Bangalore Dating - A Guide to Meeting Single Men and Women in Bengaluru

One of the most cosmopolitan cities of India, Bangalore is today at the forefront of India’s dominance in the global IT map. This status is not only reflected in the professional and material success but also in the high quality of life enjoyed by the city’s men and women, an example of which is its dating culture.

Bengaluru or Bangalore as it is now called, is one of the fastest growing cities in India with a growth rate of 23.5% according to the 2001 Census of India. The same statistics put its population strength at over  5.8 million, making it the third most populous city in India and the 28th most populous in the entire world. However the most unique feature of Bangalore’s demographic profile is its diversity. Besides Kannada which is the state language, other languages spoken in the city are English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. The cosmopolitan nature of Bangalore owes to the large number of people from other Indian states who come here to study in the numerous colleges and research institutes as well as to work in the city’s service and IT industries.

Other aspects of the demographic profile of Bangalore reveal that it is the second most literate city in India with literacy rate of 83%, just after Mumbai. Also, women make up slightly less than half of the city’s population at 47.5%. Hindus are the majority religious group here at 79.37% which roughly reflects the national average. Other religious communities in Bangalore are Muslims, Christians and Jains. Interestingly Bangalore has one of the lowest percentages of slum population in India at roughly 10% which is far below other bigger cities like Mumbai where the percentage of people living in slums is 60%. Many of the above demographic features of Bangalore like its diverse linguistic communities, high literacy rate and relatively cleaner city make it one of the few metropolitan cities in India to have a high quality of social life.

Bangalore has a vibrant cultural scene and its offerings range from ethnic festivals to modern rock concerts. The seat of the Carnatic tradition of Indian classical music, Bangalore hosts numerous classical musical and dance concerts throughout the year. It has a lively tradition of theater as well with both English and regional language plays being performed by groups like Ranga Shankara and Chowdiah Memorial Hall. However it is as the capital of rock music in India that Bangalore is famous among today’s generation. All sub-genres of rock, from classic rock n' roll to heavy metal can be heard in Bangalore. In fact it is one of the few  cities in India which can boast of a thriving underground rock culture. Rock In India, Great Indian Rock and more recently Deccan Rock are the some of the best known rock festivals hosted in Bangalore. Bangalore is also one of the earliest Indian cities to have hosted internationally popular rock groups like Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, Bryan Adams, Scorpions, Sting, Aerosmith, Elton John, Deep Purple as well as other heavy metal groups. Festivals celebrated in Bangalore range from traditional Kannada ones like Karaga Shakyotsava and Dasara to more multi-cultural ones like Diwali, Ugadi, Christmas and New Year. In recent times Bangalore has also emerged at the forefront of the LGBT celebrations in India. The Gay Parade of Bangalore not only works for spreading greater awareness of LGBT rights in the mainstream society but also offers the LGBT community valuable networking opportunities.

However it is the pub culture of the city which is at the heart of Bangalore’s dating culture. The city has a large young and cosmopolitan population, fuelled by the number of young men and women who come to study and work in the city from other parts of India. Factors like youth, single status, dispensable income, a relatively low crime rate and the anonymity of a city bring together young people with an ease that is still not possible in cities like Chennai or even the national capital like New Delhi. Pubs are thus the most common venues in Bangalore where singles meet and hang out with friends or potential partners. There are two major varieties of these – the first falls within the classic nightclub and discotheque genre and include popular nightspots in Bangalore include Pecos, The Club, Inferno and TGIF. The second kind includes the clubs, discos, cafes, restaurants and fast-food joints within Bangalore’s shopping malls such as the Garuda, Bangalore Central and The Forum. The Hint for instance has emerged as a popular chill-out address for the hip and happening Bangaloreans. Other than these the city also has some elite clubs like the Bangalore Golf Club, Bowring Institute, Century Club, Karnataka Golf Association, the Karnataka State Cricket Club and the Bangalore Club but which cater to a more senior and affluent patrons.

Bangalore’s dating culture has been significantly influenced by the boom in its Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing sectors. According to an estimate, IT companies in Bangalore employ over 35% of India's pool of 1 million IT professionals. Traditionally both the IT and the BPO sectors are driven by young professionals and hence the convergence of this crowd in large numbers in Bangalore has meant more young singles with disposable incomes. This is turn has resulted in the mushrooming of pubs, discotheques, fast food joints, global retail brands and high-rise malls. All these venues feature as an indispensable part of Bangalore’s poplar dating venues. Moreover young men and women working together in shifts and a work environment which includes gyms, cafeterias and recreational areas all serve to liven up the dating culture among its young professionals in a manner still unknown in many other cities of India.

Bangalore also has one of the biggest concentration of young adult students in India. This is primarily because of the presence of numerous institutions offering higher education, professional education as well as research facilities. Some of the most reputed are the Indian Institute of Science, the National Law School, St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Brindavan College, Bangalore Medical College as well numerous institutions offering training aeronautical and defense sciences. The campus is therefore both a meeting ground for young singles as well as a major influence on dating trends among young Bangaloreans.

Bangalore has always been reputed as one of the best cities to live in India. Earlier known as the ‘Pensioner’s Paradise’ because of its golf ranges, clubs and gardens, today Bangalore is the heart of young and hip India – a city where they are only too happy to live and love.