One of the tenets that all writers try to abide by at The Ken is to show the reader, not tell.

Even on-the-nose business stories strive to rely on facts and reportage to make a point. This year, we pushed the “show” boundary within our lean team. As a career journalist, I’d say that’s also the best way to remain relevant and vital.

Mrunmayee hit the road in December to understand what it takes to build a tech city at a time when southern states are jostling with each other to take the top spot. I asked her about her experience.

The first thing she did before planning a trip to Tirupati was scope out its Starbucks/Third Wave Coffee scene.

Coming from a Bengaluru perspective, it can be very hard to imagine a tech hub without the network-y cafes, she says. “Mysore has them. Hubballi has several Cafe Coffee Day outlets. Where else would you go to work on pitch decks and schmooze with founders?”

Mrunmayee hard at it at a cafe in Mysuru

Images of the story

Mrunmayee hard at it at a cafe in Mysuru

And yet. The Starbucks on Tiruchanoor road, just 20 minutes from the Balaji temple, felt more aspirational to her than a networking hub. There were couples on dates. Families with kids excited about mocha frappuccinos overloaded with caramel. Not a single laptop in sight.

That, more than the residential buildings converted to tech offices, showed her how this was a very different kind of tech city. The cafes, the one bar, the Zudio—they weren’t built to pull in techies from the big cities.

Some scenes from Tirupati

Images of the story

Some scenes from Tirupati

They showed up because local people had better jobs and could spend more on nice things.