General Information

Clothing

There is no particular dress code for the conference. However, pack a few layers which you may require in the mornings and evenings. A business wear during the dinners will be appreciated.

Time

India has only one time zone which covers the entire country. Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of GMT.

Language

The official language of the conference is English.

The local language – Kannada is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly but more than 40% of Bangalore’s population consists people from states other than Karnataka. Out of these 40%, roughly 40% are those who have their first or second language as Hindi. English is also quite widely spoken in the city.

Local Commuting

Taxis are easily available in Bangalore with Ola & Uber being the leading Metered/ Radio taxis.
Tuktuks (called autos & 3-wheelers in local lingo) are common mode of transport and are readily available at every corner of the city.
Bangalore Metro is, clearly, the quickest, affordable and one of the best ways to get around Bangalore. However, kindly confirm if the metro covers the place you want to visit.
At the airport, KSTDC (Karnataka State Tourism Department) has a taxi stand with metered taxies available 24/7 – just outside the arrival gate.
There are private taxi providers also available with whom a cab can be booked inside the airport, which will be slightly more expensive as compared to the radio/ metered taxies. Ola & Uber are also available at the airport.

Electricity

The voltage in India is 230 volts. You will require a voltage converter if you are carrying a device that does not accept 230 Volts. Wall sockets accept plugs with two or three round pins. Should you wish to use appliances of 110 volts, most Conference Hotels will provide adaptors on request but it may be useful to carry your own for convenience. Most laptops have adaptors that accept 110-240 volts, but will still need plugs of the type shown below.

Typical Indian 3-Pin and 2-Pin plugs. The separation between the two smaller round pins is 2 cm.

Visa

All Visitors coming from overseas will require a valid visa. Visas can be obtained from the Indian missions abroad through application where a sticker is required in the passport (non-ETA). One should possess a valid passport.

For those traveling to India to attend a conference/ seminar/ symposium, CONFERENCE VISA will be required.

Currency
1 Euro = 102 INR
1 USD = 88 INR
1 GBP = 118 INR
1 AUD = 57 INR

The above currency values are as on date and approximate. Please log onto www.xe.com to calculate the approximate current currency values. The above rate of exchange changes every day therefore the current date rate to be taken at the time of calculation.

Banks

All the International Banks are represented by Branches in Bangalore. Bank Hours are 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM from Monday to Friday and 9.30 am -1.30 pm on Saturdays. The 2^nd & 4^th Saturdays in the month are holidays for the banks in India.

Credit Cards

American Express, Visa, Master Card etc. are generally accepted in the major hotels and shops. However, you are advised to confirm the merchant if they would accept cards beforehand.

Safety and Security

Follow the same rules of safety that you follow while travelling anywhere else with respect to using hotel safe deposit boxes and keeping travel documents safe.
When in public places, keep them in your hotel or with you all the time when moving about.
Always carry the hotel address with you when you leave the hotel.

Water

Always drink bottled water. Do not drink water from the tap. However, the tap water is safe to brush your teeth with.

Smoking Policy

All public areas are non-smoking except for specifically labelled smoking areas.

Alcohol Consumption

There are plenty of shops selling liquor of all varieties where the price will be around 50% less than the same brand served in a hotel.

The pubs/ bars/ restaurants generally follow 11 PM as the cut-off for last order, unless mentioned specifically. dividuals who wish to continue to partake of alcoholic beverages after 11.00 p.m. may only do so via room service orders within hotels.

Insurance and Liability

The organizers do not take responsibility for any individual, medical, travel or personal insurance. Participants are advised to secure their own insurance policies before departure from their countries, as required.

While every attempt is made to ensure efficient, trouble-free hospitality, including hotel accommodation, sightseeing and tours, participants are advised that no liability accrues to the Organizers in the event of any necessary modifications, including change in itineraries for tours due to delays or cancellations of flights/other exigencies beyond the Organizers’ control.

Restrictions on Export of Articles

Export of all wild animals indigenous to the country and articles made from such listed animals like skins, pelts, furs, ivory, rhino horns, trophies are totally banned.
Banned items do not include peacock feathers and handicrafts made from them.
Antiques which include sculpture, painting or other works of arts or crafts illustrative of science, art, craft, religion of bygone ages and of historical interest which have been in existence for not less than 100 years may not be exported from India.
Manuscripts or other documents of scientific, historical literary or aesthetic value in existence for not less that seventy-five years: art treasures not necessarily antiques but of artistic or aesthetic value, also cannot be exported out of India

Food and Drink

Be careful what you eat. Steer clear of uncooked or unpeeled fruit and vegetables outside the hotels / quality restaurants. Do sample local restaurants too, but use your good judgment. If it looks iffy, take a pass.
Eat meats only in restaurants of a good hygienic standard.
Curd or yoghurt is served with most Indian meals. It is a natural aid to digestion and helps to temper the spicy food too.
Do not eat fried food cooked in the streets.

Tipping and Gratuities

Tipping Practices are similar to most other parts of the world. Most restaurants include a service charge of 10% in the bills, but tipping in general is at customers’ discretion which could vary from 2% to 8%. The local currency is preferred while tipping. Naturally, it’s never compulsory and should only be done if you’re happy with the service. However, tipping is not a very common practice while using a radio taxi/ call taxi (like Uber, Ola) or even autos (tuktuks).

COVID Related Norms

It is not mandatory to wear a mask in Bangalore anymore. However, we suggest you to please wear a mask if you are not well due to cold/ cough and sanitize hands on regular intervals.

Any change in the local law/ protocol due to COVID will be communicated at regular intervals as applicable. The conference will be taking all necessary precautions as per the local COVID norms.

Others

Keep extra photocopies of the relevant pages of your passport in a safe place.
Taxi and auto-rickshaw fares keep changing, and therefore do not always conform to readings on meters. Insist on seeing the latest rate card, available with the driver, and pay accordingly. Avoid taxis that pick up additional passengers.
Be wary of impostor porters or guides. Assure that they are properly uniformed or identified. Never leave your luggage, briefcase, laptops or other items unattended.
Insist on the taxi / auto meter being flagged down in your presence.
In cities you can change most major foreign currencies and brands of travellers’ cheques but you’ll widen your options and save yourself hassles if you stick to US dollars or pounds sterling.

Traffic/Horn Blowing

The rules of the road are simply very different here in India. Traffic generally is much slower than in some other parts of the world, and it is very common to see animals amongst moving traffic. Use great caution when crossing streets. Horn blowing is deemed precautionary and is a constant 24-hour reality.