Good morning, Bengaluru!
🌧️ Today’s weather: Scattered thundershowers in some parts of the city.
🧐 Did you know? India’s first rap cypher was organised in Bengaluru in 2014 by city-based musician Brodha V.
🌳 Mycelium aims high and westward
Mycelium, a Bengaluru-based startup, plans to buy private land and corridors abutting forests in a bid to conserve forests.
Private forests: When entrepreneur Nishanth Prasannan moved to Kodagu with his family, he was disillusioned with India’s green cover. Through Mycelium, co-founders Prasannan and Abhishek Jain seek to take private lands off the market and build forest-cover habitats there.
- The startup seeks to conserve 10,000 acres of Western Ghats by 2035.
- 80% of the land would be developed as a forest while the remaining 20% would allow humans to coinhabit.
An old concept: Private forests aren’t a novelty in India. Vanvadi, a farm forest, was conserved by a non-profit forest collective. In 2021, Suresh Kumar from Bengaluru converted over 20 acres of land into a forest.
- In 2018, the Karnataka state government proposed encouraging private conservation in areas abutting national parks, but environmentalists strongly opposed it.
Problems? Conservation experts point to the risks of encroachment in forest areas, increased human-animal conflict, and the unreliability of internal auditing as potential problems. They also suggest that such initiatives should empower local and tribal communities and ensure their continued access to the forests.
🎙️ Award-winning musicians take the stage
The Gipsy Kings strode on their India tour from Pune and concluded it with a concert in Bengaluru on June 4.
Story so far: For the past 35 years, fans have kept alive the dulcet tones of Bamboléo, the Gipsy Kings’ most iconic song. In Bengaluru, when the band played its tunes at the Leeela Palace’s ZLB 23, the crowd couldn’t get enough of it, with multiple calls for another round of Bamboléo.
- Gipsy Kings took shape in 1978 in Southern France when Diego Baliardo and Reyes, a couple of relatives, came together to make music.
- Through music, the members wanted to preserve and protect gipsy culture. Many original members left the band and founded their own Gipsy King band.
India connection: At ZLB 23’s meet-and-greet, band member Juanito Motos reveals the band’s joy derived from performing in India. The gipsies consider India their ancestral home because the first gipsy came from here.
💳 Greenlight’s first India development centre
Atlanta-based Greenlight Financial Technology has set up its first India Development Centre (IDC) in Bengaluru.
Gearing up: The fintech player, which provides debit cards for teens and families, has hired around 40-50 employees for its India office. Greenlight plans to hire 100 more people across product, design, engineering, data analytics, and operations within a year. Sunil Shirguppi has joined as country head to lead Greenlight’s India operations.
- Greenlight hasn’t launched in India yet and wants to venture carefully into the Indian market in the long term. They don’t want to arbitrarily roll out a product that worked in the United States, as people’s needs vary globally.
- For now, it’s earmarked ₹100 crore to expand its operations in India.
Why it matters? The development centre will accelerate product innovation and improve financial literacy for Greenlight’s 6 million customers. It will utilise AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to improve existing features and develop new capabilities.
✈️ All international operations from T2
Soon, the Kempegowda International Airport’s Terminal 2 will handle all international operations.
Changed settings: Things are about to change at the KIA. From September 1, as the newly launched T2 becomes the access point for all international flights, T1 will become an exclusively domestic operator. The change will occur gradually. August 31 will be the last day an international flight takes off from T1.
- International operations agencies like the Offices of the Indian Customs will be set up soon.
- The officials and staff are also working on an advanced baggage drop and screening system to cater to international commuters in large numbers.
More facilities: Work is underway to install other facilities like duty-free outlets, diners, and airport lounges at T2. T1’s baggage system will require a revamp.
✨ Things to do…
Here are some fun and interesting things to do in the city over the weekend!
- Take a journey in the world of coffee at Araku Coffee’s roasting session on Saturday.
- Anirban Dasgupta is back touring his latest special Polite Provocation.
- La La Land is a pet-friendly festival with exquisite fire dances, art, and workshops.
- Express yourself freely at Lahe Lahe’s Open Mic this Sunday.
- Get lit at Culture Mixey’s LIIIT, a Long Island Iced Tea festival at Church Street Social.
🛋️ Local Lounge
Yesterday’s Poll Results:
- I have met a celebrity: 100.0% 🏆
- I have never met a famous person: 0.0%
Answers to Yesterday’s Question:
What’s a language that you find fascinating?
Sriranga: “Kannada & Sanskrit”
That’s it for today. Have a great weekend!