<p>There’s hardly any other city in the State that can boast of such a rich history, heritage and royalty than Mysore.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The City, in fact, finds itself on the list of the very few elite cities that have not lost their identity in the mad race over something called ‘progress’, a process that at times doesn’t integrate too well with a city’s people and their heritage. It isn’t bad news yet, but in 2011, Mysore accepted a few signs of a ‘modern’ city. Whether one wants to interpret this change as another side of the otherwise complacent Mysorean, or as an inevitable and gradual pace at which the City gave itself into the hands of powers that be; change there is.<br /><br />The traditional, religious and quiet Jayalakshmipuram, which was once known to host the premier studio, Central Institute of Indian Languages and ‘Basapppa aaspatre’ for those who came from nearby villages, today boasts of Mysore’s first shopping mall with a supermarket, DRC Cinemas, a multiplex with four screens (yes, there’s 3D too) and the quintessential KFC. Mysoreans have welcomed it without much hassle, and DRC has integrated well into their weekends, sometimes even dominating their to-do list. That the locals own DRC is something that gives a lot of relief to the people of the City.<br /><br />Brands flaunt themselves big time at the Mall of Mysore, which has given Devaraj Urs Road, which for years was known as the MG road of Mysore, a run for its money. <br /><br />A rather huge protuberance named the Mall of Mysore, spread across 2,62,000 sq ft area on Race Course Road, has put the aspiring Mysorean on the fast lane to shopping. <br /><br />Luxury hotel Radissons has also come home to heritage city, threatening to edge out the famed Lalitha Mahal from being ‘the’ elite destination.<br /><br />Lessons have been learnt from rich sibling Bangalore’s quick shift from being ‘Bendakaalooru’ to ‘baeing-aloh’ and back to ‘Bengalooru’ with great difficulty. Some groups staged a silent protest in front of the Mall of Mysore for ignoring Kannada. The City still breathes amidst panic attacks, while denizens are excited about theatres giving away to malls and multiplexes. Apartments today come with a promise of “a breathtaking view of Mysore Palace and Chamundi hills.” Heritage still sells, at a price that can be afforded by the neo- rich and the elite alike. Locals watch ‘outsiders’ making city their home; in their stomach, the butterflies flutter.<br /><br />As for visible infrastructure, Mysore’s ring road which was originally four lanes, has quickly made way to eight lanes. The city is literally on a fast lane now. Progress or peril? answers awaited. <br /><br />Mangalore’s growth story<br /><br />The story is not very different for other cities and small towns in the State. Rewind to the Mangalore of the 1980s, for instance. Pristine beaches, sparkling blue waters, lush green paddy fields, mangroves, coconut groves, arecanut plantations, traditional industries that centre around beedies, cashew, tiles (popularly known as Mangalore tiles) and more importantly, hospitable people…Almost every household (with Mangalore-tiled roofs) was into one or the other occupations mentioned above. At the same time, a number of people from the coastal region were working either in West Asia or Mumbai (and later on, Bangalore) in search of green pastures. Two decades later, most of the paddy fields and plantations were replaced by apartments or commercial buildings while a majority of Gen X did not show any interest in farm activities or traditional industries.<br /><br /> With fat salaries offered by many companies to youngsters and with the advent of big malls and of course, the marketing strategies adopted by realtors, young Mangaloreans started to dream big, thanks to credit cards and EMI facilities. From the only apartment (Lobo Prabhu apartment on Light House Hill) in the 1980s to hundreds of apartments today (price ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore for 2/3 bedroom flats), from not a single mall to a dozen malls, from weekly (shandy) markets to super/hyper markets, from one or two industries to dozens of major industries and hundreds (or thousands?) of ancillary units, Mangalore has changed a lot and so has the lifestyle of its people.<br /><br />Boom in real estate<br /><br />It may not be a very rosy picture for real estate elsewhere because of high interest rates and inflation, but Mangalore is experiencing a boom, thanks to non-residential Indians (NRIs). They are making a beeline for investments following the appreciation of foreign currencies against the Indian rupee. According to P M A Razak, the President of the Mangalore chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI), the falling rupee value has made investment in real estate an attractive proposition for NRIs, especially for those in the West Asia.In fact, around 5,000 apartments are in various stages of planning and implementation in and around Mangalore, noted Razak.<br /><br />Jewellery shops galore<br /><br />Besides apartments, the other sector that has seen a boom in Mangalore is jewellery stores. In a span of less than 10 years, at least 10 big brands of jewellers have arrived at Mangalore.<br /><br />Just a couple of years ago, the friendly neighbourhood goldsmith’s home (or shop, which was part of his home, in many cases), was the go-to place for any jewellery purchase. But with the arrival of the big players, people are flocking these shops, thanks to various gold schemes on offer.<br /><br />With hardly any space left in the heart of Mangalore City and with the increasing number of better facilities for connectivity (Mangalore is the only place in Karnataka to have all four modes of transport – road, rail, air and sea), developers as well as investors are eyeing the outskirts of Mangalore. <br /><br />The Mangalorean way of life has gone through a major flux, thanks to homogenisation of development across the cities and towns of the State. Take the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad. Known for its rich cultural and literary legacy (think Sadhanakeri), the twin cities are now going the big metro way too. Retail chains and IT parks have all left their footprints here. Belgaum, another North Karnataka town, has in the last year, seen a big multiplex player entering the scenario, changing the movie-going habits of its citizens.<br /><br />Other small towns are not too far behind. The recent Census of 2011 shows that three cities, Bijapur, with a population of 3,36,000, Shimoga, 3,24,000, and Tumkur with a population of 3,05,000, are now eligible to have corporations. Though a final call has not been taken on this, more small towns are certainly going the metro way, it seems.<br /></p>
<p>There’s hardly any other city in the State that can boast of such a rich history, heritage and royalty than Mysore.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The City, in fact, finds itself on the list of the very few elite cities that have not lost their identity in the mad race over something called ‘progress’, a process that at times doesn’t integrate too well with a city’s people and their heritage. It isn’t bad news yet, but in 2011, Mysore accepted a few signs of a ‘modern’ city. Whether one wants to interpret this change as another side of the otherwise complacent Mysorean, or as an inevitable and gradual pace at which the City gave itself into the hands of powers that be; change there is.<br /><br />The traditional, religious and quiet Jayalakshmipuram, which was once known to host the premier studio, Central Institute of Indian Languages and ‘Basapppa aaspatre’ for those who came from nearby villages, today boasts of Mysore’s first shopping mall with a supermarket, DRC Cinemas, a multiplex with four screens (yes, there’s 3D too) and the quintessential KFC. Mysoreans have welcomed it without much hassle, and DRC has integrated well into their weekends, sometimes even dominating their to-do list. That the locals own DRC is something that gives a lot of relief to the people of the City.<br /><br />Brands flaunt themselves big time at the Mall of Mysore, which has given Devaraj Urs Road, which for years was known as the MG road of Mysore, a run for its money. <br /><br />A rather huge protuberance named the Mall of Mysore, spread across 2,62,000 sq ft area on Race Course Road, has put the aspiring Mysorean on the fast lane to shopping. <br /><br />Luxury hotel Radissons has also come home to heritage city, threatening to edge out the famed Lalitha Mahal from being ‘the’ elite destination.<br /><br />Lessons have been learnt from rich sibling Bangalore’s quick shift from being ‘Bendakaalooru’ to ‘baeing-aloh’ and back to ‘Bengalooru’ with great difficulty. Some groups staged a silent protest in front of the Mall of Mysore for ignoring Kannada. The City still breathes amidst panic attacks, while denizens are excited about theatres giving away to malls and multiplexes. Apartments today come with a promise of “a breathtaking view of Mysore Palace and Chamundi hills.” Heritage still sells, at a price that can be afforded by the neo- rich and the elite alike. Locals watch ‘outsiders’ making city their home; in their stomach, the butterflies flutter.<br /><br />As for visible infrastructure, Mysore’s ring road which was originally four lanes, has quickly made way to eight lanes. The city is literally on a fast lane now. Progress or peril? answers awaited. <br /><br />Mangalore’s growth story<br /><br />The story is not very different for other cities and small towns in the State. Rewind to the Mangalore of the 1980s, for instance. Pristine beaches, sparkling blue waters, lush green paddy fields, mangroves, coconut groves, arecanut plantations, traditional industries that centre around beedies, cashew, tiles (popularly known as Mangalore tiles) and more importantly, hospitable people…Almost every household (with Mangalore-tiled roofs) was into one or the other occupations mentioned above. At the same time, a number of people from the coastal region were working either in West Asia or Mumbai (and later on, Bangalore) in search of green pastures. Two decades later, most of the paddy fields and plantations were replaced by apartments or commercial buildings while a majority of Gen X did not show any interest in farm activities or traditional industries.<br /><br /> With fat salaries offered by many companies to youngsters and with the advent of big malls and of course, the marketing strategies adopted by realtors, young Mangaloreans started to dream big, thanks to credit cards and EMI facilities. From the only apartment (Lobo Prabhu apartment on Light House Hill) in the 1980s to hundreds of apartments today (price ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1.5 crore for 2/3 bedroom flats), from not a single mall to a dozen malls, from weekly (shandy) markets to super/hyper markets, from one or two industries to dozens of major industries and hundreds (or thousands?) of ancillary units, Mangalore has changed a lot and so has the lifestyle of its people.<br /><br />Boom in real estate<br /><br />It may not be a very rosy picture for real estate elsewhere because of high interest rates and inflation, but Mangalore is experiencing a boom, thanks to non-residential Indians (NRIs). They are making a beeline for investments following the appreciation of foreign currencies against the Indian rupee. According to P M A Razak, the President of the Mangalore chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI), the falling rupee value has made investment in real estate an attractive proposition for NRIs, especially for those in the West Asia.In fact, around 5,000 apartments are in various stages of planning and implementation in and around Mangalore, noted Razak.<br /><br />Jewellery shops galore<br /><br />Besides apartments, the other sector that has seen a boom in Mangalore is jewellery stores. In a span of less than 10 years, at least 10 big brands of jewellers have arrived at Mangalore.<br /><br />Just a couple of years ago, the friendly neighbourhood goldsmith’s home (or shop, which was part of his home, in many cases), was the go-to place for any jewellery purchase. But with the arrival of the big players, people are flocking these shops, thanks to various gold schemes on offer.<br /><br />With hardly any space left in the heart of Mangalore City and with the increasing number of better facilities for connectivity (Mangalore is the only place in Karnataka to have all four modes of transport – road, rail, air and sea), developers as well as investors are eyeing the outskirts of Mangalore. <br /><br />The Mangalorean way of life has gone through a major flux, thanks to homogenisation of development across the cities and towns of the State. Take the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad. Known for its rich cultural and literary legacy (think Sadhanakeri), the twin cities are now going the big metro way too. Retail chains and IT parks have all left their footprints here. Belgaum, another North Karnataka town, has in the last year, seen a big multiplex player entering the scenario, changing the movie-going habits of its citizens.<br /><br />Other small towns are not too far behind. The recent Census of 2011 shows that three cities, Bijapur, with a population of 3,36,000, Shimoga, 3,24,000, and Tumkur with a population of 3,05,000, are now eligible to have corporations. Though a final call has not been taken on this, more small towns are certainly going the metro way, it seems.<br /></p>
