In the years that Pranav Pandit was away from Mangalore as a young professional finding his feet elsewhere, the city had changed dramatically. From a small town, where practically everybody was a familiar face, to a bustling city touched by an IT, education, real estate boom and overseas remittances. The prosperity brought a new dimension into Mangalore바카라s multi-cultural milieu which now colours the city바카라s public persona바카라communal polarisation. An us-versus-them mentality has seeped in.
바카라There바카라s much more to Mangalore than what is being portrayed. Much of it is hyped up,바카라 says Pranav, 39. The city바카라s social fabric is a complex tapestry바카라a place that stands for enterprise; a higher standard of living, and literacy, than elsewhere; and ulturally vibrant. Various tongues바카라Tulu, Konkani, Beary바카라garnish the platter. Yet, it is caught in a bind of conservatism and modernity. There are instances of cattle smuggling that make the locals angry, says Pranav. And, there are mischief-makers putting a religious tinge to events for their political gains. As someone who grew up here, he misses the old moderate ways. Of course, there were communal clashes in the past.
Pranav, who went to a convent school, reasons that some of the changes are inevitable. 바카라People are peace-loving. Unless provoked, they will not react,바카라 he says, pointing to the politics of minority-appeasement. 바카라They are more attached to nature and agriculture. It바카라s a way of life...going to temples, taking out a procession,바카라 says Pranav. What about the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya? 바카라I do want a temple there. But at the same time, I wouldn바카라t endorse all their views. To some extent, they may be quite regressive on some fronts,바카라 he says.
A banker, Pranav바카라s daily routine is typically 9.30 am to 7.30 pm, his phone buzzing incessantly. On weekends, he manages to catch up with friends. But much as Mangalore바카라s economy has grown, he points out that he still had to wait for a few years before an opportunity to relocate presented itself.
Mangalore, and coastal Karnataka, is a BJP stronghold. Over the past three decades, dominant communities such as the Bunts have largely shifted to the BJP. Then the rise of Hindutva happened. The BJP was able to absorb various OBC communities, such as the Billava, to stitch up a broader coalition of Hindus. A counter-marshalling, of Muslims, comes from the SDPI. The Sangh parivar network in this region is deep which reflects in the BJP바카라s complete sweep of the Karnataka coastal districts in assembly elections last May. The Modi wave here is apparently intact.
