Work in Bangalore; Stay in Europe

‘Work in Bangalore, Stay in Europe’, announced a billboard advertising yet another apartment complex, as I walked along the dusty, narrow, one lane road that connects Jakkur and Amruthahalli. Far cry from the M5, this road. I wondered what part of Europe this billboard was referring to. Maybe Europe started only once we entered the hallowed portals of the complex. The menacing looking security guy who could easily have been an immigration officer in Berlin, checking your dirty-looking Indian passport and grudgingly applying an entry stamp on your visa.

Blame it on the IT boom or our own middle-class notions of equating a luxurious lifestyle with that of the West. Whether it’s a Purva with the Venetian concepts or a Brigade that promises a Gateway between Heaven and Earth – builders are wooing Bangaloreans with fancy names and promises of Western living right here in Bangalore or upcoming Devanahalli. The trend to christen the huge townships and villas with names of exotic flowers (Petunia, Chrysanthemum), precious gems (Coral, Jade) or on foreign (mostly English) towns persist. So one can find a Knightsbridge in Whitefield, a Fairmont in HSR Layout, and an Alpine apartment in Hebbal or even a Marble Arch (See the Original) down the Lingarajapuram flyover!

Back in the Eighties, naming a house was an auspicious affair, probably during the ‘Gruhapravesham’. Names like ‘Santrupti’, ‘Ananda Nilaya’, ‘Shreyas’ or ‘Sri Nivas’ were popular. Names of Gods and Elders were recurring themes.

Contrast this with the realty section of any newspaper today, which almost looks like the travel section – developers selling us dreams of Spain, Italy or England. Or Paradise. My friend Sudhir bought an apartment in ‘Mantri Paradise’ on Bannerghatta Road in 2001. Life was far from Paradise for him during the years when the road lay in utter neglect and disrepair. However, property prices in the area have shot through the roof – his investment has appreciated over 300%. Maybe this was the Paradise the builders were talking about.

The less said about the more exotic names, the better. I couldn’t see a single orchid in Sobha Orchid, definitely no emeralds on display in Sobha Emerald, and utter cacophony of construction was all I could near Adarsh Rhythm.

Says a senior Manager from HM Constructions – "Most of our customers are either NRIs or from the IT sector. It is easier for the Marketing Department to sell with these fancy names." As the city goes global, so do the names.

Builders are selling us dreams of world-class living with fancy names and great look-and-feel. Wasn’t this what Yash Chopra did with his slickly packaged movies shot in foreign locales? Reality hit when you stepped out of the movie hall and came on to the noisy roads – just like it does when your car gets out of Prestige Notting Hill and on to crowded Bannerghatta road.

Comments:

  1. Deepa Mohan says:

    Let’s not forget Swiss Town and Hollywood Town…and I am not joking, there was land on sale in a layout called Aero Zonaa…it was near BIAL airport!

    Thanks, I really enjoyed this.

  2. Shruti Ramesh says:

    Enjoyed your blog πŸ™‚ Its soo true, a transition from traditional and auspicious names to something fancy and trust me it is working with the kind of immigrants we have to B’lore.

  3. Siri Srinivas says:

    Rarely do I read something that makes me smile these days. Broke the drought. Thank you! πŸ™‚

    (Case in point, I live in an apartment whose name is a spin off of a famous Hollywood Movie Studio! He He He)

  4. Poornima Dasharathi says:

    Deepa,
    any residential layout near BIAL has an ‘Aero’ in it. Looks like they all live in air:)
    Shruti,
    I trust you completely. I’ve seen people who flaunt their residence names as status symbols.
    Siri,
    You a Hollywood Star and we didn’t know about it:)
    Am glad all of you enjoyed this.

  5. Nayana Shah says:

    Whats in a name guys ! Fact of the matter is Orchid in Jakkur has world class facilities – like a STP treatment plant for water recycling and pneumatic pumps which give the perfect pressure for the jacuzzis. The swimming pool is much larger than any swimming pool I’ve seen. Emerald is a beautiful town house community – just the drive way into that large community & I need to remind myself that this is indeed Bangalore.

    So forget the names….look under the cover.

  6. Mohan says:

    Interesting blog post. Bangalore-native, now transplanted, I am fascinated by the changes.
    I guesss, it is all about getting a slice of the Indian-dream (equivalent of American/European) dream which the marketers are pandering to.

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