A TALE OF TWO CITIES

Separated by the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the two halves of Gurgaon are two different, but inseparable worlds -:


Separated by the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the two halves of Gurgaon are two worlds, each with a distinct identity. Old Gurgaon is like any other small town district headquarters, with a railway station, an ISBT, the local transport system, at least a strong police presence and the entire district machinery is located here. On the other hand, New Gurgaon is a jungle of high-end concrete masses separated by wide roads with shopping complexes where you don’t bargain. The economy of New Gurgaon mostly runs on plastic money.



Old vs New
India’s top polo player Samir Suhag, a resident of Sector 46, says, “New Gurgaon has wide streets and accessibility is great. However, it is incomplete without Old Gurgaon. If you want to buy the smallest things for your home, you need to rush to Old Gurgaon. I think the problem the Gurgaon residents face is that the two are badly interlinked.”

It was 11 years ago that Sunnaina Sachdeva shifted to Gurgaon from her Vikaspuri apartment in Delhi. A resident of Sector 56, Sachdeva has lived on both sides of Gurgaon. “Old Gurgaon is way too crowded but New Gurgaon, too, has its problems areas. There’s water shortage in New Gurgaon, sewage system is broken in most places and the authorities are hardly bothered to repair it. Only good thing about New Gurgaon is that you’ll find good companies, malls and housing complexes. I feel girls are far more secure in Old Gurgaon than in New Gurgaon. You don’t have to worry about travelling in public transport in the old city. In the new city, you are stranded without your car,” says Sachdeva.

Raza Khan, a resident of DLF phase V, says, “New Gurgaon has wide roads, apartment complexes are clean and the gentry is good. However, unlike Old Gurgaon, you won’t find shops where you can bargain. There are malls and high-end shopping centres. In old town, you find range of commodities. It’s then on the consumer to choose. The standard of living in Gurgaon is much higher than South Delhi.”

Sachdeva agrees, “In the old town, I have an option of buying a thing for Rs 10 as well as Rs 100. However, in New Gurgaon, you will only find costlier products.”
So does Samir Suhag when he says, “You will find well-settled old dealers of products. There are certain things which you will only get in old shops.”

The Great Divide
Virendar Dawar, owner of Dawar Internationals which deals in consumer durables, says, “The New Gurgaon residents look down upon residents of Old Gurgaon as well as don’t even think this place as Gurgaon. Whenever they come here for shopping, most of them relate to New Gurgaon as Gurgaon, as if they have come to a nearby town. But most residents of New Gurgaon will come to shop in Old Gurgaon. It is economical; they get value for money which they won’t find in the new town.”

Arjun Gulati, a businessman from Delhi who has recently invested in the Gurgaon real estate, says, “Old Gurgaon is just like North Delhi or the Walled City, where people will go with wads of cash to shop while in New Gurgaon, the purchasing power is triggered by plastic money.”

Agrees a restaurant owner located in Galleria market. “During the times of recession, we hardly have any crowd here. Earlier, we used to struggle to find space for all our customers. There was a huge waiting line and our customers used to flaunt their corporate cards. It’s all gone now. Until last year we used to reach home by 2 am but now we wrap up by 11,” he says, pleading anonymity.



E Factor
Vivek Tyagi, CEO of Edwell Society, feels the only thing that lacks in Old Gurgaon is an entertainment centre. “Old Gurgaon is a complete city in itself but without a good entertainment centre, it is incomplete. One has to go to New Gurgaon for entertainment. All good malls and cineplexes are located there,” says Tyagi, a Palam Vihar resident.
Raza Khan says, “Come what may, but the two towns are inseparable. Old Gurgaon residents have to come here and new ones have to go to Sadar Bazaar to shop. You can see bustling life there on the streets. But, in New Gurgaon, residents are safely ensconced inside their condominiums having their own little world. So the best part for a Gurgaon resident is to enjoy life in both worlds.