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New-look Delhi

Published: 01/12/2005 - Filed under: Features » Destinations » Asia Pacific » Archive » 2005 » December 2005/January 2006 » Destinations »

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The family in front of me – although it's more like a clan with father, mother, grandparents, youngsters, aunts and uncles – appears to have never seen an escalator before. They watch in utter fascination as the steel stairs make their steady march up to the next floor, yet seem to feel no particular urgency to step onto them as the crowd behind them grows steadily bigger.

No one else appears impatient to get them going. Everyone is smiling, as if they too had been in the same situation before, not knowing what this wonderful contraption was or how to handle it. They can empathise with the visitors and understand their excited bewilderment. Suddenly, someone pulls someone else up the mechanical steps, we all surge forward and motion is restored.

Welcome to New Delhi's burgeoning mall culture. Nothing reflects India's transformation into an economic powerhouse more than the glittering shopping complexes that sit cheek by jowl along the highways that cut through former farmland. According to the National Council of Applied Economic Research, the number of people living in households that earn an estimated US$1,800 (£1,048) annually – the minimum figure considered for middle-income groups – has risen by 17 per cent in the past three years to about 700 million. That number is predicted to jump an additional 24 per cent by 2007. At present income levels, many Indian families can purchase a plethora of appliances and can afford to browse among the gleaming malls that have sprung up to cater for the emerging Indian consumer.

I made a memorable visit to a shopping centre in Sahara Mall in Gurgaon, a rapidly developing satellite town of New Delhi. Traffic was so bad that the driver had to stop in a parking lot a few hundred metres from the building. Inside, cheerful chaos reigned with families munching on pizza, teenagers checking out the latest pair of Levis, couples flirting over cappuccinos, groups of friends queuing up for the latest Hollywood (or Bollywood) blockbuster and logos of ubiquitous brands like McDonald's, Bose, Nike and Subway adorning display windows.

This explosion of commerce has been taking place in what were formerly nondescript villages such as Gurgaon, southwest of New Delhi in neighbouring Haryana State and Noida in the east in Uttar Pradesh State. "The city was bursting at the seams for a long time, and it had to go somewhere," says Pramod Kapoor, founder of Roli Books, which produces sumptuous coffee-table books for a mainly international market. "A lot of big corporations moved there too, as well as young Indians, many of whom had been schooled or worked abroad. They wanted what they enjoyed in the US or UK, and that was the malls."

These newly wealthy townships, many of which are still being reclaimed from farming and pastoral activities, have also become the base for multinationals such as American Express, Coca-Cola, Whirlpool and a number of IT enterprises, enticed by attractive rents, less congestion and wider roads.

Delhites are embracing not only mall culture but high-rise living, with an increasing number of young professionals flying the coop to set up independent households. Demand is still in the nascent stage but developers aren't slow to spot the opportunity, putting elegant suburban tower blocks on the market as fast as contractors can complete them.

New Delhi is more than just the nation's capital, it's a city of great traditions, evoking high emotion and colourful recollections of a rich past inextricably tied to the British Empire. Even for those such as Singapore-based businessman Anil Singh, who grew up here but moved overseas to pursue job prospects, New Delhi is an unrivalled city for its grand monuments and rich past.

"I don't think I may ever go back there, but it's a lovely place and so full of history," Singh says wistfully.

The city is a relatively young capital, only assuming the title in 1931 and succeeding Kolkata (Calcutta), which was the capital of British India. It was old Delhi, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and still thriving today – to the delight of tourists and proud residents – that was the capital of Muslim India between the 17th and 19th centuries.

Planned by its colonial administrators and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, New Delhi boasts a legacy of wide boulevards, charming chowks (roundabouts) and tree-lined neighbourhoods, known as enclaves. High-profile wedding planner Meher Sarid says: "There are more places here to enjoy life outdoors than any other city in India. New Delhi is much greener."

Indeed, unlike in many of the country's major hubs, there are plenty of places for picnics, meditation or a quiet stroll: the sprawling grounds of the Jama Masjid, the Purana Qila (old fort), the Lodhi Gardens – lovingly laid out by Lady Willingdon in 1930 – Safdarjung's Tomb and the verdant banks of Yamuna River, the city's main tributary.

Every city aiming to be a regional hub launches a series of trophy projects such as a designer airport or skyscraper. New Delhi decided on the Delhi Metro, which began running last December in north Delhi, from Vishwavidyalaya (Delhi University) to Kashmere Gate covering a distance of 4km. Once completed, it will link the whole of the metropolis – both the old and new sections – an ambitious undertaking for a metropolis so widespread.

As the power centre of a nation with a population of over a billion – 15 per cent of the world's inhabitants – New Delhi understandably has a strong sense of self. Perhaps too strong, some say. "There tends to be some arrogance here," says Anil Singh. "People always want to know how much you make, what you do. It's different in Mumbai where the attitude is friendlier and people talk about how they can work together."

Meher Sarid adds: "Women are more chilled out in Mumbai – they're not as interfering. It can get quite gossipy [here]."

Despite having some way to go to catchup with the "Bollywood" persona and commercial savvy of Mumbai, New Delhi is learning to shed its high and mighty image.

"Delhi rocks," I was told by one enthusiastic journalist, over the din of music at the ITC Hotel Maurya Sheraton's Dublin Bar on my first night in the capital. This was a phrase I would hear, repeated like a mantra, at all the clubs and restaurants I visited.

Pramod Kapoor says the "happening" of Delhi actually came about just recently. "Only in the last couple of years has alcohol been allowed to be served outside of hotels," he says. "The outlook of people has changed very much due to increasing affluence and a foreign education."

Delhites who have the means – like those living in large bungalows with gardens in places such as the upmarket diplomatic enclave – entertain a lot, holding gatherings that carry on late into the night. "We walk inat 9.30 or 10pm for dinner, and don't finish until 4am," reports Sarid.

The really well-to-do own a second home – usually a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city. These are areas like Chattarpur or Bijwasan, ideal for inviting friends over. Says Kapoor: "We like to welcome guests into our homes. It's part of our tradition."

There still exists a law imposing a midnight curfew on bars and clubs, but this doesn't deter the partygoers. The action merely shifts to someone's home, or the hotel coffee shop, which normally runs round the clock. Yes, there is no denying it – Delhi rocks.

Getting there

London-Delhi Served by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Jet Airways and Air India from Heathrow. Return fares with BA: first class £5,456, business class £2,966, World Traveller Plus £1,682 and economy class from £515. Return fares with Virgin Atlantic:  business class £2,965, premium economy £1,110, economy class £515. Online agent Travelocity (travelocity.co.uk) quotes Jet Airways prices of £1,923 return in business and £452 in economy class, with Air India offered for £2,206 for first, £1,477 business and £467 in economy class.

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