Click to play videoCNN-IBN's special series, Sleepless in Suburbia focuses on the everyday problems being faced by satellite townships which have come up at a rapid pace. Today, we talk about the population of Gurgaon, which has grown to over a million in the last six years. There are skyscrapers on what used to be farmlands and that's just part of the social change. Read on...
Gurgaon: They call Gurgaon, a little corner of America in the heartland of Haryana. With names of buildings right out of New York, the administration of this suburb are all but luring NRIs in their midst.
A self-sustaining and self-contained community was what NRI Snehil Gambhir desired when he moved to 'The Laburnum' in Gurgaon two years ago. He's very happy with his choice of Gurgaon and says, "We tend to create our own little island of what we think is important to us."
Outside the comfortable world of the Gambhirs is Lukmaan Khan's shop. Khan supplies chicken to the residents of the skyscrapers but despite this, fears that he may be removed from his dwelling some day. He hopes for peaceful coexistence with the residents of the high towers.
Lukmaan Khan says, "Hum to bas yahi chahte hain woh bhi rahein hum bhi rahein. Humein yahan se nahin hataya jaye." ("We just want that they live and let live and not get us removed from here.")
Despite his pleas, Khan belongs to a group that is not welcomed inside the gates of the societies. Town-planners say the Gurgaon brand of urbanisation only breeds hostility.
An architect, Kaimal says, "There are all little islands by themselves. There is no connection with the surroundings. The city of Guragon has near complete absence of any infrastructure in public realm in terms of local transport, in terms of signage or other local needs like sidewalks, parks. It's an atomised existence."
Two worlds existing barely feet away from each other, only separated by the glass - the glass that gives the other world the glimpse into the world that's not theirs.
A divided Gurgaon it appears, today waits for the next social collision.
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