UK terror link puts brand Bangalore in a spot

UK terror link puts brand Bangalore in a spot

CNN-IBN

Bangalore: From being a pensioners’ paradise to India’s very own silicon city, Bangalore has gone through many image makeovers but with three of the detainees in the UK car bombings being from Bangalore, the city's reputation has taken a blow.

And this is something the intellectuals of the city are not happy about.

“The image is definitely blurred. All companies will now think twice before they invest and a lot of damage control has to be done by the people of the state and the state government,” President of the Karnataka Sahitya Parishad, Chandrasekhar Patil said.

While there are others like brand expert Harish Bijoor who feels that the Bangalore link in the failed terror attack in UK has come as a rude shock to people all over the world.

“Brand Bangalore is a thought that lives within the people who live in Bangalore and in the Bostons and Cincinnatis of the world. If you look at it from the outsiders’ perspective, this is an event which would make them wake up and say Bangalore is now the hub of terrorism as well,” Bijoor said.

The average Bangalorean, however seems to disagree with this argument.

“Just because there are two or three black sheep, that doesn't mean the place itself is bad.

I don't think it necessarily hurts the image, it just shows the depth and gravity of the terror network worldwide,” a resident of the city said optimistically.

First the Indian Institute of Science attack and now this alleged Indian connection has indeed exposed the garden city's terror links.

And though this might have led to the city's image taking a beating, it certainly hasn't made a permanent dent.