Bengaluru as TecHalli: Moily says he coined Silicon Valley of India

Former chief minister M Veerappa Moily on Monday warned any new description for Bengaluru other than as the Silicon Valley of India will hurt the brand image it has built globally.

His comments followed Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani and Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra picking up TecHalli as a new moniker for Bengaluru after running a competition on Twitter to find a suitable replacement for ‘Silicon Valley of India’.

"Attempt to erase the international brand of "Silicon Valley of India" is unfortunate and regrettable, he said in a press statement.


The former union minister said when he was the Minister for MSME in the Devaraj Urs Cabinet, he took the initiative to acquire large tracts of land in and around Anekal, Jigani to build the Electronic City. Many firms that set up units here have grown into large IT players today, he said.

As chief minister in the 1990s, he said he got the Singapore government to set up the ITPL at Whitefield in collaboration with the state government. On return from a US trip, Moily said, he coined the name Silicon Valley of India and his idea was to build such large tech parks also in Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi and Gulbarga.