Bangalore captured in style, minus jams

Bangalore captured in style, minus jams
SIMPLY CHECK MAADI: Tourism Dept, BCC Release Travel Book
The Times of India

Bangalore: Do all the epithets that are tagged to Bangalore really describe it? Yes, and some more !

A travel book Bangalore and Karnataka sponsored by the Karnataka tourism, Indiatourism and Bangalore City Corporation (BCC), released on Wednesday, brings together everything that makes Bangalore unique - from the bustling Chickpet to techsavvy campuses of IT majors, from the humble dosa to Italian and Vietnamese cuisine, from temple tourism to adventure trails.

The 500-page book packed with stunning visuals is a comprehensive one on the region’s history, geography, culture and people. It has sections on business, food and drink, shopping accommodation, real estate, entertainment, sports, adventure and fitness, spiritual matters, health and wellness, children, arts and around Karnataka. The most user-friendly aspect is a directory of resources for travellers to help visitors explore both Bangalore and Karnataka with stories and insights by wellknown Bangaloreans including Infosys’ N.R. Narayanamurthy, Philips Software’s Bob Hoekstra and artist Yusuf Arakkal. Of course, it does overlook the potholed and dug-up roads and traffic jams, but it did prompt BCC commissioner K. Jothiramalingam to remark at the release function that: “The book has thrown a challenge at us to make Bangalore as fantastic as possible, and we accept it.’’

Earlier, tourism commissioner Mahendra Jain said the state government will soon announce an investor-friendly tourism policy to attract private investment in the sector. “We are aware that infrastructure at our destinations is missing to some extent, and this is where the private sector can help in bridging the gap,’’ he said. Jain said the government is also working towards building road, rail and air connectivity. Tourism minister D.T. Jayakumar said the government is putting in place many measures to ensure growth is regulated and sustained. “A thinktank will be set up to guide the government on tourism growth,’’ he stated.