BENGALURU: Bengalureans all over the world are beginning to explore the potential of Clubhouse, an app that’s something of a radio that anyone (with an invite) can tune into, and even talk on. Barely a month after the app launched its Android version, Namma Ooru’s people have begun carving out their little niches with clubs such as Namma Bengaluru Club, The Bangalore Club, Faces of Bengaluru, Indiranagar Ka Goondas, The Bangalore foodies, and Bangalore Malayalees.
It has some Sandalwood presence too, with film directors, music artistes and others hosting rooms for discussions on cinema and even entertainment. While the app is still inviteonly (at the time of writing), many users connected to the city say the app’s audio format encourages participation in multiple languages, and is therefore more open to residents of smaller towns and cities.
City-based public relations consultant Saina Jayapal signed up on Clubhouse in February and has been reading news headlines from Karnataka on Malayalees Club every morning. “We get nearly 600 participants including listeners tuning in from other countries,” she says She also participates in a bunch of conversations on literature, poetry, ghost story nights, and other topics and says people engage actively. “The app is a podcast and radio put together, which will go a long way,” says Jayapal.
Eight months ago, San Francisco-based venture capitalist Akash Bhat started Namma Bengaluru Club (NBC) - which now has over 5,000 followers - to bridge the physical distance with Bengaluru through a virtual medium. “We started this to discuss all things Bengaluru. It creates a mood of nostalgia for me as I’m far away in the US. When I hosted a room in October 2020, we just had six participants. Now, with Android users coming in, we are witnessing around 80-90 participants per session,” says Bhat. He says the number of users from Bengaluru is rising and the city’s multicultural population makes for diverse discussions on everything from food joints to startups.
Bhat himself hosts rooms with entrepreneurs and startups as part of the India Startup Club on the app. Harsha MV, co-manager of NBC, is planning a series on the origins of Bengaluru and Mysuru cities. “We are planning to host an audio series in the next 10 days on the history and formation of Bengaluru and Mysuru. The club is also hosting a tutorial on Kannada classes and we have finished two sessions already,” says Harsha. Says fashion blogger Komal Basith, “There are a lot of healthy discussions that take place over the night, especially on mental health and fashion. I think the lockdown has amplified the participation of users who are even active beyond midnight.”