Fully illuminated Mysore Palace a day prior to the 'Vijay Dashami'

Fully illuminated Mysore Palace a day prior to the 'Vijay Dashami'
The fully illuminated Mysore Palace a day prior to the 'Vijay Dashami', the final day of the Dasara Celebrations, Mysore, some 140km from Bangalore. Mysore Dasara is a Royal Festival Celebrating victory of Truth over Evil. Legend has it that the Goddess Chamundeeswari or Durga slew the demon Mahishasuran on Vijayadashami day. Dasara is a 10-day festival in the region culminating on Vijayadashami or tenth day. The day marks the successful conclusion of the preceding nine days. Vijayadashami is also a day of victory of the King and his subjects, be it in a battle or day-to-day governance. The preceding nine days of Navarathri had celebrations starting only after six days. The sixth day is in honor of goddess Saraswathi. The eigth day is dedicated to Durga and Ninth day is for Lakshmi, goddess of wealth.

Bollywood star actress and brand ambassador of Spice Telecom, Priyanka Chopra smiles after the launch of "Spice Local Lingo," in Bangalore

India - Business - Priyanka Chopra Promotes "Spice Local Lingo"
Bollywood star actress and brand ambassador of Spice Telecom, Priyanka Chopra smiles after the launch of "Spice Local Lingo," in Bangalore.

STAFF WALKS IN INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES CAMPUS IN BANGALORE

STAFF WALKS IN INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES CAMPUS IN BANGALORE

Original caption: An employee walks in the Infosys Technologies campus in Electronics City in Bangalore, January 20, 2003. Infosys, India's No 1 listed software exporter, posted a 24.4 percent rise in quarterly profit on its booming outsourcing business, but the results missed analysts' expectation and sent its shares reeling. Infosys has about 300 clients globally including Bank of America and Citigroup and employs about 14,000 people, mostly based in India.

NEW LOW COST INDIAN AIRLINE LAUNCHED IN BANGALORE

NEW LOW COST INDIAN AIRLINE LAUNCHED IN BANGALORE

Original caption: Air Deccan, an Indian charter company, unveils its new 48-seater ATR aircraft as it launches a new low cost regional service at Bangalore airport, August 25, 2003. According to company officials at Air Deccan, the new low cost carrier is the first to offer up to fifty-percent discounts to passengers travelling in southern India.

Kingfisher Airline Bangalore representatives

Kingfisher Airline Bangalore representatives on a promotional stand at an entrepreneurial conference in Mumbai. In 2005, Vijay Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines. In a short span of time Kingfisher Airline has carved a niche for itself. It was the first airline in India to operate with all new aircrafts. Kingfisher Airlines is the first Indian company to purchase an Airbus A-380. Initially the connectivity was only between Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. At present, the airline connects more than 15 cities with international flights planned for the future.

India - Billionaire Tycoon - Dr Vijay Mallya Bangalore

India - Billionaire Tycoon - Dr Vijay Mallya

Dr Vijay Mallya discusses business on his Gulfstream Jet during a flight from Mumbai to Bangalore while a stewardess serves perfectly chilled Kingfisher Beer. Mallya has three other jets, a Hawker, a Boeing 727 and an Airbus Corporate Jet A310-133CJ - and two helicopters. In 2005, Vijay Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines. In a short span of time Kingfisher Airline has carved a niche for itself. It was the first airline in India to operate with all new aircrafts. Kingfisher Airlines is the first Indian company to purchase an Airbus A-380. Initially the connectivity was only between Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore. At present, the airline connects more than 15 cities with international flights planned for the future.

Chaotic Traffic Clogs Bangalore Roads

Chaotic Traffic Clogs Bangalore Roads

Pedestrians battle scooters, taxis, private cars, and vans on Bangalore's chaotic Mahatma Gandhi Road, known as South Parade in the days of the British. Despite a nightmarish list of infrastructure shortcomings, including potholed roads too narrow for the traffic they bear, Bangalore's exploding middle class keeps buying every form of motorized conveyance, adding nearly 1,000 vehicles a day to the already overtaxed streets.

International Brands in Bangalore

International Brands in Bangalore

A laborer in Bangalore walks past a KFC carrying boxes. Bangalore supports many fast-food restaurants, but Indian and international, partly because of the large number of middle-class high tech workers

Cafe Coffee Day in Bangalore

Cafe Coffee Day in Bangalore

The Cafe Coffee Day chain, like this one in the Forum Mall in Bangalore, dominates the Indian market. The chain is a division of the Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company, Ltd. The stores are commonly referred to simply as Coffee Day; the first was opened in 1996 on Brigade Road in Bangalore, and today is the largest cafe retail chains in India, with 298 cafes in 65 cities around India.

Bangalore Airport Road and Office Buildings

Bangalore Airport Road and Office Buildings

Signs and Stores on Mahatma Gandhi Road Bangalore

Signs and Stores on Mahatma Gandhi Road

Traffic Driving Past Vidhana Soudha

Traffic Driving Past Vidhana Soudha

Bustling Bangalore Commercial Street

Bustling Bangalore Commercial Street

Reflecting the increased spending power of Indians, including those recently returned from abroad, Commercial Street in Bangalore is awash in competing neon signs advertising both international and homegrown brands. The third largest city in India after years of break-neck expansion, Bangalore is fast emerging as an important manufacturing and distribution hub for top international brands. Nearly 2,000 textile and garment factories are located in and around Bangalore.

Bangalore Swimming Pool at at Shreyas Retreat Surrounded by Luminaria

Pool at at Shreyas Retreat Surrounded by Luminaria

Morning Rush Hours in Bangalore

Morning Rush Hours in Bangalore

Indian Employee at Call Center Provides International Support in Bangalore

Indian Employee at Call Center Provides International Support in Bangalore

An Indian employee at a call center provides service support to international customers, in the
southern city of Bangalore on March 17, 2004. The hiring frenzy at call centers in India is the flip side of daily tales pouring out of the US and Britain, where thousands of software and back-office jobs are being cut as companies take advantage of cheap communications offshore to drive down costs. India is the undisputed leader of emerging markets to which developed economies are outsourcing high-technology jobs, IT consultancy firm Gartner said in a report released on Wednesday. The $3.6 billion industry in India is seen rocketing to 13.8 billion by 2007 with the number of jobs quadrupling to 1 million.

Indian employees work at a call center in Bangalore

Indian employees work at a call center in Bangalore

Indian employees work at a call center in the southern Indian city of Bangalore June 26, 2003. India's call centers provide cheap English-speaking workers and high-speed telecoms to provide customer service helplines for companies around the world. They're a boon for India's army of job-hunting youth, but there is a murkier side to the industry.

India - Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley

India - Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley
Young Indians party at the Spin nightclub in Bangalore. When you think Bangalore, you think call centers and software outsourcing. But the city has moved far beyond those sectors to become one of the world's key innovation hubs, home to entrepreneurs with radical business models for everything from budget air travel to medical services. Huge centers for the likes of Intel, Cisco, and Motorola are helping dream up next-generation products. Venture capitalists, private equity funds, and Silicon Valley lawyers are flocking in. And Bangalore has become such a magnet for young achievers that it's pushing aside Bombay as the arbiter of consumer-goods cool in India