International Mumbai: Consumers in Full Bloom

For those who do not know, Bangalore is in South India in the state of Karnataka. It is the I.T. capitol of India, sort of like Silicon Valley. My friend, Raina, lives there. I know Raina through the Operation Smile Cleft Care Centre in Guwahati. She was the child-life specialist at the centre, but she is now based out of Bangalore and travels all over Asia, training other child life specialists. She loves kids and is extremely passionate about Operation Smile. I became quite close to her in Guwahati, and I have never been to Bangalore, so I went to visit her. She so graciously let me invade her life and her weekend.

After a flight delay and a cancellation out of Mumbai, I made it to Bangalore on Friday night. Usually when you drive through an Indian city at nighttime, you will see hundreds of people sleeping on the street. From the Bangalore airport to Raina’s house, which is a one-and-a-half hour drive (welcome to India’s big cities), I only saw ten people who had set up a movable bed on the sidewalk. When I landed back in Mumbai (on Sunday night), it would have been impossible to count how many men, women, and children had set up blankets on the sidewalk for the night. Yes, of course, Bangalore has beggars and people trying to rip you off, but not to the extent that Delhi or Mumbai have. South India tends to be more prosperous than North India. Most of the southern states are clean, highly educated, speak English, and have large numbers of Christians. Karnataka has all of these features, not quite to the extent of its neighboring states Kerala or Tamil Nadu, but close.

Many of the educational advertisments in the middle of the road.

Bangalore has boomed as a consumer nation. In the past two years, twenty-six malls have been built. Just as there is a Starbucks or a McDonalds on every corner in the United States, so is there a mall on every corner in Bangalore. I am not just talking about a complex of a few stores (although many of those exist as well). I am talking full-fledged, gigantic malls, which have food courts and playgrounds and stores of every kind (western to Indian and everything in between). The food courts are filled with Taco Bell, McDonalds, and KFC, and plenty of Indian fast food chains. If you are lucky, you might find a Krispy Kreme. Every single one of these malls is booming with business. They are crowded but well-kept.

Malls after malls after malls.

In case you want some Taco Bell...

Because of the IT companies, Bangalore is a young city. It is also a hub for high ranked colleges and universities, making Bangalore an even younger city. The numbers of young Asians (Chinese in particular) and other young foreigners is astounding. Because of this, there are even a few “Tibet malls” in Bangalore. These are outdoor-like complexes that sell cheap and cute female clothing from Chinese and Korean designers. They are stationed all over the city, and girls who attend one of the many colleges and universities buy their clothes here. All of the merchandise is shipped in massive amounts from Korea and/or China. Shirts, dresses, pants, shorts, bras, underwear; anything and everything in any size, shape, color, pattern, form you could ask for is smashed together and crammed into these tiny tiny stores. They are owned by Koreans or Chinese or another Asian nationality. Store after store after store, all selling similar clothing and shoes, with Korean/Chinese models plastered all over the dressing rooms.

The view from Raina's building.

Bangalore is similar to Delhi in that Delhi has space to grow out, while Mumbai only has space to grow up. So, Bangalore does not have many residential skyscrapers although many are being built. The luxurious residential apartment scheme is beginning in Bangalore and will probably get more pronounced. Raina lives in a huge residential apartment complex. In it there are 400 apartments, a swimming pool, a grocery store, a day-care, and other facilities like basketball courts and tennis courts. It is a life unto itself.

Laughing with Raina and Ajit.

We ate delicious south Indian food, which is my favorite type of Indian food, and wandered through the city looking at temples, churches, and British architecture. I had such fun participating in the different lifestyle there. The Vice President of Operation Smile Asia, Ajit Varma, also lives in Bangalore. He took us to the Bangalore club, which "was established in 1868 as the Bangalore United Services Club in the traditions of the Colonial Clubs for the officers of the British Empire." The facilities are beautifully British. It was a great weekend, and I cannot believe how much we managed to fit in to forty eight hours.

Sending the travel bug your way,
Hannah Dobie

P.S. For more information on luxurious residential buildings in India, I encourage you to read the NY Times article here.