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Unboxing Bengaluru: The City of New Beginnings
India’s tech/startup industry today is estimated to be worth over $0.5 trillion, employing over 5 million people. And the stage for this incredible ‘tech-tonic’ rise and transformation of the country into the world’s software powerhouse, is Bengaluru.
Being the backdrop to this dramatic transition, Bengaluru has changed irrevocably. The city has been through many avatars―pensioner’s paradise, PSU capital, garden city, India’s Silicon city and pub capital. Once known for secure state and federal government jobs, it is now a buzzing startup hub attracting job-seekers from India and abroad. And the new monikers will continue. From ed-tech to health-tech, mobility to EVs, Bengaluru is at the heart of the multiple shifts underway in the digital era.
Truly, it is the city of new beginnings.
In Unboxing Bengaluru―the first ever deep-dive into the city―Malini Goyal and Prashanth Prakash ably unravel the city’s journey and the ensuing social, behavioural, technological and consumptive changes. They look at why people are drawn to the city; how the cosmopolitan culture and multi-linguistic society gives it a distinct flavour; the parallel economies that have cropped up; how the influx of young workers have changed the city; and the fault-lines of unplanned and poorly managed growth over the decades.
Richly researched and vividly written, Unboxing Bengaluru is filled with absorbing vignettes, extensive reportage and solid data. A fascinating book and a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the city, and indeed, India.
Being the backdrop to this dramatic transition, Bengaluru has changed irrevocably. The city has been through many avatars―pensioner’s paradise, PSU capital, garden city, India’s Silicon city and pub capital. Once known for secure state and federal government jobs, it is now a buzzing startup hub attracting job-seekers from India and abroad. And the new monikers will continue. From ed-tech to health-tech, mobility to EVs, Bengaluru is at the heart of the multiple shifts underway in the digital era.
Truly, it is the city of new beginnings.
In Unboxing Bengaluru―the first ever deep-dive into the city―Malini Goyal and Prashanth Prakash ably unravel the city’s journey and the ensuing social, behavioural, technological and consumptive changes. They look at why people are drawn to the city; how the cosmopolitan culture and multi-linguistic society gives it a distinct flavour; the parallel economies that have cropped up; how the influx of young workers have changed the city; and the fault-lines of unplanned and poorly managed growth over the decades.
Richly researched and vividly written, Unboxing Bengaluru is filled with absorbing vignettes, extensive reportage and solid data. A fascinating book and a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the city, and indeed, India.
- GenresNonfiction
398 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 30, 2023
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February 15, 2024
This book tells us the story of a serene, pristine city in the Southern part of India called Bengaluru, which has been famous for its greenery, giving it a name called 'The Garden City of India.'
The shift of Bengaluru to a tech hub synonymous with innovation and renowned for its cosmopolitan nature was gradual. The authors take the readers through the perspectives of various people who played a significant role in this transformation.
It explores deep into the history of Bengaluru and elucidates why Bengaluru was a city destined for success right from the 16th century.
The beauty of this book is that the authors don't stop after explaining the technological revolution that Bengaluru has been witnessing; they also show us how this is helping people from other sectors. They are also not reluctant to criticize certain actions taken by the Government and the entrepreneurs when their actions start chastising the common people.
What I learned from this book
1) How does Bengaluru play a major role in compassionate capitalism?
Compassionate capitalism is a term that has become more relevant in the last few decades. We can see how Bengaluru plays a major role regarding it in this book.
2) How does geography play an important role in determining the cosmopolitan nature of a city?
Geographical location has a significant role in the growth of a country. It is due to the presence of the Nile river that made the Egyptian civilization became one of the best that this world has ever seen. It is the presence of the port in the Atlantic Ocean and the proximity of the Hudson River that made NYC one of the biggest and most successful cosmopolitan cities in this world. Similarly, Bengaluru also has its own story to tell.
3) How has Bengaluru become India's tech capital?
There are many reasons why people prefer to build their startups in Bengaluru. The authors are trying to explore them in this book.
4) Why is Bengaluru called the real estate capital of India?
Bengaluru has been witnessing a sudden boom in real estate in the last two years.
5) When did Bengaluru start its transformation?
When we carefully observe history, we can see that the transformation of Bengaluru started many centuries ago.
6) What is Silicon Valley syndrome>
This is an important topic that needs deeper understanding and should be properly addressed in cities that have become tech hubs.
7) Why do many youngsters prefer Bengaluru over other cities in India?
Bengaluru is a city in India where the youngsters prefer to live. We can see this book discussing this topic.
8) What is the problem associated with the mixed use of real estate in Bengaluru?
The mixed use of real estate has its own sets of advantages and problems.
9) Why do Techies prefer Bengaluru over Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi?
This controversial topic is subjective and depends on the individuals. But still, we can't deny the fact that a significant chunk of techies prefer Bengaluru over other cities.
10) Is Bengaluru becoming a Tech capital of the world like Silicon Valley, or is it becoming a land of cyber coolies?
Cheap labor in India forced certain "Western tech pundits" to call the Indian Engineers a belittling term cyber coolies. The Indian Engineers responded to it by conquering almost all the higher positions in the tech world and becoming the CEO's of all the major tech companies.
My favourite four lines from this book
What could have been better?
There are a few areas in Bengaluru that should be quickly addressed, like its traffic problems and pollution. This book is trying to discuss a few of them.
But sadly, some of these topics were discussed only superficially. The way the book is trying to conclude how Bengaluru is better than other tech hubs like Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi is not cogent enough and might affect some readers' sentiments, especially if you are from any of the above cities.
Rating
4/5
This book shows us that Bengaluru's success is due to the hard work and cooperation of people from different sectors, and there is nothing clandestine behind it. It delineates that if Bengaluru can grow at this pace by tackling the competition from other cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Pune, there is a high probability that it will even surpass the success achieved by Silicon Valley in San Francisco.
Suitable for
All age groups.
Huge thanks to Penguin India for sending me a copy of this book.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Threads ID - Dasfill | X ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
The shift of Bengaluru to a tech hub synonymous with innovation and renowned for its cosmopolitan nature was gradual. The authors take the readers through the perspectives of various people who played a significant role in this transformation.
It explores deep into the history of Bengaluru and elucidates why Bengaluru was a city destined for success right from the 16th century.
The beauty of this book is that the authors don't stop after explaining the technological revolution that Bengaluru has been witnessing; they also show us how this is helping people from other sectors. They are also not reluctant to criticize certain actions taken by the Government and the entrepreneurs when their actions start chastising the common people.
What I learned from this book
1) How does Bengaluru play a major role in compassionate capitalism?
Compassionate capitalism is a term that has become more relevant in the last few decades. We can see how Bengaluru plays a major role regarding it in this book.
"Bengaluru is a thriving ecosystem of first-generation entrepreneurs who have reshaped not only their own destinies but also the destiny of the city they call home. People like Azim Premji, N.R. Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani and several others and I have not only created wealth but also ensured that we gave back to society. Bengaluru, often hailed as the philanthropy and activism capital of India, stands as a living testament to the power of compassionate capitalism."
2) How does geography play an important role in determining the cosmopolitan nature of a city?
Geographical location has a significant role in the growth of a country. It is due to the presence of the Nile river that made the Egyptian civilization became one of the best that this world has ever seen. It is the presence of the port in the Atlantic Ocean and the proximity of the Hudson River that made NYC one of the biggest and most successful cosmopolitan cities in this world. Similarly, Bengaluru also has its own story to tell.
"Karnataka is the only Indian state that shares land borders with six other Indian states—Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the north-east, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the south-east, Kerala to the south-west and Goa to the west. Much of Bengaluru's multicultural ethos and its cosmopolitan social fabric emanates from both its history (being an important trading hub) and its geography."
3) How has Bengaluru become India's tech capital?
There are many reasons why people prefer to build their startups in Bengaluru. The authors are trying to explore them in this book.
"Most locals would attribute it to the city's salubrious weather and the rich history of the city's rulers, right from Kempegowda. Newcomers would ascribe it simplistically to the tech boom and liberalization. To me, these replies seemed easy, lazy and shallow explanations of an answer that was complex, layered and nuanced. Something that required a deeper exploration.
Hyderabad has been trying hard to win the title of India's Silicon City for over a decade, attempting to woo tech companies with its superior infrastructure and red-carpet Government welcome. India's political capital and power center, NCR, has also entered the fray. From Kochi to Raipur, Bhubaneswar to Chandigarh, cities from all corners of India have tried hard to copy Bengaluru's playbook and build a vibrant startup hub. None of them come close as yet. Despite the evident challenges, what is so special about the city that makes it India's most vibrant tech hub? Of course, the city's startups, its entrepreneurial energy, top tech talent—all of it powered by billions of dollars of venture capital—make it special. But there is something else at play here. Under the radar, away from the public gaze, Bengaluru has a secret sauce that is far more powerful, far more potent and very hard to replicate. Sharad Sharma jokingly calls it 'the Kaveri water magic.' Under the hood, behind Bengaluru's crumbling hardware—its infamous creaky infrastructure—is the city's powerful and super-efficient 'software.' The city pulsates with a multitude of informal networks on which mafias are built and serendipity engineered.
In Delhi, techies are second-class citizens. Politicians, bureaucrats and the trading class make up the top tier. In Bengaluru, techies are the top layer. They are the moneyed and aspirational class."
4) Why is Bengaluru called the real estate capital of India?
Bengaluru has been witnessing a sudden boom in real estate in the last two years.
"The city's real estate market is on fire. In 2022, it led with 14.5 million square feet of office leasing, growing 19 per cent year on year, according to a Knight Frank India report. 'Bengaluru is the real estate capital of India. Nowhere in Asia Pacific do we see such a scale of construction happening as it is in Bengaluru,' says Ankur Srivastava, head of real estate consultancy firm GenReal. The city is the second-largest iPhone market after Delhi.13 It leads India on digital transactions. Between January and October 2022, it witnessed 14.82 million transactions valued at Rs 3,620 crore.14”
5) When did Bengaluru start its transformation?
When we carefully observe history, we can see that the transformation of Bengaluru started many centuries ago.
"The sixteenth century, for instance, when Nadaprabhu Kempe Gowda, a chieftain under the Vijayanagara empire, ruled. He is credited with being the founder of present-day Bengaluru and the city's airport is named after him. With a rare wisdom and far-sightedness, he built one of the biggest mud forts of that era, and also many water reservoirs and stormwater drains (called rajakaluves) to secure supply in a city that did not have a natural source of water. Besides, he built sixty-five specialized markets or petes—like Chikpete for wedding dresses and Balepete for bangles—to make it a major trading hub. Or you could go back to the eighteenth century, when Tipu Sultan—the original rocket man of India—ruled."
6) What is Silicon Valley syndrome>
This is an important topic that needs deeper understanding and should be properly addressed in cities that have become tech hubs.
"Benefits of the tech boom and its downsides. Both arrive at similar conclusions: that the tech boom brings a lot of benefits but it has its downsides. One of the two studies was done by Yale's Doris Kwon and UCLA's Anderson's Olav Sorenson. Their paper, published in 2021, calls it the 'Silicon Valley syndrome'. It suggests that major tech hubs like Silicon Valley have become more and more unequal. The high-tech industry's growth creates strong multiplier effects, including job creation, but it fails to adequately benefit low-skilled non-tech workers. Its success crowds out the non-tech industry by pushing up the costs for capital, talent, and resources and making them less competitive. Further, as well-paid tech jobs push up living costs in these hubs, it is the low-skilled non-tech poorly paid workers in the service economy who suffer the most. They see their incomes eroded due to high housing and living costs."
7) Why do many youngsters prefer Bengaluru over other cities in India?
Bengaluru is a city in India where the youngsters prefer to live. We can see this book discussing this topic.
"Despite India's feudal and patriarchal underpinnings, young women recall an evolved cosmopolitan city, a city where they were freer than their peers elsewhere in India to wear what they wanted and moved around—alone or with men—in public spaces. 'I fell hopelessly in love with Bengaluru, its trees, roads and the sense of freedom it gave me. You could wear jeans and shorts here,' recalls Anupama Rammohan, an HR consultant who grew up in a 'fairly protected middle-class family' in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu."
8) What is the problem associated with the mixed use of real estate in Bengaluru?
The mixed use of real estate has its own sets of advantages and problems.
"The mixed use of real estate has helped Bengaluru startups and establishments find commercial spaces at reasonable costs. But it has also led to chaotic growth, parking woes and nightclubs blaring loud music deep into the night. Popular Darshini Rameshwaram Café in Indiranagar faced the ire of residents because of the road congestion, haphazard parking and littering it was creating."
9) Why do Techies prefer Bengaluru over Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Delhi?
This controversial topic is subjective and depends on the individuals. But still, we can't deny the fact that a significant chunk of techies prefer Bengaluru over other cities.
“Many liken Bengaluru’s cosmopolitan ethos to Mumbai. But Mumbai is costlier and fast-paced, where Bollywood glamour and stock market gyrations set the pulse and ambitions for the residents. As a tech hub, Bengaluru's biggest competitor is Hyderabad. Good infrastructure, proactive governments and their continuous support since the 1990s has helped Hyderabad. But Hyderabad's superior hardware pales in front of Bengaluru's super-efficient software. Hyderabad-based Jitendra Emmani, founder of startup Picxy, recalls how, in 2019, he tweeted about his upcoming travel to Bengaluru and seeking meetings from executives in the startup world. Techstars India MD Ray Newal responded. 'We met and over coffee I was able to raise $120k. This can never happen in Hyderabad,'"
In Hyderabad, where the rich have made money by traditional means like real estate, 'caste, class and culture play a big role in shaping money decisions. People don't trust outsiders easily,' he says. In Chennai, the rich club is mostly dominated by traditional business families, with each member drawing a salary, and financial decisions are taken by a large family committee. Delhi is the city of dealmakers, transactions have black and white colours, fascination with real estate is high, and the show-off culture dominates. All this shapes how the rich deploy their money. Bengaluru is a picture in contrast. Full of first-generation entrepreneurs, 'the rich here have a higher risk appetite. Raising money here is easier,' says Shenoy. Having role models like Wipro's Azim Premji and Infosys's N.R. Narayana Murthy—who have middle-class frugality baked into their DNA—also helps. Fortunes and success in the cyclical tech and startup world can often be volatile and fickle. New technologies can shuffle the pecking order frequently. This helps keep the elite club grounded and humble. Also, in the ever-evolving and expanding world of technology, where life isn't always seen as a zero-sum game, 'you don't begin by doubting people here. Trust is easier to build as often, both parties may have something to gain,' says Desai. As a result, collaboration is easier, new ideas face low barriers and pay-it-forward culture thrives.
10) Is Bengaluru becoming a Tech capital of the world like Silicon Valley, or is it becoming a land of cyber coolies?
Cheap labor in India forced certain "Western tech pundits" to call the Indian Engineers a belittling term cyber coolies. The Indian Engineers responded to it by conquering almost all the higher positions in the tech world and becoming the CEO's of all the major tech companies.
"The enterprising founders bet on India's abundant supply of engineers and its low-cost labor arbitrage to offer IT services to MNCs globally. Focused on body shopping (hiring low-cost tech workers in a developing country like India and contracting their services on a tactical basis to serve customers in developed markets), employees of such organizations were often pejoratively called cyber coolies.
India's refreshing new narrative has a protagonist. Its new makeover has a change agent. A torchbearer that can be credited with hoisting India onto the world's technology map. That's Bangalore—now called Bengaluru—India's tech capital for you.
'Bengaluru engineers serendipity like no other city I have known. That's what makes it so special.'"
My favourite four lines from this book
"Bengaluru is the city of ideas, the city of the future."
"His secret to staying relevant and reinventing: stay connected to the younger lot, spot landscape shifts to pivot and switch your community in tandem.'"
"Bengaluru is the only temperate Indian city, not just in its weather but also the mindset. Unlike Delhi and Mumbai, where everything seems to be so hard fought, Bengaluru is an easy-come-easy-go city where you can do your own thing."
"They became successful not because they knew someone but because they knew something and made money ethically.
In an article in Harvard Business Review, Johansson concludes that successful careers result more often from 'serendipitous encounters, unexpected changes in plans and random consequences' than from logical explanations, recommendations, pathways and approaches."
What could have been better?
There are a few areas in Bengaluru that should be quickly addressed, like its traffic problems and pollution. This book is trying to discuss a few of them.
"Amid massive growth, tragically, the city doesn't even have a master plan. These days, Bengaluru often makes headlines for all the wrong reasons like potholed roads, garbage dumps and infamous traffic jams.
Leading the country, Bengaluru has often been called the suicide capital of India."
But sadly, some of these topics were discussed only superficially. The way the book is trying to conclude how Bengaluru is better than other tech hubs like Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi is not cogent enough and might affect some readers' sentiments, especially if you are from any of the above cities.
Rating
4/5
This book shows us that Bengaluru's success is due to the hard work and cooperation of people from different sectors, and there is nothing clandestine behind it. It delineates that if Bengaluru can grow at this pace by tackling the competition from other cities like Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, and Pune, there is a high probability that it will even surpass the success achieved by Silicon Valley in San Francisco.
Suitable for
All age groups.
Huge thanks to Penguin India for sending me a copy of this book.
—————————————————————————
You can also follow me on
Instagram ID - Dasfill | YouTube Channel ID - Dasfill | YouTube Health Channel ID - Dasfill - Health | YouTube Malayalam Channel ID - Dasfill - Malayalam | Threads ID - Dasfill | X ID - Dasfill1 | Snapchat ID - Dasfill | Facebook ID - Dasfill | TikTok ID - Dasfill1
May 29, 2025
My love for this city has increased more than my frustration about it.
December 15, 2023
Highly relevant and informative overview of India’s Silicon Valley - what makes it one of the best cities in the world and the monumental problems it is currently facing. The authors have done a great job at kickstarting a movement and as the web3 hub of india, I’m sure all of Web3 will want to support this movement too.
April 3, 2025
Having lived in the city all my life and only now discovering its nooks and crannies for myself, I realise how much I still don't know about it. This book is by no means one that provides historical information. Rather, it attempts to capture the city as we know it now, its giest if you will, and it succeeds to a certain extent through interviews with prominent people, everyday people, and those who've migrated here. Specifically, the chapter on parallel economy opened up perspectives I had not considered before. Anyway, here are some random tidbits from the book that helped me understand my city a little more:
1. Urban to urban migration as opposed to the most commonly seen rural to urban migration.
2. Cheaper than Mumbai, safer than Delhi.
3. Infrastructure that global cities usually have is missing. Prakash Padukone says: "The only thing that hasn't changed in Bengaluru is the weather, because politicians don't have control over it."
4. Urban voter apathy and peripatetic migrant workers mean voter turnout is low.
5. Pay it forward culture when it comes to start up culture. With no prior relationship, no agenda, one receives help out of the blue and from someone who could have easily said no.
6. The importance of a city as put by Paul Graham: "No matter how determined you are, it's hard not to be influenced by the people around you. It's not so much that you do whatever a city expects of you, but that you get discouraged when no one around you cares about the same things you... Most people who did great things were clumped together in a few places where that sort of thing was done at the time." Very apt for Bengaluru's culture around startups.
7. Bengaluru is the country's pet capital!!!
8. The parallel economy of migrant workers is booming as well because of the tech sector's disposable income.
9. Tech boom has not benefited low-skilled non-tech workers. Income has not kept pace with inflation.
10. WHERE'S THE MAYORRR????!!!
1. Urban to urban migration as opposed to the most commonly seen rural to urban migration.
2. Cheaper than Mumbai, safer than Delhi.
3. Infrastructure that global cities usually have is missing. Prakash Padukone says: "The only thing that hasn't changed in Bengaluru is the weather, because politicians don't have control over it."
4. Urban voter apathy and peripatetic migrant workers mean voter turnout is low.
5. Pay it forward culture when it comes to start up culture. With no prior relationship, no agenda, one receives help out of the blue and from someone who could have easily said no.
6. The importance of a city as put by Paul Graham: "No matter how determined you are, it's hard not to be influenced by the people around you. It's not so much that you do whatever a city expects of you, but that you get discouraged when no one around you cares about the same things you... Most people who did great things were clumped together in a few places where that sort of thing was done at the time." Very apt for Bengaluru's culture around startups.
7. Bengaluru is the country's pet capital!!!
8. The parallel economy of migrant workers is booming as well because of the tech sector's disposable income.
9. Tech boom has not benefited low-skilled non-tech workers. Income has not kept pace with inflation.
10. WHERE'S THE MAYORRR????!!!
June 22, 2024
The book is a crash course on the history, dynamics, culture and problems of the city. Worth reading for anyone who wants to move to Blr or is interested in the tech ecosystem.
August 27, 2024
In terms of getting personal with the subject matter, Unboxing Bengaluru takes the cake. I have lived in this city for over a decade, graduated from the corridors of its engineering colleges and worked from home in the city through the pandemic. I went into this book with an innate curiosity to answer a simple question – How did Bangalore evolve into the city it is today? How does a city like Bangalore host India’s premier science university and the HQ of India’s biggest startup exit?
In that sense, Malini Goyal and Prashanth Prakash’s book does a good job in getting me up to speed. This book is not specialist, it tackles Bengaluru through many lenses without diving too deep in each one. There is an overall focus on seeing the growth of Bengaluru from its Public Sector days to the “Startup Capital of India” through the eyes of the city’s workers, its residents, and its wealthy migrants.
I would call this book a great aggregator and a fantastic anthology of perspectives on this city. After having read it, I have not substantially gained a lot of information but the connections between disparate blocks of information are more robust and I can see a clearer picture.
I boil this down to the fact that it is hard to be surprised by a city you grew up in but I liked the chapters tracing the inception of the city’s tech culture. Malini Goyal spends many chapters detailing the trajectory of the city from IISC -> PSU -> IT MNC -> Startup, as a reader I was taken aback by how quick Bangalore is to reinvent itself to the tides of change. If I was a retired pensioner from HAL in the city, I would go to sleep dreaming that my ooru of lakes, parks and lush greenery would last forever. Little would I predict that companies like Infosys and Wipro could set my ooru down a completely different trajectory.
I am also fascinated by how stalwarts like Azim Premji and Nandan Nilekani set up such robust examples on how to deal with fame. I cannot think of any other entrepreneur who has done more for the nation than Nilekani, with his pioneering roles at UIDAI with Aadhar, UPI and now ONDC. I see Zerodha’s founders as being true exceptions for the next generation of entrepreneurs in today’s VC infested world of valuations and funding. India needs counterexamples to the Ambani/Adani story, and now I know my city offers a few of those.
Being a male engineer who graduated from the Sciences, I wasn’t tuned into how artistic my city is. I was surprised to read the many initiatives – India’s Music Experience Museum, Museum of Art, and Photography – all cropping up in my city. There is so much art in this tech-filled city which gets drowned out in news concerning which startup has gone bust recently.
Even the chapters detailing civic activism also warmed my heart, although the voter turnout in Urban Bengaluru (52%) was just as chilling. As an Indian expat now, I see my own apathy towards my city reflected in the insights about the “2G Hardware” of the city.
I loved the dual analogy of Bangalore’s problems through the lens of 2G and 5G – A city that is pioneering the next decades of businesses built in India, while simultaneously being a city that cannot transport its people or drain its sewage. Malini Goyal’s prose does this very well throughout the book, highlighting how Bengaluru is plagued by problems scattered across 2 eras. The first set of problems seem reminiscent to Silicon Valley today, while the other seems more reminiscent to post-partition India.
Lastly, Malini Goyal takes a balanced view into this city so full of heart. Being from Delhi herself, she distributes praise and critique in equal measure.
In that sense, Malini Goyal and Prashanth Prakash’s book does a good job in getting me up to speed. This book is not specialist, it tackles Bengaluru through many lenses without diving too deep in each one. There is an overall focus on seeing the growth of Bengaluru from its Public Sector days to the “Startup Capital of India” through the eyes of the city’s workers, its residents, and its wealthy migrants.
I would call this book a great aggregator and a fantastic anthology of perspectives on this city. After having read it, I have not substantially gained a lot of information but the connections between disparate blocks of information are more robust and I can see a clearer picture.
I boil this down to the fact that it is hard to be surprised by a city you grew up in but I liked the chapters tracing the inception of the city’s tech culture. Malini Goyal spends many chapters detailing the trajectory of the city from IISC -> PSU -> IT MNC -> Startup, as a reader I was taken aback by how quick Bangalore is to reinvent itself to the tides of change. If I was a retired pensioner from HAL in the city, I would go to sleep dreaming that my ooru of lakes, parks and lush greenery would last forever. Little would I predict that companies like Infosys and Wipro could set my ooru down a completely different trajectory.
I am also fascinated by how stalwarts like Azim Premji and Nandan Nilekani set up such robust examples on how to deal with fame. I cannot think of any other entrepreneur who has done more for the nation than Nilekani, with his pioneering roles at UIDAI with Aadhar, UPI and now ONDC. I see Zerodha’s founders as being true exceptions for the next generation of entrepreneurs in today’s VC infested world of valuations and funding. India needs counterexamples to the Ambani/Adani story, and now I know my city offers a few of those.
Being a male engineer who graduated from the Sciences, I wasn’t tuned into how artistic my city is. I was surprised to read the many initiatives – India’s Music Experience Museum, Museum of Art, and Photography – all cropping up in my city. There is so much art in this tech-filled city which gets drowned out in news concerning which startup has gone bust recently.
Even the chapters detailing civic activism also warmed my heart, although the voter turnout in Urban Bengaluru (52%) was just as chilling. As an Indian expat now, I see my own apathy towards my city reflected in the insights about the “2G Hardware” of the city.
I loved the dual analogy of Bangalore’s problems through the lens of 2G and 5G – A city that is pioneering the next decades of businesses built in India, while simultaneously being a city that cannot transport its people or drain its sewage. Malini Goyal’s prose does this very well throughout the book, highlighting how Bengaluru is plagued by problems scattered across 2 eras. The first set of problems seem reminiscent to Silicon Valley today, while the other seems more reminiscent to post-partition India.
Lastly, Malini Goyal takes a balanced view into this city so full of heart. Being from Delhi herself, she distributes praise and critique in equal measure.
January 16, 2024
It took me 1.5 months to read this one, but was definitely worth the time ❤️
Learnt so much about Bangalore, the Good, the bad and the Ugly ....gave many points to ponder/ to reflect and beyond.
A good read for everyone in Bangalore / outside of it who would want to understand what makes Bangalore what it is. Highly recommended. It has researched data , interviews from multi perspectives and for multi purposes.
It's especially interesting for so many of us , non Bangaloreans who have made it home. Why ? For that , go and read the book ❤️😁 Trust me , it's worth the time and every penny :
#unboxingbengalaru #bengaluru
Learnt so much about Bangalore, the Good, the bad and the Ugly ....gave many points to ponder/ to reflect and beyond.
A good read for everyone in Bangalore / outside of it who would want to understand what makes Bangalore what it is. Highly recommended. It has researched data , interviews from multi perspectives and for multi purposes.
It's especially interesting for so many of us , non Bangaloreans who have made it home. Why ? For that , go and read the book ❤️😁 Trust me , it's worth the time and every penny :
#unboxingbengalaru #bengaluru
April 15, 2024
My confidence in the research took a beating early on when the authors called a group of very good Indian scientists, ‘ Nobel Laureates’ ( they aren’t) along with CV Raman, who indeed did win one. If an obvious google searchable fact could be wrong, how could I believe other less searchable bits?
Wild editing. The attribution to random people felt like when my mom sends wedding invites, “ oh! Can’t miss that auntie who’s your half cousin thrice removed? Can we”.
Corporate speak and jargons were distracting. Some historical tidbits were good, and so were personal stories at the backend- my two stars instead of zero- unfortunately the authors didn’t dig deeper. Being a Bangalorean, I was looking forward to reading this book but felt let down.
Wild editing. The attribution to random people felt like when my mom sends wedding invites, “ oh! Can’t miss that auntie who’s your half cousin thrice removed? Can we”.
Corporate speak and jargons were distracting. Some historical tidbits were good, and so were personal stories at the backend- my two stars instead of zero- unfortunately the authors didn’t dig deeper. Being a Bangalorean, I was looking forward to reading this book but felt let down.
March 23, 2025
The Book looks at Bengaluru through multiple lenses - as a city, as a migrant hub, as a job creator, as the best landing city for globe trotting executives, as a city for after-hours pursuits. The book also discusses the civic initiatives and the problems of rapid urbanization related to the city. The book is Bangalore-specific and also compares its developments vs Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad. However, many of the trends and developments also resonate with respect to the changes that India has been undergoing.
February 24, 2024
A good book for newbies in Bengaluru or someone who wants to start learning about the Tech Capital of India. While I felt closer to the city after reading this book, I wish there were stories or incidents capturing the ordinary habitant of cities. The author nicely captured the extremes living and working in Bangalore - the housekeeping, salon workers, drivers to entrepreneurs and successful techies.
However there was something missing for me to relate to- a non-techie hailing from Delhi, trying to build a new life in Namma Bengaluru.
However there was something missing for me to relate to- a non-techie hailing from Delhi, trying to build a new life in Namma Bengaluru.
January 26, 2024
A wonderful book that gives detailed understanding about how the silicon valley of India developed over the years, it's civic issues, known and unknown people who make this city lively, startup focused and tech driven.
November 16, 2025
Interesting but very long. Information could have condensed a lot, remaining only the important bits. Listening to the podcast of the author on Seen and the unseen could provide 80% of the information saving valuable time. Still readable to the person interested in banglore cities current state.
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