New Delhi, Oct. 24 -- On a humid Wednesday afternoon, tucked away in Mysuru's leafy Gokulam area, The Organic Cafe and Bakehouse (TOCB) is packed. The smell of coffee and baked goods, the sound of clacking laptops and snatches of conversations in Kannada and other languages fill the air. Over the last few years, scenes like this have become common across the city.

Mysuru has long been called "heritage city", "sandalwood city" and "yoga city", alongside the more unflattering "laid-back" and "sleepy hollow". Separated from Bengaluru by about 130 km, it has unwittingly played second fiddle. Lately, people have moved in from elsewhere, including Bengaluru, and a consequence of this migration is the explosion of cafes, delis and new-age baker...