In October I had the opportunity to spend three weeks in India. I stayed in Bangalore, the capital of the State of Karnataka. With a population of 8.5 millions, Bangalore is the fourth largest metropolitan area in India, after Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai and it is the second fastest growing major metropolis after Surat.

Kempfort Shiva - Bangalore

Above all, Bangalore is the "Silicon Valley of India". It represents  the hub for many IT Companies: for instance, the Headquarters of Infosys and Wipro, the third and fourth largest software Indian Companies are located there. Bangalore also hosts Business and Technologic Outsourcing Centers of many corporations such as ABB, Boeing, Google, Hp, IBM, Nokia and Philips. This makes Bangalore the first outsourcing destination in the World according to Tholons Top 100 Outsourcing Destinations.

A new business center

It is useful to point out that Bangalore has always represented one of the most high-tech city of the region: for instance, it has been one of the first city in Asia to have electricity.

The economic growth of the last ten years has deeply touched this city. With $83 Billion per year and an annual growth of 10%, this metropolis is currently the fourth contributor of the Indian GDP after Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.

Which are the most significant outcomes of this incredible growth?

The economic development has attracted people from different parts of India for the opportunities to easily get a job. The immigration has completely changed Bangalore: more buildings have been erected, taking away green spaces; moreover, almost everybody had been able to buy a personal vehicle so traffic and pollution became the first evident effect of the growth. In fact, Bangalore is in the top-10 most polluted cities in India.

Traffic in Bangalore

From the other side, prosperity has meant better condition of life, more professional and educational opportunities but, at the same time, also the increase of inequality. It is very common to see poverty and opulence in the space of few meters in the same street.

The wealth is also evident looking at the boost of the Income per capita: in 2000 in the state of Karnataka it was around 17.500 Rupees (250 Eur), now it is around 77000 (about 1000 Eur) - Per Capita Income of India. Also the cost of life is not as low as it could be expected, but actually comparable to the Eastern Europe: Bangalore is the third most expensive city in India after Dehli and Mumbai.


A cow in the street

Bangalore shows positive and negative effects of its economic growth. Even if it is considered one of the best city to live in India - for the business opportunities, the nightlife and the climate - it presents many contrasts. It is possible to find a nice street or beautiful temples and then, suddenly after the corner, seeing some cows browsing in the garbage.

Finally, in every big city in Europe we can see social and environmental imbalance, but in Bangalore those elements seem multiplied by 100 folds.
Anyway, quoting the former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about this modern megalopolis: "Bangalore is a brand the world identifies India with. It is also the single biggest reason why India has become such a hot investment destination".