Fri Mar 07 00:35:00 UTC 2025: ## Bengaluru’s Rise: A City Forged in Metallurgy and Missed Opportunities

**Bengaluru, March 7, 2025** – A recent History Lit Fest at Christ University shed light on Bengaluru’s remarkable journey to becoming India’s scientific powerhouse, a transformation rooted in its rich metallurgical history and a confluence of fortunate events and strategic choices.

Experts highlighted the city’s deep-seated connection to metallurgy, tracing it back to Tipu Sultan’s advanced Mysore Rockets, produced in armories near the Yelahanka Air Force Station. These rockets, utilizing superior alloys and metallurgy, significantly outperformed British weaponry during the Anglo-Mysore Wars. This legacy continued with the establishment of the Bhadravati Iron and Steel plant and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), initially conceived with a focus on electro-metallurgy.

The panellists, including Aromar Revi, Vijay Chandru, and Jahnavi Phalkey, emphasized Bengaluru’s unique cosmopolitanism and abundant human capital as crucial factors. Economist Milton Friedman’s 1955 observation about India’s untapped scientific talent resonated strongly, explaining the later influx of multinational tech companies attracted by the city’s skilled workforce. The establishment of IISc in Bengaluru, instead of the initially proposed Roorkee, and the wartime establishment of HAL, were cited as pivotal “accidents” that shaped the city’s trajectory.

The panelists also discussed strategic choices like the KRS Dam, Bhadravati Iron and Steel, and Kolar Gold Fields, creating a synergistic triangle that electrified the city and fueled industrial growth. The contributions of Sir M Visvesvaraya were also highlighted. However, the discussion also acknowledged missed opportunities, such as the decline of HMT and the failure to capitalize on early advancements in solar technology. Despite this, Bengaluru remains a city defined by its legacy of innovation and its continued reliance on its exceptional human capital, a testament to a long and complex history.

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