‘Bengaluru is a city that offers different types of Bengaluru, all coexisting’

Bengaluru is a city of new beginnings, offering a unique mix of culture, history, and start-up energy. Unboxing Bengaluru: The City Of New Beginnings captures its energy, dynamism, and charm, while Bangalore Through the Centuries offers insights into its complex history, architecture, and myths. Both books provide a holistic view of the city, allowing readers to explore its past and present.

“Bengaluru is a city in search of an identity,” said journalist Shrabonti Bagchi, who was mediating a session titled Unboxing Bengaluru: The City of New Beginnings, at the Bangalore Literature Festival, which began here on Saturday.

The conversation, which also included authors Malini Goyal and Prashanth Prakash, delved into these writers’ recently released book Unboxing Bengaluru: The City Of New Beginnings, springboarding into the larger city and what its core identity really is today.

“This book does a great job of capturing Bengaluru’s energy, its dynamism and the certain indefensible charm of the city,” said Ms. Bagchi, who described it as a city of new beginnings with a changing DNA,” while Ms. Goyal described Bengaluru as a city that offers different types of Bengaluru all coexisting together. “We felt that the city has to come together; we need to unbox the city for its people and for the world to understand it as well,” she added.

She also spoke about how the city was more than just about start-ups; the book, she hoped, would offer readers a more holistic view of the city. “We wanted to envisage it as a contemporary biography of Bengaluru, and capturing that was a challenge, but it is definitely an interesting part of this book,” she said.

Yet, the start-up culture is clearly an important aspect of the city. At the session, Mr. Prakash delved into the genesis of this aspect of the city. “Everybody came to Bengaluru to start fresh with a dream, which has a beginning, and I think that’s the core narrative that is presented,” he said, adding that the city has encountered immense migration and continues to. “Migration of talent from multiple places was unique to this city, I don’t think I’ve seen such high-quality talent, where people want actually to build and create something, anywhere else,” he said. 

On the other hand, Bengaluru’s many history enthusiasts were in for a treat at a session titled Bangalore through the Centuries with urban planner Naresh Narasimhan and Ameena Shaheen. Focusing on M. Fazlul Hasan’s iconic book, Bangalore Through the Centuries, which was reprinted after 53 years, thanks to Mr. Narasimhan’s efforts, the session offered insights into the original book as well as the ancient history and lost magic of the Garden City.