BLR Echoes - December '24
What we talk about when we talk about Bengaluru.
UnboxingBLR helps people understand and experience Bengaluru in newer and deeper ways.
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BLR Echoes - our newsletter, curates a monthly package on Bengaluru events, interesting tidbits, and the many amazing things that UnboxingBLR is up to - all yours to unbox and discover!
Before you proceed, tap here to read a year-end note from Malini Goyal (co-founder & CEO, UnboxingBLR) on the “0-1” journey we’ve had as an infant startup, and the top lessons we’re walking into the new year with. Stay tuned until the very end for a fun rapid fire with BLR Hubba’s chief facilitator; V Ravichandar (Ravi) and to meet the winners of Namma Bengaluru Challenge 2024!
‘Tis the season for BLR Hubba! 💌
As you’re reading this, it is 11 days post BLR Hubba’s second edition, yet there’s still a buzz in the air. When UnboxingBLR comes up in conversation, the immediate comment is about the Hubba — “What a week it must have been for you!” “So, you’re the ones who organised the performances in Freedom Park? That was quite a lineup.”
And of course, BLR Hubba’s socials are filled with kind comments and lengthy texts about how this festival was one of the best that the city had witnessed.
While the sense of accomplishment is still riding high for the team, I’d bet this month has been unmatched for V Ravichandar — the driving force behind BLR Hubba.
Inspired by the vibrant, eclectic spirit of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, BLR Hubba lets you dive into a smorgasbord of events that range from art, theatre and music to folk traditions, dance, and street festivals. Dubbed as one of the city's largest cultural celebrations, BLR Hubba 2024 had an impeccable curation of over 500 events across 40+ iconic venues in the city. From homegrown hits like Kantha, GödeBLR, Offbeat, and Gala Gala Gaddala, to unique initiatives like Hubba in Your Streets, Futures, and Speaklore, BLR Hubba’s second edition brought together storytellers, artists, and tech pioneers while also capturing Bengaluru’s pulse between November 30 - December 15.
Speaking of making waves, the man himself, went full-on Gen Z with marketing for the Hubba events. Overnight, Ravi’s video racked up thousands of views, with folks both amused and impressed at his command over the lingo that even has millennials shook ;) What can we say? His strategy was “straight fire” 🔥
As the year winds down, we’re recapping BLR Hubba’s most viral moments and letting you in on some Hubba secrets, in conversation with Ravi. Keep reading, it only gets better from here 👀
Winnie: Ravi, you’re an influencer now. I saw all the viral marketing videos that you did during the Hubba, and I’m sure you’ve picked up some cool Gen Z lingo. Now that you have a newfound vocabulary, do you have any favourite words?
Ravi: A favourite of mine is ‘Rizz’. And of course ‘Slay’ would be another one.
Winnie: Next up, what's one word you'd use to describe BLR Hubba 2024?
Ravi: Fascinating.
Winnie: The one thing that kept you up at night while planning the festival?
Ravi: “May it not rain” was the one. But my prayers were not answered.
Winnie: What's the most outrageous request you've ever entertained from an artist, sponsor, or an audience member for the Hubba?
Ravi: There was one artist whose agent said they won't take the stage till they are paid in full.
Winnie: No way.
Ravi: That's quite outrageous. So I was actually quite offended saying that we are actually quite kosher.
Winnie: What's one thing from the Hubba that you'd want to see in Edinburgh Fringe festival?
Ravi: The diversity that we have here. Edinburgh could do with more diversity than it has currently.
Winnie: And what's one thing from Edinburgh that you want to bring to Hubba?
Ravi: I'd like to bring from Edinburgh, a pub outside every venue. They have 600 venues…
Winnie: I think a lot of people would really like that. So, around 600 pubs?
Ravi: Including the street side stalls, of course.
Winnie: That would be interesting. Next, what's the craziest thing that you've overheard at the Hubba?
Ravi: Craziest thing without a doubt was somebody who looked at me and said, “I've seen you somewhere.” I said, “Ah, must be BIC.” She said, “No.” And a minute later, it struck her. She said I was the Gen Z uncle she’d seen on her feed. That’s when I realised I have arrived.
Winnie: Yes, that's your claim to fame.
Ravi: It is, and conservatively at least 15 people strangers tapped me over the 16 days and said, “Wow, you're the Gen Z uncle.” So I think I have arrived.
Winnie: Ravi, spill some tea about a mess up that happened during the festival.
Ravi: In terms of the mess ups, I mean we were obviously furiously paddling, and there were quite a few mess ups. The biggest mess up would be we that we didn’t have a lot more planning and publicity for a certain set of events. I won’t take any names, but it wasn’t the homegrown events.
Winnie: For the last one, Ravi, have a look at this meme:
Ravi: I see the fire in the background and the child looking at it. And it's a metaphor for everything going up in flames.
Winnie: Did you have a moment during this year's Hubba that reminds you of this meme? I recently found out that this girl is popularly known as ‘Disaster Girl’ on Wikipedia.
Ravi: I know, she's there at the site of disasters.
Winnie: Look at her, she's just smiling. And everything is burning to the ground. Picture yourself at one of the Hubba events that was literally on fire. What was the disaster?
Ravi: I’ll still go back to that one — the lack of planning, those multiple events which could have been better planned. That I call that a train wreck over a bush fire.
Winnie: Alright, thank you so much Ravi. What fun this was! See you for Hubba next year.
This collaboration yielded EPIC results ;)
UnboxingBLR x WTFund’s first edition of the Namma Bengaluru Challenge offered 50 lakh in grants to city change makers — a remarkable opportunity for startups who wanted to get down and dirty and tackle Bengaluru’s crises head on!
When Nagara Meter Auto pitched their startup to an audience of 200+ folks at Bangalore International Centre (BIC), the crowd erupted into loud cheers and applause. If you’re from any other city in the country, you’d probably have a few questions pop up in your head about why metered autos being reintroduced to Bengaluru’s streets were being hailed as groundbreaking stuff; stuff worthy of the news. Worthy of a whole startup.
There are some things that only Bengalureans understand. This is one of them. And I for one, was terribly excited about not being taken for a ride in all the 8 years I’d spent in the city.
The Namma Bengaluru Challenge — a collaboration between UnboxingBLR and WTFund was launched on November 1. There were a flood of comments on the announcement post when it first dropped. ‘50 Lakh in Grants Await City Change-makers!’ — now that’s a headline that grabs eyeballs.
The sum was tempting, and it was an opportunity unlike any other I’d seen for nascent startups, but I thought there was no way we’d be sifting through piles of applications in just 30 days.
I was terribly wrong. 600+ applications had come in, with curious entrepreneurs looking in from the outside, and going - “Does the city have enough healthcare centres to cater to a rapidly growing population? ” “Can I provide affordable nanny services to working parents, given their stressful work commute?” And of course, we had the ones who’d finally found their chance to play a role in the city’s transformation, while also tackling massive infrastructural challenges.
The challenge culminated in a packed event held as part of the Futures Conference under BLR Hubba. Of the top 16 applications presented before a 6 member jury, 8 went all the way into the semi finals, while 5 cinched the top prize - Clean Water (Sustainable Water Technologies); Mahila Shakthi Electric Auto Driving Training Programme (Namma Foundation), Nagara Meter Auto (BrandPride Mobility), Anahat Foundation, and Let's Be the Change.
Did the top applicants have a hunch they’d make it to the winner’s list? Well, when you’ve crafted a solution as groundbreaking as theirs, confidence is almost inevitable:
“I think the work that we’ve put in, and the coverage we’ve got till date made me confident that we’d be able to win the challenge. Water is a serious challenge not just for the growth but for the survival of the city, and if we can provide a solution for water — my gut feeling was that we’d take home the prize.”
— Priyanshu Kumath (Founder, Clean Water, Sustainable Water Technologies)
And… that’s a wrap for our last edition of BLR Echoes for this year! Thank you for your energy, commitment and enthusiasm for all things BLR (and UBLR) over the last few months. We’re looking forward to our “1-10” journey in 2025!
Warmly,
Team UnboxingBLR