My Visual Travel Experience: Gurgaon

My initial memories of Gurgaon, now called Gurugram, go back to the early 1990s, when it used to be a relatively unknown suburb of Delhi that my family used to drive past on our way to our little farm in Sohna. Back then, it was a small town in the North Indian state of Haryana, just like thousands of little towns spread across the country, and its only real claim to fame was its proximity to the national capital. The late 1990s saw rapid development in Gurgaon, triggered largely by Delhi’s lack of space, its population bursting at its seams, and its sky-rocketing property prices and rentals. Industries started coming up in Gurgaon, corporate offices moved from Delhi and other parts of India, and housing started being developed (thanks largely to DLF initially). What followed in the next few years were high end condominiums, malls, restaurants, entertainment centres, swanky corporate offices, and very soon, we had this sleepy little town transformed into a bustling, prosperous metropolis. The only international parallel that I have seen in such a short period is Shenzhen in China, which grew from being a small market town of 30,000 people in the early 1980s into a mega city with over 10 million inhabitants in a span of just three decades, after it got the status of a Special Economic Zone! As per the 2011 census, Gurgaon had a population of around 876,000, and it was growing exponentially! It also has the third highest per capita income among all cities in India. Not bad for a town that was nowhere on the radar just 2 decades ago!!

Cyber Hub and Gateway Tower

Amphitheatre, Cyber Hub

Cyber City

I have been closely associated with Gurgaon since 2006, when I joined Nokia and my office was in Cyber City. I subsequently moved from Delhi to Gurgaon in 2011, and have been staying in Gurgaon ever since. If you asked me what I feel about the city, it would be a mixed basket - there are things I really like about this city, and there are things that leave a lot to be desired.

DLF City Court

Let’s take a look at some of the real positives that Gurgaon has to offer. The city has some great accommodation in the form of its numerous condominiums, whether it’s the very high end condominiums, or the not so high end ones. Even the not so high end condominiums have the basics well taken care of – safety, security and basic amenities like electricity and water (these are all things one can’t otherwise take for granted in the city). Some of the prominent condominiums include Aralias, Magnolias, The Icon, The Pinnacle, Richmond Tower, Regency Park 1 and 2, Oakwood Estate, Ridgewood, Laburnum, just to name a few.

The Pinnacle

Regency Park 2

The sheer number of malls is quite staggering, and some of them have a lot to offer in terms of shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs and entertainment zones. Ambience Mall is a personal favourite, but there are also other attractive malls like MGF Metropolitan Mall, City Center, MGF Metropolis and South Point Mall. There are also popular markets like Galleria and DLF Supermart. The concept of Hyper markets has caught on in Gurgaon, and there are stores like Big Bazaar and Spar, where a staggering number of products and brands are available under one roof. Gurgaon also boasts of some really fine hotels, like The Oberoi Gurgaon, The Trident Gurgaon, Taj City Centre, The Westin Gurgaon and The Leela Ambience. Just outside the city, there's Taj Gateway at Damdama as well as ITC Grand Bharat. Gurgaon also has a world class golf course - DLF Golf and Country Club - and some of the city's most expensive condominiums (like Aralias and Magnolias) are around it. The Biodiversity Park is a welcome green space in the concrete jungle that the city is, and Leisure Valley is another one.

Ambience Mall

MGF Metropolitan Mall

The Oberoi Gurgaon

Pool at The Trident, Gurgaon

Taj Gateway at Damdama

ITC Grand Bharat

In recent times, congestion in certain parts of the city (around Cyber City and Golf Course Road in particular) has come down immensely because of the construction of underpasses. The commercial complexes housing corporate offices boast of world class infrastructure. The proximity to the airport makes the city very accessible, and adds to it being a preferred business centre. Recent years have seen a vast improvement in public transport, through the Metro, the Rapid Metro, auto rickshaws, and the likes of Uber and Ola – till a few years ago, having one’s own mode of transportation was an absolute must, but this has now changed. The city has some great schools, including Shri Ram School, Shiv Nadar School, Heritage School and Pathways. Big hospital brands like Fortis and Max have a presence. So overall infrastructure in the city is good.

DLF Golf and Country Club

Biodiversity Park

Now let’s take a look at the areas where one wishes more was done. Though development has been rapid, one wishes the town was a little better planned. Development has been a little haphazard, and traffic jams can be annoying (despite considerable recent improvements through under passes). During rains – even light showers – water-logging is a huge problem, and traffic just stops moving! One has living models like Chandigarh, which too is a modern city and has been planned exceptionally well, with green open spaces, wide avenues and a quality of life index that is very high – perhaps something could have been taken from that book. Crime is an area of concern in the city, though the condominiums – with their in-built security systems – have been largely untouched by it. Pollution and smog are concern areas, but those are prevalent across Delhi and the National Capital Region, so Gurgaon is no exception.

Horizon Center

Bull Statue, Horizon Center

Though residents have enough recreation options, for tourists and visitors there isn’t too much to draw them in. There are of course the malls, food joints and movie halls (Kingdom of Dreams, with its Culture Gulley and auditorium that houses impressive Bollywood style shows, is one notable exception). One wishes there were more places to visit (by way of museums, art galleries, well maintained parks or even beautiful religious institutions like many other cities boast of), and one also wishes there were places where one could get more exposure to cultural programmes (Epicentre came up a few years ago, and added a welcome dash of culture to the city, but it unfortunately closed down). Being a modern city, one can’t expect Gurgaon to have a host of sites having historical importance, but there is enough and more that the concerned authorities can do to bring in visitors who are not just business visitors. Lohagarh Farm is another exception that stands out. It is an interesting place and is a recreation of a village experience. One can have a traditional meal, one can go on camel rides / horse rides / bullock cart rides, one can hear folk music, and one can play traditional games.

Auditorium at Kingdom of Dreams

Bollywood at Culture Gulley, Kingdom of Dreams

Mumbai at Culture Gulley,
Kingdom of Dreams

Cannon, Lohagarh Farm

Camel, Lohagarh Farm

Musicians, Lohagarh Farm

For people who enjoy eating out, one is really spoiled for choice in Gurgaon. Cyber Hub has restaurants like Soda Bottle Opener Wala, Made In Punjab, Nando's, Burma Burma, Oh! Calcutta, Italiano, Cafe Delhi Heights, The Wine Company, Hard Rock Cafe, Farzi Cafe and Circus. There is also a food court there. Horizon Center has restaurants like Whisky Samba, Artusi Ristorante, Townhall, Caffe Tonino, Shophouse by Kylin, Khan Chacha and Sagar Ratna. Ambience Mall has restaurants like Asia Kitchen, Cafe Delhi Heights, Chili's, Haldiram's, Nando's, Zambar, Punjab Grill and Fresco. The other malls also have good dining options, as well as food courts. Well known quick service restaurant brands like McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Taco Bell, Subway, Starbucks, Barista, Cafe Coffee Day and Costa Coffee are all well represented in the city. Some of the prominent restaurants at the five star hotels include Thai Pavilion at Taj City Centre, threesixtyone at The Oberoi Gurgaon, Cilantro at The Trident Gurgaon, Prego at The Westin Gurgaon and Spectra at The Leela Ambience. The Clock Tower is a popular pub on Golf Course Road, and it also offers good food options. So the city has options to cater to just about any type of cuisine - North Indian, South Indian, Bengali, Chinese, Burmese, Thai, Pan Asian, Italian, Continental or Mexican.

Genovese Salad at Artusi Ristorante

Pizza at Italiano

Ramen at Asia Kitchen

So that’s a pretty mixed basket, but over the years, I have grown to like Gurgaon more and more. When I shifted from Delhi, I wasn’t particularly happy about moving, but over time, Gurgaon has grown on me. Delhi is close enough, so the few things I really find missing in Gurgaon can easily be accessed. What’s great is that a lot of people from my generation and people who are younger than me, all stay in Gurgaon because of the work related opportunities here – it’s so strange that despite being largely a Delhi guy, I now have just a handful of friends in Delhi, and a vast majority of my friends reside in Gurgaon. My extended family is right next door in Delhi, so because of that and because of my work, I travel to Delhi a fair amount. When my father and mother were around, my Delhi visits were every other day to spend time with them. Sadly, they are no longer with us, but even now, I find myself going to Delhi at least a couple of times a week. All in all, the quality of life is pretty good in Gurgaon, and with recent steps in infrastructure development, I think things are certainly looking up!