'The Red Carpet' of Bangalore

Bangalore.. a growing metropolitan city - already ahead of Chennai and Kolkata and now threatening the big cities of Mumbai and Delhi. It probably has its own history and past like all the others but the highlight of this city is not the rich Nawabi castles of the past, neither ancient temple heritage, nor British era monuments and architecture.

The city is the symbol of the Rise of the Indian Middle Class. Ordinary educated people working and earning a home and living for their families are the identity of this city and the nation. From being the country of ‘Snake Charmers’, ‘Royal Elephants’, ‘Taj Mahal’ we are now the off-shoring hub for the global world. Past decade has seen an exponential rise of MNCs corporate set ups and advent of NRIs. The same guy who was exported with IIT/ IIM degree in the 90s to America is now imported back as  a high profile Expat with a foreign stamp of approval and acceptance. The Prince of off-shoring has taken the Middle class of Bangalore one notch higher to – Upper Middle Class. 

So in this middle class city with middle class people living their middle class lives with their middle class mentality – what can one expect. Anything, but mediocre. A city in its struggling stage only focuses on survival and support, but once it grows strong – it’s time to celebrate its achievements and that's what ‘The Red Carpet’ does. The city which was once trying to make its both ends meet has now opened its doors to art and culture. The new generation with working mothers, busy fathers in US shifts, brought up of by Ayahs, and American visas have decided to live their perfect American family life only closer to home. 

The stories are very true to Bangalore city and its people. They are not extreme miseries or achievements, they are a piece of daily hopes and struggles. Each story explores a different genre from the same city. A young girl from a Convent school and her relationship with her Ayah (maid), retired father and mother living their lonely life away from their children settled abroad, young couples living an independent life financially and emotionally, reconciliation of the generation gap between traditional parents and modern kids, young engineers with their dilemma of arranged or love marriages, and many more. But I am allowed my favorites are ‘Two Four Six Eight’ and ‘Birdie Num Num’. They were most beautifully written. They were Short stories in a metaphor form. Accolades to Lavanya for writing a great collection of Short Stories for us and her muse – the Bangalore city. 

Must Buy The Red Carpet