But before IT came to the city, and before startups took it over, it was the original Garden City of India known for wide roads, pleasant climate, and beautiful old buildings that the British and the Maharaja of Mysore gave it.

Even today, if one looks around, heritage buildings remain the soul of the city.

In a study commissioned by Samsung on Bengaluru some time ago, a third of the respondents felt the city’s heritage buildings and architecture, which is a mix of colonial and art deco buildings spread across the city, defined its character.

Then, a sizeable 77% of millennials and 63% of non-millennials said they would want to restore heritage buildings and see them being converted into public spaces for art, culture and other events around technology and startups to hone the dreams of its residents.

Bengaluru is also where Samsung runs its biggest R&D centre outside South Korea, and houses the World’s Largest Mobile Experience Centre, Samsung Opera House, in a beautiful British-era building right in the heart of the city.

People of Bengaluru are passionate about their heritage, about their culture, which is why over the years, they have come together to protect heritage buildings that so define it. One such building that heritage lovers have helped protect is the 150-year-old iconic Balabrooie Guest House. There are many such instances of civil society movements to protect heritage.

“People in Bengaluru savour their heritage in a very passive way, not wearing it on their sleeve, but in their hearts,” says Harish Bijoor, who is as passionate about all things heritage in Bengaluru as he is about marketing, his main calling.

Mohandas Pai, chairman of Aarin Capital Partners, who led the IT revolution in the city, remembers his days as a student at St. Joseph’s College. He recalls bunking classes with friends and going for noon shows at Opera House on Brigade Road, which ran as a theatre those days.

Opera House is now Samsung Opera House, after Samsung India restored the British-era property over a period of two years and re-opened it as the World’s Largest Mobile Experience Centre. Today its façade continues to don its magnificent original look and feel while on the inside, a modern experiential space has been developed with extensive use of technology.

See how Samsung reinvented Opera House

Samsung Opera House is slowly becoming a playground of ideas and art and culture, with events being organized around fitness, photography, gaming, music, movies, food, stand-up comedy, technology and startups at the sprawling plaza area outside the building.

What’s inside Samsung Opera House

The Samsung model is a great one to follow, says Bijoor. “Keep the exterior the way it was, and jazz up the interiors. I want to see more such old structures and markets being developed like Samsung Opera House,” he says.

“A city has to preserve its past, its culture, and heritage. Having classical architecture shows continuity in planning,” adds Pai.

Mohammed Ameen, who operates Samsung Opera House says when the building was reopened in 2018, he heard from many old-timers their recollections of Opera House in the olden days. “Many people came up to me and told me about the movie they had seen here. Someone said he had got his ‘date’ here. They love that it’s back in action, even if it is in a new avatar,” he says. “I am happy Samsung has created something for the GenNext of Bengaluru. I am looking forward to co-work with Millennials and GenZ in the days to come,” he adds.

Samsung Digital Library will be implemented across 100 plus government schools of Karnataka wherein more than 2000 Samsung Galaxy Tab A and “e Education Content along with Training” will benefit nearly 25000 students.

Samsung Digital Library programme was inaugurated today in the presence of Mr. S Suresh Kumar, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education of Karnataka. Also present at the event were Mr. Heejoon Kang, Chief Financial Officer, SRI-B, and other Samsung executives.

Mr. S Suresh Kumar, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka, said, “Our focus on strengthening the primary education system will be bolstered through this partnership with Samsung. Students at this age must get an experience of the latest technology to have a holistic development. The Samsung tablets will be an ideal way to engage these kids in an interactive manner and we hope this to be a fulfilling association.”

“At Samsung, education is a cause that is close to our heart. We are committed to help students learn and bridge the digital divide with our new initiative – Samsung Digital Library. Through this partnership with the state government, we are hopeful that the students can adopt more engaging methods of learning with new age technology,” Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director at Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore, said.

Samsung Digital Library is a new corporate social responsibility initiative that has been introduced by SRI- B. The initiative will focus on providing quality digital knowledge and education in government schools of Karnataka.

In the first phase of the initiative, 20 tablets per school will be distributed across 50 Government schools of Tumakuru and Ramanagar. Tumakuru is also a ‘Smart City’, and this collaboration will further the government’s initiative towards digital education. The second phase is slated for the month of August this year.

Samsung has a strong partnership with the state of Karnataka and has been acknowledged for its sustainable efforts to transform the society through multiple initiatives towards community building. Since 2015, the CSR team at SRI-B has been active in carrying out various drives like the Notebook donation drive, building of a new school in Kembodi, solar lantern distribution and many such activities across Karnataka.

Karnataka is also the home to the world’s largest mobile experience center- Samsung Opera House and the biggest R&D centre of Samsung outside Korea. Samsung R&D Bangalore is a key innovation hub in Samsung. With the best of talent from India and overseas, this centre focusses on creating cutting edge technologies across multiple areas of Samsung’s business, that transform experiences of users both globally, as well as in local markets.

As part of that philosophy, five years ago, several employees of Samsung got an opportunity to engage with less privileged students at government schools in rural India, and most of them were taken by surprise that the biggest reason for these children to attend school was to get free mid-day meals provided to these schools through a government programme. Most students did not have basic necessities such as notebooks and stationery.

That’s when employees from Samsung Research Institute – Bengaluru (SRI-B) resolved to begin a donation drive to bring focus back on education and help curb the drop-out rate among students.

This week, our employee volunteers reached out to government schools in six Talukas of Kolar and Ramnagar districts of Karnataka and distributed 550,000 notebooks to 100,000 students in 2,100 government schools.

As the little girls and boys received their new set of notebooks and stationery, the glee on their faces was palpable. The minute they got their hands on their prized possessions, they couldn’t stop writing their names on them. Mr J Manjunath, the District Collector of Kolar, Samsung executives and other officials participated in the drive along with Samsung employees. The students also made a solemn promise to study to the best of their potential.

Samsung has always shared a strong relationship with the state of Karnataka. Bengaluru is home to SRI-B, Samsung’s largest research and development centre outside South Korea, and Samsung Opera House, the world’s largest mobile experience centre. Samsung also recently installed the world’s largest Onyx Cinema LED screen at the city’s Swagath Cinema theatre.

In the fifth edition of the notebook donation drive for around one lakh students studying at government schools, volunteers from SRI-B reached out to schools in six Talukas of Kolar district (Kolar, Malur, KGF, Mulbagal, Bangarpet and Srinivaspura) and one Taluka of  Ramanagar district (Magadi) to distribute notebooks and stationery items.

School Boys in Taluka of Kolar district  show their new notebooks.

The notebook donation drive was conceptualized five years ago when Samsung employees, on a field visit, interacted with students of different government schools to understand their challenges and more importantly, the reason for attending school. A majority of students said they come to school only for mid-day meals. They also mentioned that they lacked necessities like notebooks and stationary items. Engineers at SRI-B formed a volunteer group and along with the CSR team has been conducting donation drives, bringing the focus back to education and helping arrest school drop-out rates.

“We urge more corporates to come forward and participate in the development process of our region. These students are our future and I appreciate Samsung’s efforts towards the development of rural areas of Kolar. We seek continued support to brighten up the lives of these children,” said Shri Manjunath, District Collector, Kolar.

School Girls in Taluka of Kolar district show their new notebooks.

“Samsung has undertaken conscious efforts towards the development of young minds in this region. The continued collaboration with Karnataka government is a testimony of our commitment and we feel deeply satisfied to see our young talented engineers participate with enthusiasm. While we continue to make the lives of our consumers better with our innovations, we will also focus on contributing to the development of our country with sustainable initiatives,” said Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore.

Since 2015, members of the volunteer group, ‘SEVA’ and the CSR team at SRI-B have contributed over 850,000 notebooks to over 70,000 school students across 1,200 government schools. With the latest drive, they would have contributed over 1,400,000 notebooks. The team has also initiated the construction of a new school building in Kolar district and has installed water filters in 85 schools in the district.

Samsung has had a strong relationship with Karnataka. The state is home to Samsung’s largest R&D centre outside Korea, the world’s largest mobile experience centre, the Samsung Opera House and the recently launched cinema LED screen at Swagath Cinema, Bangalore.

Employees of Samsung Research & Development Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B) visited 1,200 government schools across Karnataka over three days to donate notebooks and pens to 70,000 students. This is SRI-B’s largest notebook donation drive in collaboration with the Government of Karnataka.

As part of the initiative, members of the SEVA team at SRI-B, which is committed towards community related voluntary programs, distributed close to 5 lakh notebooks and 88,000 pens to students in the state.

The donation drive was held in three phases and saw volunteers from SRI-B reaching out to schools in Kolar, Malur, KGF, Mulbagal, Bangarpet, Srinivaspura and Devanahalli districts of the state.

“At Samsung, education is a cause that is close to our heart. We are committed to helping students across the state learn and fulfill their dreams. With notebooks being a basic necessity for students, we would like to empower the children of rural India through such drives,” said Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru.

SRI-B came forward to help these students as it was observed that these students did not have sufficient number of notebooks and other essential items required for the academic education. SRI-B took the initiative of distributing study materials to keep the students engaged and improve their education outcomes.

Last year, this drive had brought smiles on faces of over 30,000 students, who had received notebooks, dictionaries, stationery kits and other essential items under this initiative. On special request of government officials for greater support, SRI-B fulfilled its promise this year by directing more efforts towards the uplift of student fraternity and empowering rural India.

The program has brought about a huge difference as the number of students who drop out of school, especially girls, has dropped considerably in the schools where these study materials were distributed.

Volunteers from Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru with students

Samsung India has collaborated with the Karnataka government to donate notebooks and pens to students in 450 government schools across Bengaluru, Kolar and Mulbaghal districts in the state.

A team of over 120 volunteers from Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru visited these schools and distributed 160,000 notebooks and 38,500 pens to over 30,000 students in two days.

“As a market leader, Samsung caters to the needs of its consumers with meaningful innovations and quality products, and also pledges to contribute to the needs of the society to create a better life for people,” said Mr. Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute, Bengaluru.

“The notebook donation drive, through which we have been able to reach out to over 30,000 students in Karnataka, is a small step in that direction,” he said.

Earlier this year, Samsung donated stationery items such as dictionaries, exam pads, geometry boxes, bags and stationery pouches to around 500 schools in Karnataka.

Another important milestone was the agreement with Government of Karnataka to help the state efficiently manage its public healthcare facilities. As part of the agreement, Samsung Research & Development Institute, Bangalore (SRI-B) provided over 1,000 Samsung Tab IRIS devices to the Department of Health, Government of Karnataka. Samsung Tab IRIS, the first commercial tablet to be approved by UIDAI for Aadhaar and KYC verification, is enabling Public Health Centers (PHC) in the state to build their database in a digital format.

Samsung began its journey in India in 1995, and in over two decades, it has grown into one of the country’s biggest consumer product companies, with 2 manufacturing plants, 5 R&D centres, 1 design centre, 1.5 lakh retail outlets and over 70,000 employees. Samsung is also India’s Most Trusted Brand and is pioneering local manufacturing through its ‘Make for India’ initiative.

Samsung India Citizenship Initiatives

At Samsung, our aim is to harness the Company’s legacy of innovation to positively transform communities and create a better life for people through different initiatives.

Samsung Smart Class, the Company’s flagship citizen program in India, promotes digital education among underprivileged students, especially in rural India. This initiative aims to bridge the digital gap between rural and urban India and provide equal opportunities for quality education to children from all backgrounds. Since 2013, over 470 Samsung Smart Class have been set up at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools across the length and breadth of India benefitting over 2.5 lakh students. In addition, over 8,000 teachers have been trained on how to use interactive technology to teach.

The Company has also established Samsung Technical Schools in partnership with the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India and ITIs in the states of Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Rajasthan and Delhi, to address the need for talented manpower with practical know-how and relevant industry experience. Students at the 22 Samsung Technical Schools also benefit from exposure to Samsung manufacturing facilities and authorized service centers. Till date, Samsung Technical Schools have provided technical training for job opportunities to over 2,000 youth.

One of the Company’s key citizenship initiatives is the Samsung Smart Healthcare program that has been designed to support the Government’s efforts to provide the best of healthcare to millions of citizens especially from the economically weaker sections. Through this program, Samsung provides government hospitals its innovative healthcare equipment such as ultrasound, digital radiology and accessories, with the aim to make affordable healthcare accessible to the large number of patients at select Government hospitals in Chennai, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Gurugram and Delhi.