Bangalore – it’s different (in a good way)
I’m in Bangalore right now, working during the week and exploring on the weekend. I thought it would be fun to describe what it’s like, as it’s certainly one of the most unusual experiences I’ve ever had. The photo above is the view from my hotel window. I wouldn’t say it’s the best advertising, but it’s a good place to start this description.
My hotel is on 100 Feet Road, a residential and commercial hub near the neighborhood of Indiranagar. The view outside my hotel is dusty, dirty, loud and yet – delightful: There are small tobacco shops and restaurants, lit by bright white hanging lightbulbs, and they stand out of the shadows in the evening, as locals stop by for tea and mill around the edges of the road. The traffic is incredible, a constant flow of cars, trucks, motorcycles and tiny three wheeled rickshaws. Honking is simply what one does behind the wheel here, before turns, after turns, while passing, while stopping… The equivalent of the US population is driving around and honking right now, continuing a never-ending cascade, and a day in the street will leave your ears ringing. I could probably write for days on the battery of sights, sounds and smells. The weather is a perfect 70-80 degrees (which is low because it’s December) and although I miss New York and the Christmas ramp up, the temperate climate is welcome. I was getting a little pale working in Turkey. Despite the nice weather, sometimes India is far to much for this boy from Ohio. Most days, I return to the hotel a bit dazed and craving dal, air conditioning and silence. Sweeeeeeeeet silence.
There are still enough air conditioners running here to provide the occasional two minute blackout, which creates a nice bonding point during meetings and interrupts my reading during dinner. The generators in my hotel (which I’m assured exist) are rather slow to respond. My only other two annoyances are cows and buses which seem to be the cause of every traffic jam and part of a cruel joke that someone is playing on me.
As a technologist (or perhaps just a geek), my thoughts in Bangalore often turn to the contrast – large IT companies in sterile compounds with fountains and palm trees are surrounded by enormous piles of trash and small vendors, mostly tea shops and tobacco stalls. At every moment, you can both count your blessings and marvel at the strength of the culture around you. I’m sitting in my hotel room, with free wireless, while outside not ten feet from my window, a gentleman is selling live chickens by the roadside. Somehow, it all works together – the same chicken seller is on his cellphone right now, asking for an updated price on his wares and most likely I’ll eat chicken later tonight. The roadside stand where I recharge my prepaid cell phone doesn’t have a floor, but the owner still wants to sell me a new bluetooth headset. All attempts to tell him that I hate my current headset are ignored – he’s convinced it’s because I don’t have one like he’s selling.
I was so impressed by the industriousness of the culture around me that I did some research (I’m amazed that my spell check says industriousness is a word). According to Internet World Stats, as of September 2009, there were 1.1 billion people in India and 81 million internet users, up from 5 million in 2000. That’s a whopping 1,520.0% growth. In contrast, in the US we had 307 million and almost 228 million internet users in September. That’s only 138% growth from 2000. I wonder which group is the more competent, the US 228 million or the Indian 81 million? A friend of mine here calls India a “freestyle” country. He’s probably right. Freestyle is a great way to describe the chaotic forward march of progress that you see everywhere.
If you get a chance to go to India, you should. It’s a tremendous experience and it’s certainly… different.
~ab
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