What does it mean to write a city from the inside out? In this conversation, two native Bangaloreans—theatre director and author Kirtana Kumar and Sandhya Mendonca—reflect on Bangalore Blues, a collection shaped by the Bangalore they grew up in: its cantonment streets, libraries, neighbourhoods, characters, humour, contradictions, and layered communities. They discuss why telling stories of a city from the inside out matters, and why preserving its history, geography, and everyday voices is so vital. They also talk about:

• The meaning behind the title Bangalore Blues
• Turning archival-style headlines into fiction
• Theatre, character, and the people who rarely make it into literature
• The subtle politics of belonging, memory, and identity
• Not reshaping the book to fit someone else’s expectations

'Write what you enjoy reading—and write the stories only you can tell.", says Kirtana on #SpotlightwithSandhya

Watch the full conversation here: https://thegoodcity.in/culture/writing-bangalores-stories/

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