Any city is a product of the cumulative aspirations of its residents, the quality of governance, the comprehension of the social, environmental and economic issues that get represented in what is called urban planning, along with the opportunities that its location and governmental policy offer to its population, on a continuing basis.
A survey on how Gurgaon's young population looks at themselves reveals some very interesting responses that are a barometer of what our research team calls 'the sign of changing India'. This study was an exercise in discovering how the young workforce of an emerging millennium city feels about itself. However, the results turned out to be a candid mirror of their beliefs, hopes and attitudes. That the reactions were self critical, shows a deep rooted analytical understanding which respondents seem to possess, which have emerged out of an instinct to survive amidst unfamiliar social, economic and cultural terrain. Most of those interviewed, despite coming from a diversity of backgrounds were clear headed in their opinions and self-evaluation. Young-at-heart, hardworking, talented, brash, pretentious and very materialistic, is how many Gurgaonites describe themselves and their peer group in this city. While every city has a basic character that has been shaped by its culture and history, new Gurgaon is relatively young and is perhaps influenced more by a corporate ethos and an appeal for copying international lifestyle. Gurgaon still has parts in the city, which have been around for a very long time, called old Gurgaon; now predominantly a trading and wholesale market for adjoining districts and states.
The freedom to live life on one's own terms, respond to opportunities, nurture entrepreneurship, work opportunities for women professionals, acceptance of singles as part of society and respect for others' living space is what makes Gurgaon's new urban life unique today, more in the footsteps of Mumbai. And yet the security, infrastructure, lack of basic |
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amenities and the fierce sense of independence that Mumbai offers its residents is found missing. The city has a flavour of rich, many who are middle class, large upwardly mobile IT brigade, some entrepreneurs who along with a large number of industrial workers run the engines of this City. Advertisements inviting the young for walk in interviews in both IT offices and shopping malls constantly also indicate the reason for lack of job loyalties. Then there are the poor, who are categorized such due to hierarchy and their nature of work and who would be still called lower or middle income group anywhere outside this city. The young survive on the faith in their own talent, abilities and skills. They want to ensure that adversity, both economic and psychological, does not impair their aspirations for better living. Gurgaon today breathes ambition, lives a spirit of young and impatient India where old world values still coexist with modern every day routine. In such a scenario it is difficult to generalize about the DNA of a Gurgaon in an ocean of blue and white collar immigrants and entrepreneurial startups. The professional class in the City is young or middle-aged, hugely aspirational with remarkable purchasing power. Well-paid private sector jobs have ensured a high level of financial security but not physical security for many. That's why most of them live their lives shuttling between their apartments in gated colonies, their offices (in Gurgaon or Delhi) and the many malls that offer temptation while fuelling aspirations and resolve.
Then at the other extreme exist the neo-rich local rural youth, created by the phenomenal rise in land prices when Gurgaon changed colours from village to urban. They also brandish a high spending power, but there is a distinct restlessness to be accepted and a desire to match the lifestyles of the professional class. Cultural differences have become conflicting, rather than a binding force. There are people who are aggressive and lawless just as there are residents who |
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are polite, humble and cultured. There are many who are brash, uncaring for rules and aggressive because the city's law and order machinery, just like the infrastructure has been unable to cope with the sudden and immense growth in the opportunities in the city. However most of Gurgaon's residents are a self centred, competitive, gregarious lot who are aware of their rights, love to party after working hard, follow their passions and dreams, are cosmopolitan, law abiding and celebrate all festivals and occasions with love for life and gusto. The desire for a bigger car, bigger house is never ending, as everyone wants to be seen outdoing the others. This single factor is common across Gurgaon's diversity. The stress level in Gurgaon is comparatively higher in mainly due to high pressure jobs without enough affordable places or avenues to culturally feel involved. This leads to a lot of aggressive and irrational human behaviour. Gurgaon has a lot of traffic pressure as well as the pressure of migrants, along with other unplanned aspects that influence the quality of daily human life.
There is a total absence of any place for social or cultural interaction between and among the people apart from eateries and malls. Gurgaon is a city with a perpetual cultural and aesthetic drought, unlike Delhi the capital that adjoins the city. There is no attempt to engage the people in outdoor physical exercise and the youth in sports activities. There are planned green spaces languishing between large tracts of construction. Schools focus more on education without mandating sports activities for all. Even in schools many facilities are not provided due to lack of economy of scale and those that are, get restricted to be used by those who bring honour to the institution in competitions. Property prices in Gurgaon make it inviable for any such initiative to be attempted, leave alone sustained. Living in this City is like being constantly in a pressure cooker – controlled heat, yet explosive, if ignored and left to simmer. |
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