Cost of Progress ?
I/We shifted to Gurgaon (suburbs of Delhi) in 1989 when my father retired from his job in another state and returned to his native land.
It was a small town then, with majority of people going to Delhi for jobs. It was quite open and less polluted then.
Things started changing…in mid-1990s.
More people started moving out of Delhi because of its pollution and over crowdedness.
Gurgaon was developing then. Nice colonies were coming up and many Delhites sold their properties in places like Karol Bagh/Rajendra Nagar in huge amounts and bought big plots/kothis here in half the price.
With better commercial complexes in Gurgaon, companies started moving in. That reversed the traffic. So now people from Delhi and NCR region come to Gurgaon for jobs.
And then came the Call Centres and then Malls…
More job opportunities, more traffic, more noise, more people relocating to Gurgaon, more disparity between old and new Gurgaon, more robberies/chain snatching/bags snatching, more intolerance, more indifference, no compassion….
One can see accidents happening everyday while commuting to office. And everyone is so busy that no one stops to help. But if their own vehicle is scratched, they stop and then have all the time to fight right there, stopping the whole traffic.
Where has our basic sensibilities gone ? Are we not left with any humaneness ?
Can’t we spare a moment to reflect upon – what is it we want ultimately –
more money with less peace, with lesser time to impart our children sanskaars to enable them to be better humans/citizens, with no time and patience left to talk to our old parents…
OR may be lesser money with more peace, more time, more contentment, more patience, more love of our children, more blessings of our elders…
Time to ponder…
posted by Loner at 1:00 pm
4 Comments:
Myself, being from Delhi, I can understand your feelings.
But even now I heard Gurgaon (not been there in my life) is much better than some parts of Delhi.
Delhi was constantly a battle ground. It was passed from Rajputs to Mughals to Marathas to British. I think due to that, the city failed to develop a coherent culture of its own. I'm not saying that it is uncultured city, I'm just saying that it has suffered much much more, compared to, say Pune or Hyderabad.
I increasingly believe that excessive money is getting pumped into hands of people who don't deserve it. Like we have dadas or goondas (lot of money but no brains to use it, so it goes in destructive activities), this economic boom is creating more little self-centered people...
The way you describe the changes in Delhi reminds me of the impact the "industrial revolution" had in England. Vast shifts of population, vast changes in wealth and morality. It happens all over the world and always will. The thing you must remember is to do what you know in your heart is the right thing, the peaceful thing, the kind thing no matter what the provocation is. Your contribution to a stable culture is immeasurable because you do not notice the vast sphere of influence you have. Again, always do the right thing and life will be good for you and those around you.
I am from Dhaka, beyond any argument- the busiest city in Bangladesh.... and oh... I could so relate...
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