Between two worlds

IF information technology has built the city, it has also spawned westernisation and created a divide in the city between the noveau rich and the old dwellers.

The new techie is an upwardly mobile species who dresses up according to the latest fashions and lives an American Dream by tucking into Kentucky’s or McDonalds’ burgers, chilling out on weekends in pubs and frequenting ritzy malls. Living in large apartments with a host of facilities, including 24-hour power back-up, swimming pool and health club, ensures minimum interaction with the hoi-polloi.

This lifestyle and attitude towards life has created a deep divide between the urban techie and the people of the city, says Jnanpith awardee U R Ananthamurthy. The noted writer, who initiated the move to change Bangalore’s name to Bengaluru, says the process of westernisation has created misgivings among many who feel they will be removed from their cultural moorings.

The manner in which the change is occurring is worrying many. According to Tejaswini Niranjana of the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society, everyone cannot keep up with the hectic pace at which Bangalore is being transformed. This, she maintains, is resulting in resentment among those who are not sharing the wealth created by new jobs.

This phenomenon was seen following the death of Kannada film icon Rajkumar. Locals on the fringes, who have not gained from the IT revolution, used the opportunity to ‘grieve’ by vandalising properties of IT companies and target affluence in general. At present, Kannadigas constitute only 35 per cent of the city population. In the past, too, Kannadigas have targeted Tamilians in mob violence but now the feeling of being smothered by outsiders is stronger with IT companies attracting people from North India in large numbers.

The IT industry has also jacked up home prices and rental values in the city. Flats above the Rs 1 crore mark are no longer a rarity. Everyone wants a techie as a tenant. Government employees and others who work in non-IT sectors and who earn between Rs 6,000 and Rs 20,000 a month are simply finding Bangalore unlivable.

Bangalore has more than a thousand slums populated by around two million people, says Ruth Manorama, the winner of this year’s Right Livelihood Award. She says the slum owners face constant fear of eviction due to the rising cost of real estate. They find it difficult to live in the city due to rising costs despite the plethora of construction and household jobs available to them. 

Some Kannada groups have started to assert themselves. Recently, they closed down the city completely for a day to protest against Maharashtra’s demand to hand over Belgaum to it. These groups, including the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, are demanding that more Kannadigas be recruited in IT companies in responsible positions, and not only as drivers and security guards. They have led aggressive public campaigns, defacing English signs and even blackened the face of the Belgaum Mayor who proposed the town be transferred to Maharashtra.