From electricity to Electronics City: Tracing Bengaluru’s journey to becoming the tech capital Premium
The Hindu
It’s no secret that several entrepreneurs who flocked to Bengaluru to set up their start-ups have struck gold; But did you know that Bengaluru’s evolution as the start-up capital has a shiny little connection with the yellow metal, literally?
It’s no secret that several entrepreneurs who flocked to Bengaluru to set up their start-ups have struck gold. But did you know that Bengaluru’s evolution as the start-up capital has a shiny little connection with the yellow metal, literally?
To be more precise, it all started at the Kolar Gold Fields, explains Vinay Parameswarappa, founder of Gully Tours.
“It’s not something that happened overnight. Waves of innovation across time have led to this, and for Bengaluru, the beginning of the wave was gold found in Kolar.”
Kolar Gold Fields was electrified in 1902 to aid the process of mining gold. Electricity was drawn by harnessing the Cauvery Falls at Shivanasamudra hydroelectric power station, Asia’s largest. This was followed by a proposal to divert the surplus power generated to electrify the city of Bengaluru. Then Maharaja of Mysore Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV approved the proposal in 1904, and 104 streetlights came to life near K.R. Market in August 1905, followed by more. Bengaluru thus became one of the first cities in Asia to be electrified.
The electrification that happened very early on led to modern industries and a culture of innovation in the city, says Parameswarappa.
“We had people like Sir M. Visvesvaraya who said, ‘Industrialise or perish.’ From the Bhadravati Iron and Steel Plant to the Paper Mills to Mysore Sandal Soap, a variety of industries cropped up in the region.”
Talking to the enthusiastic crowd gathered to participate in Gully Tours’ first Bengaluru start-up trail for the public, Parameswarappa shed light on the myriad chapters of history that culminated in the city becoming the Silicon Valley of India. The trail was led by Raksha Shenoy and Parameswarappa.
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