In Bengaluru, CCDs are also an inherent part of the startup culture. There are at least two CCD outlets in Indiranagar, a hip suburban area in India’s Silicon Valley that houses hundreds of startup offices, and the city’s central business district along Mahatma Gandhi Road has at least three more.

In fact, many years ago, a prominent Indian entrepreneur who sold his taxi-aggregation business to a rival, told me that the first internal meeting to discuss this takeover had happened at the CCD in Jayanagar, an affluent residential locality in Bengaluru. We were meeting at the same CCD a couple of months after the deal was sealed.

At several other CCDs across the southern Indian city—there are over 140 by some estimates—it’s common to find entrepreneurs meeting investors, or small young teams brainstorming their businesses.

Yet, it’s more than only cities and business meetings.

Open for all

Any woman who has been on a road trip in India will have at least one story of how a CCD outlet saved her from being forced to use an unhygienic and stinky toilet at a local dhaba or restaurant.

CCDs have also been all about inclusion and equality, resonating with the youth. The company employs several deaf and mute individuals at its outlets as “silent brewmasters.” These people “have a heightened sense of smell and vision which ensure the most appealing taste and visual presentation of coffees,” according to the company.

Siddhartha may be gone, but his legacy will live through the bright purple signboards at every other crossing in large and small Indian cities.

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