Why trifurcation of Bangalore is actually a good idea

Bangalore, the dream destination of all working professionals across the country, is facing a strange situation these days, with a debate over who owns (from cultural and linguistic perspective) the city raging among the stakeholders. On one side, the Karnataka government is clear about trifurcating the city administration for streamlined growth, while on the other side cultural czars, litterateurs and pro-Kannada outfits contend that such a move will divide the city on the basis of language and can create islands! So, who exactly owns Bangalore?

It is a bit difficult to provide a convincing answer to this question because Bangalore is considered the melting point of multiple cultures, and people speak at least three-four languages. Owing to this cosmopolitan nature of the city, IT czar NR Narayana Murthy had suggested making Bangalore a union territory. However, his suggestion drew widespread criticism, especially from the political leaders, who felt such a decision will further alienate the city from Kannadigas and also snatch away the revenue required to manage the rest of Karnataka.

From a linguistic perspective, Kannadigas dominate the city (a conservative estimate placed the population of Kannadigas at 26 per cent in Bangalore) with Tamilians, Teluguites, Malayalees, Marathas and others accounting for the rest. Unlike other state capitals where regional languages rule the roost, in Bangalore, anyone can get away without speaking in Kannada because the local people are conversant in English and Hindi. Several generations of people born and brought up in Bangalore do not speak or read and write in Kannada. But they are still integral to Bangalore.

While Kannadigas placed Bangalore on the global map through the IT industry, non-Kannadigas joined hands with them in making the city a knowledge hub. There is no doubt that it is one of the best governed cities, but of late, incidents involving racial abuse, violence against non-Kannada speakers and discrimination, have marred the image of the city. It is this growing impatience towards non-Kannadigas that is stonewalling the trifurcation of the city. Some litterateurs justify the opposition to the trifurcation of Bangalore. For instance, the assimilation of the non-Kannadigas into the city in recent times has not been like in the past. For instance, the Tamil Sangam in Bangalore is known for fostering relationship between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Likewise, the Karnataka Telugu Academy has been at the forefront of strengthening ties between the neighbouring states. The same cannot be said of the latest generation migrating to Bangalore. For them, it is deemed to be a cosmopolitan city and their involvement in the city is not as active as their ancestors. It is time for the latest generation of non-Kannada-speaking people to acknowledge their role in the city.

The trifurcation of Bangalore could see a Kannadiga mayor, Tamilian mayor and a Teluguite mayor. But is it against the interests of Bangalore? The answer is definitely "no". In fact, Bangalore can demonstrate to the entire country how leaders cutting across linguistic and political lines can contribute to the development of a city. By just assuming that Bangalore is owned only by Kannadigas, the opposition to the trifurcation of the city is not justified. There is nothing wrong in experimenting with governance, especially in a city which is the hub of innovations.