Let Brand Bengaluru take a brand-new road

Let Brand Bengaluru take a brand-new road
H S BALRAM


Think of Bangalore and you see images of traffic jams, chaotic traffic and unfinished projects. Amidst these you also see a silver lining in the form of an international airport that is coming up surprisingly on schedule. And with the authorities deciding rightly to name it Bengaluru International Airport, reflecting the native Bangalorean’s spirit, the city’s image appears set to change for the better. Brand Bengaluru is born.
At one time, Bangalore’s high-tech image had taken the world by storm. Investors came in hordes to the city. Hundreds and thousands of young men and women got highly paid jobs in innumerable IT companies that dotted the city. Netas basked in the city’s glory. Brand Bangalore became the buzzword. Gradually, the image started wearing out, thanks mainly to the lack of political will to improve infrastructure. Vehicle population grew, choking the city’s narrow roads.
Brand Bangalore thus started losing its sheen. A perception arose that the IT sector was a harbinger of all the ills. Politicians added fuel to this notion to camouflage their failure to put infrastructure development on the fast track. At this juncture, an airport of international standard was being silently built. No one believed that it would be ready for operation in 36 months as promised. But the deadline was met, even as connectivity was in a shambles. Then began a search for a name. Some suggested that it should be named after Kempe Gowda or M Visvesvaraya. Names of a few living political heavyweights also did the rounds. Ultimately, it was decided that in keeping with the brand image of the city, it should be called Bangalore International Airport.
But Brand Bangalore denoted the IT sector, which, in turn, reminded one of chock-a-block traffic. How about Bengaluru? Yes, why not? It was a Kannada variant of Bangalore. It would go well with the local spirit. It would project the city on a wider canvas — not just its hightech image, but also its hospitable people, cosmopolitan culture, all-year moderate weather, and huge pool of talent.
In any case, sooner or later, the city would be rechristened Bengaluru, along with vernacular variants of other cities like Mysore, Hubli, Mangalore etc. Instead of creating confusion during the transition period, wouldn’t it be better to rename the airport after Bengaluru at the time of its inception? The airport’s logo too blends well with Bangalore’s spirit, drawing inspiration from the lakes, greenery and flora of the city. The design is perceived as gentle and caring in form, and warm by its colour palette. It hopes to peddle the softer positive aspects of Bangalore. It deliberately steers clear of reflecting the city’s reputation of being the country’s IT capital.
Brand Bengaluru is thus born, even before the city is renamed officially. Our netas have failed so far in putting pressure on the Centre to approve the local version. Some companies have already taken to the new name. The international airport will put Bengaluru on the international map. It will also silence those who felt that the city’s brand image will suffer if the name is changed. The city’s managers will hopefully speed up infrastructure projects, initiate measures for better connectivity and come down heavily on traffic indiscipline. Let Brand Bengaluru not go the way of Brand Bangalore.