Mangalore is the major port city of the state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian sea and the Western Ghats. It is a commercial, industrial, educational, healthcare and startup hub.
History:
Mangalore has been ruled by several major powers like the Kadambas, Alupas, Vijayanagar Empire, Keladi Nayaks, and the Portuguese. Mangalore was annexed by the British in 1799. After independence, it became unified with the state of Mysore (now, called Karnataka).
People:
Mangalore is a multi-lingual city where several prominent regional languages such as Tulu, Konkani, Kannada and Beary are spoken. The male literacy rate is 96.49% and the female literacy rate is 91.63%. The majority of Mangaloreans belong to the Tuluva ethnic group. The next largest ethnic group is the Konkanis. 69% of the people follow Hinduism while 17.4% follow Islam and 13.5% follow Christianity.
Culture:
Mangalore is a multicultural city and it is expressed through various dance forms, handicrafts, cuisines, music, and sports. Hulivesha, a folk dance is practiced during Dussehra and Krishna Janmashtami. The Tuluvas practice Yakshangana, which is a dance that is performed for a whole night. Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with grandeur. The Catholics celebrate Monti Fest, which celebrates the growth of new crops and the nativity.
Economy:
Industrial, commercial, agricultural processing, and port-related activities comprise this city’s economy. Mangalore is the second largest business center in Karnataka. It is the only city in the state with all 4 modes of transport. Around 75% of India’s coffee, timber and cashew exports are handled by the Mangalore port. Mangalore has several petrochemical processing units. It has one of India’s largest Special Economic Zones, the ONGC. Some major information technology companies like Cognizant and Infosys have their branches here. The Government of India has planned to make Mangalore the first startup district with 20 tinkering labs and incubation centers.
Mental health:
- A tier 2 city, Mangaloreans are yet to gain sufficient awareness about mental health issues. The hospitals and NGO’s in the city have been working over the years to fight stigma related to mental health and to encourage people to seek help for mental health issues.
- WHO states that in India, (per 100,000 population) there are psychiatrists (0.3), nurses (0.12), psychologists (0.07), and social workers (0.07), while the desirable number is anything above 3 psychiatrists and psychologists per 100,000 population.
- A study by a British organization found that about 42.3% of corporate employees suffer from anxiety and depression. This may cause losses worth 1.03 trillion dollars to the Indian economy.
- India has only 43 government mental hospitals spread across 21 states. This was revealed in a 2019 parliamentary questionnaire.
TalkItOver offers professional counseling services in the city of Mangalore and in other major Indian cities.
