The rise of a city is the journey of centuries. Time, entrepreneurship and chaos often play a role in their rise. While it is easy to equate the rise of Bengaluru as India’s Silicon Valley to the post-Y2K phenomenon, Sriram Devatha’s book, BrandGaluru Made in Bengaluru, traces its roots to an entrepreneurial culture that has always existed underneath the façade of the quiet, suburban Garden City.

The first volume of the book examines the city’s emergence as a corporate brand through the examples of four Indian MSME (Micro and Small Medium Enterprises) that have grown through the inventive approach of their founders. Of these, with the exception of William Penn, the other three brands of PN Rao, Judge Press and RADEL electronics might be unfamiliar to the non-business layman. What makes the book interesting is its integration of personal recollections, historical trivia and details that bring alive the city of Bengaluru before its traffic jams and glitzy urbane culture took over.