Jain University, in collaboration with the University of Exeter, UK, will document the changes in suburban Bangalore over the next two years.
The project, which will include six researchers, will be sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research. It will focus on the city’s changing socio-economic scene.
University professor Choodamani Nandagopal said: “We do not know how these areas are going to change as they become urbanised. We will invite artists, photographers and those who can do rapid sketching to capture some of these changes.”
Choodamani, who is dean of faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jain University, added that documenting changes can prevent cultural aspects from being lost during social transformation.
Sociology professor G K Karanth said, with urbanisation, Bangalore seems to have taken an identity that is not its own. “The city is being defined by the real estate sector. Everything is measured in terms of time and money and not cultural essence. It is the same in other cities as well,” he said.
Other Projects
Jain University researchers will also be working on two other projects. The first is on adding footnotes to some chapters of the Kannada translation of Manasollasa, the 12th century encyclopedia. The other project will explore symbolism in early Dravidian architecture.