Swanky, Swankier, Swankiest

July 26, 2009
By

This post is about Gurgaon, a little town in Haryana just outside Delhi. Till a month back, i had never been to that part of town.  These days, i spend quite a lot of time there.

First time to Gurgaon, and i was pleasantly surprised. I felt like i had suddenly come to a new land. It’s a veritable jungle mein mangal. There is some amazing architecture on display in the swanky office buildings coming up all over Gurgaon.

As you cross the Toll plaza, here’s what the view looks like.

Is it a building? Is it a ship? Its the ship building!!

IMG_0826

The ship beckons you into Cyber City - and suddenly you are in a different land.

 

Photo0553

A land of shiny towers and architectural marvels. It’s a little stretch of land, but a lot of imagination. Each building has its own character, its own persona.

It’s unlike anything i had seen elsewhere in India. My jaw dropped the first time i was in the area.

Photo0551

IMG_0828

Somehow i get reminded of the Las Vegas Strip, a strip of very unique looking casinos. This road could well be a different sort of strip. There’s Ericsson, Sapient, Standard Chartered, RBS, PWC, Oracle, HP, and more technology powerhouses in those gleaming towers.

Photo0005

Photo0007

Photo0008

The fabulous architecture isn’t just limited to the Strip. Elsewhere in Gurgaon, such beautiful buildings are coming up all over. This one’s one of my favorites.

IMG_0831

IMG_0832

The funny thing is, people tell me Gurgaon isn’t for living. It’s dusty, transport is a big problem, amenities are an issue, etc.

Looking at all those shiny buildings, you would think it’s a world class city in the making.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

19 Responses to “ Swanky, Swankier, Swankiest ”

  1. Liju Philip on July 26, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    i was in Gurgaon in 1999 while doing a project for Carrier Aircon. The ship looking DLF building was there then. I was awestruck by the building. Today, i see the buildings coming up in Gurgaon in the skyscrapercity forum, am still surprised at the construction mania that has hit there.

    But ya, some really awesome buildings there. Not so sure of the common infrastructure though.

  2. kavi on July 26, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    Yes. In the making !

    I have been to Gurgaon too. And have been awestruck at times. And at other times think its just too much steel and glass. Glitz and glamour !

    But then, its without parallel in India ! And some day the dust will settle down and there will be transport too.

    Until then, its in the making !

    PS : Hope you are having a raft of a time in India ! :)

  3. Dev on July 27, 2009 at 1:48 am

    I have put up in Gurgaon for some time in the past and I swear, its really amazing…the architecture is marvellous. There is so much glitz and so much glass that I just dont know which word will be apt to describe it.
    But once other cities start getting such architectures, then I can very well say that they have been ‘GurgaonED’

  4. Onion Insights on July 27, 2009 at 6:44 am

    Hi Amreekandesi,

    A very interesting blog. We at Onion Insights (onioninsights.blogspot.com) are always happy to come across bloggers like you. We are also glad to inform you that your writing skills can now be put to good use and you can make some extra money too. Sign up as a freelance Mystery Shopper - go to http://www.sassieshop.com/2eyp and select New Shopper Signup with Onion Insights - A Boutique Mystery Customer Experience Management firm and get paid for telling us your shopping or dining experience. You read correctly - you get paid for shopping!
    For more details log on to http://www.onioninsights.blogspot.com, read our blog and give us a call on +919769781001 or shoot us an email at [email protected]. An OI Team Member will get in touch with you as soon as possible! There are many Mystery Shopping assignments and five star property reviews available in your city. Hoping to hear from you soon.

    Warm Regards,
    OI Team.

  5. Chiranjib on July 27, 2009 at 10:21 am

    Nice snaps. I have never been to Gurgaon, but now I feel like going. Thanks. :D

  6. Dinesh on July 27, 2009 at 11:10 am

    Cool buildings! I guess the architects really wanted to satiate their creative hunger by building these buildings!

  7. ms on July 27, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    hey, nice pics. love the way they all angle up away from the ground and the view of idiot drivers (at the tolls), trucks and rikshas competing for space! great buildings and people tell me that once you live in gurgaon, you never want to leave. what about the malls? and the old shops that still thrive around posh apartment blocks. still, open places and wide roads win over congested traffic and monstrous electrical wiring on ancient poles. what about No-idea (Noida)? only thing missing in gurgaon is proper road signs.

  8. Solilo on July 27, 2009 at 9:47 pm

    WOW! It looks like a bigger city than the village we are in now. :)

  9. Mahendra on July 27, 2009 at 11:52 pm

    Thanks for wonderful pictures of Gurgaon. I keep hearing about it, now I can visualize it.

  10. The Quirky Indian on July 28, 2009 at 7:50 am

    I believe the residential colonies have poor infrastructure, with safety and security also an issue….but the office buildings sure are swanky.

    That’s one state taken care of. Where are pictures of the other two states? :-)

    Quirky Indian

  11. Kiran on July 28, 2009 at 11:40 am

    I love Gurgaon! I was there a few months ago, visiting some family friends. It’s a nice place to live if one is used to living surrounded by concrete jungle. But I think it is so much better than NYC - not as crowded. For now ;) I foresee further developments in the future. The architecture’s are simply breath-taking! Welcome back to India and hope you and your family are well settled :)

  12. amreekandesi on July 28, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    @Philip - Yes, the buildings are great, but the infra isnt really there. At least, that’s what i have heard from people so far.

    @Kavi - ‘the dust will settle down’ - hopefully sometime soon!
    As for me having a raft of a time. Sure! Now that Delhi has been submerged under rainwater, maybe a raft is what we all need ;)

    @Dev - I agree. Its quite unbelievable what the builders have managed in Gurgaon.

    @Chiranjib - Thanks! Make sure you carry a camera along ;)

    @Dinesh - Yes. And i think they succeeded in satiating their hunger pretty nicely.

    @MS - Welcome to Amreekandesi! I actually havent heard great things about living in Gurgaon. Apparently it is hard to find regular stuff and regular shops. They only have gigantic malls. About Noida, i actually have a lot of idea. Maybe in a post someday soon!

    @Solilo - But i think your village would definitely not be as dusty!

    @Mahendra - You’re welcome. This was just the glamorous side of Gurgaon. Maybe i should do a post on the other side of the city.

    @QI - You’re so impatient! ;) Give me some time…i will cover not just the other two states, but all of them!

    @Kiran - Thanks for the wishes. Me and the family are all settled and Indian-ized now! As for Gurgaon, it may have some glamour, but it is nowhere close to Newyork. (I miss Newyork!)

  13. amit on July 28, 2009 at 3:24 pm

    My office is there in one of those shiny buildings. :)
    But, yes, Gurgaon has very poor living standards. Water scarcity, electricity problem, poor transport and roads and nightmarish traffic jams.

  14. amlistening on July 28, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    Curious…So what does Indian-ized mean? :)

  15. amlistening on July 28, 2009 at 11:26 pm

    Btw very nice pics
    -First pic could very well be mistaken for Israel skyline
    -Second one for Dubai
    -Third one for SanJose
    -Fourth one for Bangalore
    -Fifth one for SanFranciso
    -Sixth one is definitely Vegas
    -seventh one is atlanta look alike
    -eigth one for a sci-fi disney/epcot structure
    -Nineth looks like that library in seattle downtown
    -Tenth is very similar to something I saw in Miami

    Not taking away the credit from architects but India is definitely becoming a little epcot.

  16. Reema on July 31, 2009 at 10:33 am

    wow!! it certainly doesnt look like India!!

  17. […] Such a vast difference in contrast to Delhi. For photo viewing pleasures, I hope my blogging friend AD would’nt mind me sharing this link of his thorough post about Gurgaon. I am one of the luckiest to call India my home. Our home. As a backpacker once, I would love to […]

  18. Anastacia Carleo on June 1, 2010 at 12:45 pm

    hey,Awesome blog post dude! i am Fed up with using RSS feeds and do you use twitter?so i can follow you there:D.
    PS:Do you thought to be putting video to this web site to keep the visitors more enjoyed?I think it works.Yours, Anastacia Carleo

  19. Curious Desi on July 1, 2015 at 9:13 am

    Well captured! I recall returning to India in 2006 and was sitting in a property dealer’s office in Gurgaon where he was trying to sell me some apartment. I told him that I didn’t like the mounds of dirt and dug up ground outside the complex. He gave a very convincing reply - “Aap baahar dekhte hi kyon ho Sir. gaadi mein baitho aur seedhe office/mall parking mein utaro. raaste mein sirf ooper buildings ko dekho” :-)

Leave a Reply

Facebook

Subscribe via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog

Disclaimer

All content on this site is the personal opinion of the writer. It is in no way related to their employer or their official policies. Most of what is written here is in a satirical tone. If it hurts your sensibilities, I sincerely apologize.
%d bloggers like this: