Kammanahalli was once a sleepy little appendage-acrossthe-flyover to the cantonment areas of Frazer Town and Cox Town. Today, Kammanahalli (variously referred to as, and overlapping with, Kalyan Nagar, HRBR Layout and Banaswadi) is a bustling centre of multiculturalism in Bangalore, where students from across India and many countries in the Middle East, Africa and South East Asia live cheek-by-jowl. Old-timers and business owners from this area say the boom started as more and more students flocked to the neighbourhood, and the chilled-out , cosmopolitan vibe drew others such as young couples and techies who work in IT parks near Hebbal. Today, Kammanahalli is a retailer's paradise with an enviable catchment area of fashion and brand-conscious shoppers. The growth of single and multi-brand outlets for clothing, accessories, mobiles, white goods and personal care is phenomenal, as is the growth in the number of restaurants , delis and casual eating out options. From big-name gyms to outlets of international fast food chains, Kammanahalli, which has often been compared to Indiranagar and Koramangala in recent years thanks to its swift economic boom, has them all. Name a big national brand and chances are they opened shop here in the past 18 months or so. While brands such as Lee, Levis and Raymond set-up shop years ago, Fab India opened doors to its Kammanahalli store in September. Multi-brand outlets Reliance Trends, Digital and Footprints started operations recently, and jewellery maker Tanishq also has a store here, as do kiddie brands Lilliput , Baby Centre and Mom & Me. It is a sign of the area's boom-town status that Bharti Retail chose to open its first Easy Day store in Bangalore here, too. Kammanahalli's gregarious and outgoing population has meant restaurants have flocked here, and the area has outlets of many eateries such as Casa Picola , KFC, Cream & Fudge Factory, Cafe Thulp, Donut Baker, Chung Wah, Corner House, French Loaf and Au Bon Pain. Pub