The Cervantes Institute is opening its first satellite center in India in Bangalore, a city of more than eight million people which is considered India’s Silicon Valley. The extension will begin teaching Spanish courses at the start of next year and be a satellite of the center in New Delhi. Bangalore, located in southern India and capital of the state of Karnataka, is home to numerous technology companies and research and educational institutions. It is also home to the Indian aerospace program and the Kannada language film industry (official in that state).
The technological, economic, educational, and demographic potential of Bangalore (India’s fourth most populous city, behind Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata) makes it the ideal place to open the first extension of the Cervantes Institute in India, since a strong demand for Spanish is expected. Related institutions such as the Alliance Française and the Goethe Institute confirm that it is the Indian city with the second-highest demand for foreign language classes. Inaugurated in 2009, the Cervantes of New Delhi exceeded 6,000 class registrations last year, more than many other centers around the world.