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How citizens can make cities better – in conversation with Roopa Pai, author of ‘Becoming Bangalore’ >
by Madanmohan Rao [September 18, 2025]
This Saturday, on September 20, the 11th edition of the BizLitFest Bangalore is kicking off at WeWork Galaxy. Benedict Paramanand, co-founder of this business literature festival series, also launched the inaugural Hyderabad edition on August 2.
In our first preview article on BLFB 2025, we featured an exclusive interview with Ganesh Krishnan, author of Mastering Disruption: A Practical Guide to Understanding New-Age Business Models.
In our second preview article, we featured an interview with Nitin Seth, author of Human Edge in the AI Age: Eight Timeless Mantras for Success.
In our third preview article, we interviewed Arun Maira, author, Reimagining India's Economy: The Road to a More Equitable Society.
In our fourth preview article, we featured development sector professional Vandana Vasudevan, author of OTP Please! Online Buyers, Sellers and Gig Workers in South Asia.
In our fifth preview article, we interviewed crossover leader Subroto Bagchi, author of The Day the Chariot Moved: How India Grows at the Grassroots.
In this preview article, we interview Roopa Pai, author of Becoming Bangalore: Stories That Shaped a Hometown. Her earlier book about the city is Cubbon Park: The Green Heart of Bengaluru.
This computer engineer-turned-author has written over 30 children’s books, on sci-fi popular science, Indian philosophy, and life skills. Her eight-part Taranauts is a fantasy-adventure series for children, and she also wrote The Gita for Children and The Yoga Sutras for Children.
Her new book, which she describes as “a love letter to Bangalore,” is a collection of stories exploring the city’s history and evolution into a modern metropolis. The 300-page book is divided into four sections creatively named after flowers. The 75 chapters shed light on the city’s monuments, scientific progress, tech growth, literary events, and even “a bit of Palestine in the heart of Bengaluru.”
“To this day, despite untrammelled growth and urbanisation, the city remains defiantly verdant,” Roopa writes. But even in the early days of the city’s electrification, there was hand-wringing about the number of trees being chopped down – concerns that are manifest even today.
In this wide-ranging interview, Roopa delves deeper into how she wrote her book series, citizens connections to Bangalore over the generations, sustainability metrics, the role of philanthropists in creating new spaces, and the power of citizens to bring change.
Sign up here to register for the Bangalore Business Literature Festival, and listen to more insights from a range of bestselling authors!
Madan: What were some of the pleasures you had of putting together your two books on Bangalore and Cubbon Park - and the challenges you faced?
Roopa: I am a third generation Bangalorean. I have loved Bangalore from the beginning. I have lived in many cities around the world, but I have never lost this great love for Bangalore. I went away for 12 years, right after my engineering. And I came back with two children and a husband.
That was in 2004, and I had the great pleasure of rediscovering my city as an outsider- insider. The years I was away was a very transformative time for the city, after the launch of liberalisation. The city of my childhood had changed – not for the worse, but it had changed.
So I had the great pleasure of rediscovering it. There were many more opportunities in this globalising city. I used to write largely for children, but then decided to write more about history and my city, the way many people do in the US.
Cities like London and New York have many heritage walks as a way of discovering the city. And I realised that in India, we have very few of these. Bangalore is the perfect walking city – the weather is not hostile and you can walk throughout the year.
Bangalore looks like a very young and modern city, and doesn't carry the weight of its history on its shoulders like a burden. In fact, it has a very deep, long and fascinating history. Bangaloreans are also liberal, open mind, inclusive, and non-parochial.
So I cofounded this company called Bangalore Walks, and started doing heritage walks in the city. As a columnist, I have been reading, writing and talking about Bangalore for 20 years, as with my fortnightly column for Hindustan Times.
I had earlier written a travel guidebook in 2008 called Ticket Bengaluru. My next book Cubbon Park, was published in 2022. Writing specifically about the city was very different from taking people on walks through it, because you can’t skip some bits or get the date wrong.
When you have to write things down, it is for posterity. So this led to meticulous research, which brought back so many stories that I had forgotten and also led to new stories. Then people began to tell me that they love my columns and suggested I put them into a book.
I added a thread and narrative to the columns, and put them into sections to make it more book-like. It was an inspiration to write this book about Bangalore and its evolution, and what it has given to me and all of us.
Madan: How have your books been received? What kinds of new ideas and suggestions did you get?
Roopa: The book has been received very well. My earlier book came out during the pandemic and did not do so well, it was on Cubbon Park and its history. But my new book has given the earlier one a new lease of life, as people are curious to see what else I have written.
Readers are getting so emotional while reading Becoming Bangalore. It seems to have touched people's hearts because it gets to the soul of Bangalore and how it used to be more inclusive. It talks about the great heritage of this city and not just traffic or language polarisation or loss of its original character, which understandably dominate online algorithm-driven discourse.
People have told me so many times – and this phrase has often been repeated to me – that this book is a love letter to Bangalore. It is the Bangalore that we do and should remember, it makes us feel so good, it makes us proud of our city – and it makes us want to protect it.
Madan: What are your thoughts on the current generation? Are they lost in the digital world as many believe, or are they connecting to the city’s legacy and culture?
Roopa: Well of course, online is the medium of youth, they are digital natives. But you have to see how much engagement arises from the reels they make on Bangalore's history, culture, events, or restaurants.
This engagement is huge. So there is definitely renewed interest in knowing about their city, in going on walks, and discovering little forgotten corners. They come for Cubbon Reads events and get away from their phones to read books.
Books, reading, and parks – this is the soul of Bangalore. And those parts are being rediscovered again. My husband works on other initiatives where volunteers are invited via Instagram to clean different parts of Bangalore – and they come out in droves to make repairs, to paint, to clean up.
So there is clearly a lot of love and pride for Bangalore, which may not be obvious. Algorithms seem to show mostly traffic and language complaints in the news, but there is a parallel and real universe.
Madan: You talked about history of the city – we also have many new outstanding museums and galleries in Bangalore now.
Roopa: These are indeed world-class institutions, and plug into the history of India as well as showcasing Bangalore. Good museums are definitely part of the cultural landscape, and it really helps to have some of them to put Bangalore on the global map as an international city.
We have amazing artefacts in India, but they were not maintained or marketed well earlier. But now private museums have come in and they are showing the way, and it is great for all.
The other thing that has happened is a lot of cultural spaces have opened up in every locality for dance, music and community gatherings. The Vijayanagara empire had patrons of art and culture, with people were willing to spend money on it – and this kind of thing is happening again.
Philanthropy and its contribution to culture are taking off, along with CSR funds. The wealthy are building cultural spaces for the people here.
Madan: How do you see business veterans and entrepreneurs giving back to the city to preserve its harmony and environment?
Roopa: Many of the earlier generations of successful entrepreneurs are contributing so much to the city. The Bangalore Business Literature Festival is now in its 11th year, but the sponsors do not insist that their name should appear before the very title of the festival, as is the case with some other festivals.
There are many who are making contributions to the city but quietly, without pomp and noise. A number of entrepreneurs are promoting more sustainable mobility and lifestyles. There is a certain ecosystem here that that seduces, invites, and incentivises young people to do their business here, to start something here.
I think that is Bangalore’s big advantage, it has always been a place that celebrates innovation and new ideas. Large firms also tended do their product launches here, because the Bangalore market was up for everything, they would try new things and give feedback.
The ecosystem is very encouraging for startups also because there are people who will write you investment checks, buy your products, and support you in some way. The city is cosmopolitan and vibrant for startups.
There are many colleges in engineering and other disciplines. Young people out of college are willing to give a few years to startups before they may decide to move on.
Madan: Looking beyond GDP and jobs, what are some measures and metrics that better capture how sustainable and thriving a city is?
Roopa: There are certainly a lot of metrics about progress and development. But we need more measures about things like green cover, lakes, citizen activism, and libraries.
How many lakes in Bangalore have been cleaned up and saved by citizen activism? How many groups are working on improving our habitat? Names like Whitefield Rising and the Ugly Indian come mind.
Cubbon Park has come under attack so many times by large organisations wanting a piece of it, and every time it is citizen activism that has saved the park. Other campaigns were about the steel flyover, which was thwarted.
Spaces like Bangalore International Centre, Sabha, and the sports grounds next to Maverick & Coffee are all opening up new avenues for citizens. Large Bangalore-based builders are trying to keep as much green cover as possible.
Sure, everyone has a job and has to have a way to earn money, but please do it within the bounds of making sure that the environment is not entirely degraded.
Traffic and potholes are a little out of citizen control, unfortunately. Public transport has to improve so that more people take it. Bangalore’s traffic woes are actually not as bad as some other large cities, but it still could be reduced.
As a metric, we should also talk about how many parks a city has. Bangalore has large parks right within the inner city, the race course is at least an area that is not being built up, and there are many green lung zones in army areas.
I should give you one more metric: the number of bookstores in a city. Bangalore is way above the national average, and more bookstores keep coming up.
Madan: What are some trends you see coming up in the next two decades? Are you generally optimistic about Bangalore’s future, or is it a mixed bag?
Roopa: I am very optimistic about Bangalore because I think we have a long and deep culture of good citizenship. From science to business and culture, there is a long deep feeling deep for the city – hopefully, that will reassert itself even more.
While other challenges will remain, something better will come out of urban planning and climate space. In addition to leadership, so-called ordinary people are coming together for community activity in the range of spaces available. That itself creates low-cost opportunities and incentives for people to get together in person as a detox from their digital lifestyle.
And coming back to the weather, it ensures that we can always be outdoors – this will always continue to work in our favour. People can do a lot of outdoor activities, and our café culture also thrives with open settings.
Café culture helps people become more relaxed as well. Better architecture and more eco-conscious buildings will come up.
Madan: What parting words of advice or message do you have for our audience?
Roopa: Learn about your city, don’t just live in it. Learn about its history. Once you read more about your city, you will learn more about it and your respect for the city will grow. You will get the feeling that the great DNA of this city has to be preserved, it is too precious to lose.
Without being jingoistic, I would suggest learning some words of the local language. It will enhance portals for you to engage better with local people. Don’t live only on the surface of the city – take a little deep dive, do some immersion, and you will be most richly rewarded. This is not out of a sense of capitulation, but for your own self and experience.
And of course, walk around your city. When you walk, you build a relationship with the city. Walk everywhere – the weather supports it, even if the footpaths may not!
Madan: You have shared deep insights into the transformations happening in Odisha. Which other states have caught your eye in terms of progressive grassroots developments?
Roopa: I have been very impressed with Tamil Nadu for the all-of-society engagement with human development. I admire Kerala for their approach to issues like health and education.
I admire Maharashtra for giving women, particularly urban women, equal voice. I admire Gujarat for bringing women into commerce and business, thanks to movements like Anand and long-acting agents of change like SEWA.
Madan: As startups scale, what are some recommendations you have on how founders should work with governments?
Roopa: Not every founder needs to engage with the government. The business bodies, from FICCI, to CII to NASSCOM, have well-oiled programmes that we should become active parts of.
But here is something fundamental: pay your taxes right. That is the first step towards nation building and supporting the government. We need to build a culture of compliance from Day One.
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