North India Photo Blog

Security line-ups and pat-downs to get in to a mall.  The scene is made extra surreal by the giant video screen above the main entrance, reporting on terror related activities elsewhere in the country.

A little more perspective in this Reuters article regarding the cola ban would be useful for readers; fortunately we have blogs like Indian Economy for necessary background and context on this issue.

Time for a drink...

Typical of road side boozeries in Gurgaon, taken near DLF Phase V

Competition was already fierce between Pizza Hut and Domino's, and then OM Foods won the right to start opening up Papa John's earlier this year.  I wonder if "Dude... My State of Mind!" (pictured middle) can feel the heat.

PJ's has a way to go however.  I've come across well situated Pizza Huts in Jaipur, Rajasthan and Domino's in less developed places like Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

In lieu of spamming inboxes, I've decided to start this photo blog in hopes of finding an audience for what some may find mundane, but others inspiring, photographs of North Indian development.  What I mean by this is you can expect to come across pictures of call centres, BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) office parks, condo high rises, and even modern, 21stC gas stations situated in villages that don't appear to have changed in the last millennium.  To be honest about Indian development, these will also be contrasted by shots of the extreme poverty which is found usually not more than a few metres from the property line.

I'm based in Gurgaon, a high tech suburb just to the south west of New Delhi , but in the separate, sovereign state of Haryana.  After Bangalore , in the south, it is arguably the 2nd greatest hub of Indian development.  It's also a fascinating case study in urban studies, as it's an entirely new city of over 1 000 000 souls that exists in an almost total governmental vacuum; there is no elected municipal government of any kind, and - as far as is evident to me - only one elected state representative for the whole city (and much larger state district).  This plays itself out daily in the lack of proper sewers, adequate roads, reliable electricity, law enforcement, regulated traffic, or street signage.  All that being said, Smith's invisible hand has worked overtime in flooding this desert with capital and I consider myself very fortunate to be in this place at this time.