Karnataka was formed in the year 1956 comprising of princely state of Mysore and areas held under Bombay, Madras presidencies and areas of princely state of Hyderabad, which even today is called Hyderabad Karnataka. Great men who championed the cause of unification of Karnataka include Alur Venkata Rao, Goruru Ramaswamy Iyengar, S. Nijalingappa and Kengal Hanumantiah. Huyilugola Narayana Rao’s poem Udayavaagali Namma Cheluva Kannada Naadu worth mention here.
Though known now for it’s IT and BT, Karnataka is unique compared to other states in India, it is the only state, which exports sandalwood in India. Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee, raw silk and sandalwood based products in India. Three-fourth of the Indian floriculture industry is based in Karnataka. Brighter aspects of progress of the state include IT boom in Bangalore started in the mid 90s, and now slowly spreading to tier II cities like Mangalore, Mysore and Hubli. One good aspect of this IT revolution was the boom in setting up Engineering Colleges in the state. But unlike other states it has not a developed city to be called next Bangalore till now. Mysore becoming next Bangalore is a long wait and I see it only in terms of IT industry. As per my observations other states have developed other industrial center to provide job opportunities other than state capital – say in Kerala(capital – Thiruvanthapuram), there is Kochi, in Tamil Nadu(capital – Chennai), there is Coimbatore, in Andhra Pradesh(capital – Hyderabad), there is Vishakhapattanam and in Maharashtra(capital – Mumbai), there is Pune. Now with Bangalore becoming victim of its own development there is an urgent need to shift focus to other cities in Karnataka to create an alternative to Bangalore. As Sir M Vishveshvaraiaha told long back ‘Industrialize or Perish’ is the need of the hour. Of course, in this direction lot of right steps have been taken to set up various industrial parks to be set in various centers and establishing airports in prominent district centers and encouraging MNCs to set shop in tier II cities. Right steps in the right directions.
Another industry which needs a boost is the tourism industry. With the kind of geography Karnataka has one wonders where it lost the race to neighboring Kerala and Goa. Karnataka can be good tourist destination if it is projected properly. Chalukya, Hoysala, Rashtrakuta and Vijayanagar temples are sure a tourist’s delight. It is not that now tourists don’t visit here but it can draw big number of tourists if properly projected. Another area which was never explored is Coastal Karnataka. Maravanthe, Kapu, Ullala Surathkal beaches, St. Mary’s Island can be made good tourist spots.
Dasara season is nearing. Mysore is all set to host the grand event. Wish you all a Suvarna Karnataka Varsha and a Happy Dasara.
Jai Karnataka
Kudos for your memory and analytical skills. You remember with perfect precision everything we once read in primary school history books...
ReplyDeletewell timed and thoughtful post. Consider installing Baraha and posting in Kannada-it'll give a better sense of belonging...
Sad thing is we're loosing a bit of Karnataka to other states-officially or unofficially- Kasargod to Kerala, Belgaum to Maharastra etc... No political will to stop that...
> Another industry which needs a boost is the tourism industry...
ReplyDeleteActually I like the fact that tourism is not that much publicized by Karnataka govt, just because we will be able retain some unexplored places...
Survarna Karnatka. this phrase will be in air for in coming 2 months. KSRTC has already started new bus service Survarna Karnataka Sarige, (the new buses have nice leg room).
ReplyDeleteIf we look back at last 50 years, there many ppl of Karnataka who have excelled in various fields ( not only IT). In Literature we have 7 gynapeet award winners. In movies how can one forget contribution of Dr. Raj. In field of science Raja Rammana, CNR Rao, UR Rao have contributed. In industry we have Narayan Murthy. In Sports B.S Chandrashekar, G Viswanath, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Mahesh Bhupathi. Latest to this list is Pankaj Advani who recently was awarded Rajeev Gandhi Khel Ratna.
Karnataka was everything from waterfalls, beaches, santuries, temples to trekking spots.
There are many more places other than Shravanabelagola and Hampi.
Gokarna, Karwar, Coorg can be added to list of places metioned in your post which can be projected as tourist destination.
If marketed properly scenic beaches of Gokarna can give those of Goa run for their money. (many places in Goa are junk and hyped up).
Tourism department has taken step in direction with punchline One State Many Worlds. Forest department has taken initiave by promoting eco tourism in MM Hills, BR Hills places were once Veerappan Trails. Eco tourism is a better option rather than commercialisation, the latter one pollutes the place.
One more thing i can suggest to Karnataka tourism department is to create one more tourist hub other than Bangalore at center of Karnataka, so that less time spent on travelling. shimoga can be a better place which is equidistant from all major tourist spots.
good article
ReplyDeleteright message at right time