How do you say “home" in India? (Tiny Tents under Towering Condos) – Cityscape Photography

This is my entry in the CityScapePhotography contest by @juliank.

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This shot shows the view from the balcony of my condo in the newly developed “city” of Gurgaon, just 1 hour from New Delhi. Until a few years ago, there was only the tiny town of Gurgaon and a few dozen other towns and villages scattered throughout the jungle.

Developed and crowded

Now, there is a growing conurbation (currently known as Gurugram), but the old villages remain. Directly below my condo, we see a tent city, which is basically a mini-slum inhabited by lower-caste citizens. During the rainy season, the paths around their tents would often become flooded. Although I never looked inside their tents, I’m sure those living areas also became flooded.

Off in the distance, we see a conglomeration of new office towers and ritzy condos. Those buildings have recently shot up around the intersection of 2 new major roads. Several times, I went to parties held by an expat engineer who lived in a very luxurious, 2-storey condo in one of those towers. The monthly rent for his condo was roughly equal to the yearly income of the slum-dwellers – and his income was probably 100 times as much.

In the middle distance, we see several 3-storey houses under construction. They will become homes to upper class families. And within a few years, the number of houses will increase dramatically. Consequently, the citizens in the tent city will be crowded out and forced to move somewhere else. Some place that will not be any better than this little “camp.”

Growth and development – for some

The lives of the upper-caste people continue to improve, noticeably and significantly. On the other hand, the lives of the lower-caste people continue as they are – tough, a bit rough, and very hardscrabble.

Thanks to @hrisheekrayb for the update re the change of the name from "Gurgaon" to "Gurugram."