Like most Indian cities, Bengaluru has several accolades to speak for itself. Its cultural charm over the past century garnered the city a variety of names such as ‘pensioner’s paradise’, ‘garden city’ and amongst these, ‘the rock capital of India’ was one tag that the city proudly wore on its sleeve for a long time until the Northeastern city of Shillong took over.
Bengaluru’s affliction with music dates far back into its post-colonial hangover where parts of the Cantonment area (present-day MG Road and Brigade road) were bedazzled with the most happening pubs, nightclubs, shopping complexes, and bars in the city.
Revelling in its golden years of rock music, its young artists, bands that rose to national fame in the 90s and Bengaluru’s vintage architecture now speak volumes about a golden time in the city’s history.
Amongst the most prominent buildings in the now modern and shockingly urbanised MG Road is the Bible Society building located right within the complex of the city’s famous St. Mark’s Cathedral.
An old vintage structure still unperturbed by the rapidly transforming landscape around it, this building is now home to an iconic Hard Rock Café. For those who have lived in this city, the Bible Society is an iconic structure that marks the remarkable shifts that have occurred in the past few decades.
From Religion to Rock
One of the oldest buildings to stand the test of time on this bustling city junction, the Bangalore Tract & Book Society was a part of the iconic Bible Society that has housed thousands of books and regional translations of the Bible and other Christian literature.
The structure was one of the earliest to sprout up in the sleepy cantonment region of old Bengaluru where Winston Churchill once lived. While Christian missionaries proliferated in Southern Indian territories including Bengaluru, the city and its neighbouring provinces witnessed a sudden surge in its demand for translated versions of the Bible which ultimately led to the establishment of the Bangalore Bible Society in 1945 in the same building that was once a recreational café for the British elite called Blightly’s Tea Room.
While the Karnataka auxiliary of the Bible society took charge of the building to transform it into a space for religious literature, several notable personalities including the Queen of England made a visit to its premises in the year 1961. It was here that the first copy of the Kannada Bible was also printed and circulated.
As time passed by and the interests of the parent organisation shifted hands, the building was owned by several Christian missionaries that tried to keep the legacy of this structure alive. The advent of IT hubs and the sudden surge of migrants to the city led to the building undergoing rapid transfers in ownership within a single decade (1990-2000).
A wave of fresh youth spirit, a westernised perspective melded with the spirits of the city’s colonial past brought rock music to the corridors of this building whose physical structure still remains unaltered.
In 2001, 180 Degree Proof, the city’s then most happening pub was established within the same building. The pub was famous for hosting emerging bands in the city accompanied by a fancy menu. With the imposition of an early night curfew for bars and restaurants, 180 Degree too, faced a grand yet short-lived life.
HMV Music Store, one of the city’s most sought after music libraries then became the next owners of this space which housed vinyl records and musical instruments in an attempt to keep the mini-music revolution that was sweeping across the city during that point going.
This transition was made complete when Hard Rock Café finally took ownership of this building while keeping its physical vintage structure intact. Now celebrating nearly two decades of successful establishment, the space continues to witness the greats of Indian and international rock music on its historic stage.
If you enjoyed reading this, we also suggest: