City Odyssey

What was once a sleepy village is now bursting at its seams with industries, finds Anindita Chattopadhyay as she gets into the spirit of Gurgaon

From a sleepy village thronged by locals for its Shitala Devi shrine to a throbbing, pulsating, township, Gurgaon has made quite a journey. The place is believed to have been once the ashram of Guru Dronacharya (hence the name Gurgaon, a distortion from Guru Gram) where, as per the Mahabharata epic, the Pandava and Kaurava princes got their training in arms and warfare. Today's Gurgaon is a fast-growing city and a major industrial area, teeming with life and buzzing with the hum of humanity. In fact, it is now touted as a jewel in the crown of Haryana state. After barely half-an-hour drive from the airport down the National Highway No 8, a multi-lane carriageway, as you enter Gurgaon, what strikes you is the perfect patchwork of rustic and modern environment. Contemporary glass and steel high rises, glitzy multiplexes, swanky restaurants share the space with mud-plastered houses, brick and bamboo-slit tea stalls. The latest Mercedes and Chevrolets rush past hay-filled bullock carts. In a jam, cars honk and carts tingle bells (tied around the bullock's neck) in orchestration.

The city can be divided into old Gurgaon and new Gurgaon. The Gurgaon Cantonment area developed by the Britishers is now called Sadar Bazaar and in this part of the city you find the police station, offices of the deputy commissioner and civil surgeon, and John Hall, where various government officers and ministers hold their meetings during their tours. The city's strategic location about 30 km from the capital city of New Delhi and about 15 km from Indira Gandhi International Airport attracted DLF and other reputed builders in the '70s to come along with HUDA sectors and build integrated townships. Soon New Gurgaon propped its head following the development of Udyog Vihar, Vanijya Nikunj, corporate parks housing MNCs, Chaudhary Devi Lal IMT, and a national botanical garden. Interestingly, Gurgaon village, administered by a gram panchayat, and Gurgaon City, fostered by a municipal council, continues to exist.

During my first visit, as I went around trying to locate an address in Udyog Vihar, my car came to a dusty road opening to a perfect rural setting complete with a cluster of brick and mud houses, men milking buffaloes and children with matted hair playing gulli-danda.

Specially developed industrial areas such as Electronics City, Electronics Hardware Technology Park, Software Technology Park, Pace City and Textile Valley dot the city's landscape. Countries across the globe have established their offices here. Alcatel of France, General Electric of USA, Servis of UK, Ribon S.P.A. of ltaly, X-Rad of Canada have already established a strong base in Gurgaon. The township has two arterial roads - NH 8 which connects New Delhi to Jaipur and Mumbai and the Gurgaon-Meharuli road. Industrial areas are conveniently located alongside NH 8, while shopping malls, residential complexes line the Gurgaon-Mehrauli road. Just drive down NH 8 and about one kilometre before the IFFCO chowk on the right hand side is Udyog Vihar. Take a right turn from the ship shaped building and the largest pollution-free industrial complex in India welcomes you.

Fanning out over 1,000 acres and comprising of six phases, Udyog Vihar has more than 1,000 units in operation with big names such as AKG Acoustics Limited, Atlas Tubes, Bharti Telecom Limited, Bry Air, DCM Data Products Limited, Hindustan Computers Limited, Modi Alcatel, GE Plastics, Maruti Suzuki, IDPL, Munial Shova in the roster. Always remember the sector, if you want to locate an address. Or else, enjoy going round the maze for hours. Vanijya Nikunj is another futuristic commercial complex on the outskirts of Gurgaon, conveniently located on the NH 8. Spread over 17 acres, energy-efficient, functionally intelligent yet aesthetic buildings underline the concept behind the creation of this complex that offers 70,000 square metres of covered space. An Indo-Singapore Technology Park and a 600-hectare latest international Industrial Model Township (IMT) near Manesar, to be built with assistance and guidance from the Japanese, are waiting to add their addresses in the phonebook. If you are on a business trip and plan to squeeze in a few meetings within a day or two, it is not much of a problem as you won't have to travel for long. Either hire a car from a rent-a-car service, or dial 1929 for a radio taxi. They ask for half-an-hour time margin, charge Rs 15 per kilometre (plus waiting charge if you keep them waiting) and are pretty punctual. Alternately, try a rickshaw for travelling from one sector to another within the same locality - say for instance, from one sector of Udyog Vihar to another. Metered auto-rickshaws ply on main roads usually.

Once through with business meetings, go for mall hopping. Exploding consumerism has seen its manifestation in glitzy shopping malls and Gurgaon is perhaps the most dramatic reflection of that growth. Already three malls are doing roaring business - Sahara, City Centre and Metropolitan, the last two are just across the street from one another while 16 more are expected to be operational in the next two years. These glass-walled air-conditioned fortresses are popular evening hangouts for singles, couples and families. You get almost everything under one roof from international labels to groceries. In Metropolitan Mall, visit the Mark & Spencer showroom, the Carlton London shoe store before stopping at Old Street. The shop has an impressive collection of imported fabrics from Versace, Cerruti, Dormeuil Ermenegildo Zegna and Nina Ricci and stitches suits within five days.

Their Indian readymade section has some good designs with sherwanis ranging from Rs 14,000-59,000 and kurtas from Rs 3,200-11,000. The Lifestyle Store at City Centre has a good collection of glassware, crockery and designer candles, apart from the usual men's, ladies and kids' clothing, accessories, et al. Big Bazar at Sahara Mall is ideal for picking up some reasonably priced regular wear. When through with shopping, grab a bite, watch a movie and go back to your hotel.

If you think you aren't cut out for hanging around in malls, play pool or chill out in one of the restobars. There are a few good pool clubs and bowling alleys strewn around, while Ruby Tuesday, TGIF, Filmi Masala are good for sip and sup. If you crave for good Indian food, Moti Mahal (Life Style Mall) and Chor Bizarre (Metropolitan Mall) are where you should head for. On Sunday morning, tee off at the Classic Golf resort. Construction according to international standards, fusion of international experience with Indian expertise, indigenous adaptation of globally accepted materials and processes, make it world-class in every respect. Even a day out at the Wet and Wild Resort which has water parks, pool tables and bowling alley, or the Fun-n-Food Village, an amusement park with exciting rides, ice park etc, can be quite interesting.

Alternately, explore the Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary or Sohna hot springs, which are barely a couple of hours journey from Gurgaon and are perfect places for taking your minds off business. Sohna has been provided with an exclusive Barbet Hut complete with its own sitting area and an attached kitchen. A motel at Sohna offers air-conditioned rooms for comfortable stay to the tourists. A four-bed dormitory, family huts and simple camper huts are available to suit your pocket. The Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary is ideal for bird watchers. Every year 90 migratory bird species arrive here in search of feeding grounds. In the backdrop of a picturesque panorama, it is fun watching migratory birds such as Eurasian Golden Oriole, Ruff, Greater Flamingo, Black winged Stilt, Common Teal, Common Greenshank, Northern Pintail, Yellow and White Wagtail, Northern Shoveler, Rosy Pelican and several others. Don't forget to carry your binocular if you are visiting Gurgaon in winter.

Where To Stay

With business travel growing, accommodation scenario is seeing a healthy growth. Bristol, 32nd Milestone, Oberoi's Hilton Trident and Plaza Solitaire are already operational. Lemon Tree in Udyog Vihar is a mid-priced property, while Fortune Park hotel is coming up. Vatika Garden Retreat and Heritage Resort, Manesar provide a relaxed ambience with scope for mixing leisure with conferencing facilities. However, these are outside the city.