempts made to unite these separate entities by providing them with a social platform that had rather interesting consequences.

Also, while walking through the Cantonment Area, I realized how several facets of the British raj were still intact in the form of the architectural style as well as various statues such as that of the Queen at Cubbon Park.

I can now conclusively state that the ‘city of boiled beans’ had a rather vivid past as well as a present, however, there is a sense of materialism that has made its way into society, degrading certain social values, especially in the developed sector of society.