Technology Evangelist Balagopal on his #Move2Trivandrum

TechnoparkToday.com: Balagopal with his 14 years of experience, is a Technology Guru of Mobile Technologies with very strong Business acumen. Bala currently heads Strategic Alliances and Mobile App Partnerships in Reliance Jio. In his previous role, Bala was responsible for Vodafone Global Developer Program & Apps Store in India, Africa and Middle East, before that, he was with Nokia as a Technology Expert, responsible for  Mobile Java, Windows Phone, & Mobile Web Technologies and managed Nokia Apps Store in APAC. He is a speaker for several Industry events across India, APAC & Africa.

He cools off by listening to music and enjoys long drives. Bala, having his own community and network of developer friends is a storehouse of solutions and a sure bet to extend your network.

Bala spoke to us about why he moved back to Trivandrum and shared his thoughts on the city and its future.

Never knew Reliance Jio’s Mobile App Partnerships head is based in Trivandrum. Can you share more details on why you moved back?

Trivandrum was always in the heart. We lived in Bangalore and travelled mostly across AsiaPacific, Middle east and Africa, no other city could get us that homely feel.  We gave up with crazy traffic, polluted IT corridors and super busy life in Bangalore – which was in turn taking the juice out of our life.

When I got an opportunity in Jio, my main ask for them was to work from Trivandrum, which they happily agreed and that has really become a life changer to us! Singapore was another city we loved to be in, but we decided Trivandrum will be our final destination.

How about your family? And how did they adjust with the move?

Am married to Devika and she was working as a Senior Engineer in Cognizant Technology Solutions, Bangalore. It was quite a tough decision to relocate as it would be affecting our careers as well. We decided to move on and Devika got placed in UST Global, Technopark. Next challenge was finding the right school for my kid Akshay. We wanted to get his education started with good standards and great values, He got admission in Loyola School, which we are finding to be one of the best schools in Kerala.

During the initial days in Trivandrum, Akshay really missed his Punjabi and Kannadiga friends from Bangalore, then he started making lot of new friends in the neighbourhood as well as in the school and with his cousins. I am very happy that my son is able to see and feel our cultural heritage and blend with all near and dears just like the childhood days I had.

The most happiest are our parents, who are very much excited to have us back in Trivandrum.

What do you think of Trivandrum’s future?

I strongly believe Trivandrum is one city with huge untapped potential, may it be in starting new Businesses or making use of the natural resources. The start-up scene in Trivandrum also is changing with lot of new incubators coming up like B-hub and its very promising to see major technology giants like Nissan, Oracle, Allianz, EY, McKinsey and infrastructure players like Taurus Investment Holdings and many more finding the potential in Trivandrum and coming down to invest here.

Trivandrum carries a rich cultural heritage, which also makes this city remarkable – may it be the Onam Celebrations or any festival, we celebrate in style. Also the number of tourist destinations in and around Trivandrum makes it a great place to relax after a week’s hectic work. An early morning jog in the museum make its a perfect start of the day!

What’s your message for those thinking to move to Trivandrum?

Make the move right now and I am sure you will never regret, if you have a business & planning to invest in Trivandrum, I suggest you should definitely go ahead without any hesitation.

Feature desk, TechnoparkToday.com