Jaggery Village adventures

I have spent the better part of the last twenty-four hours either sleeping or in Jaggery Village, i.e Gurgaon. The village, which is seeing mall building at a frantic pace is setting itself up to become India's worst example of urban decay, worse than what was experienced in some of Bengal's industrial towns. Last night I was with Papamali and his wife (would that make her Mamamali?) he pointed out that all these fancy buildings with glass fronted facades that are coming up might well become just that - hollow facades in a very short period of time. Just looking at Ambience Island, an obnoxiously expensive property just after the border will give you an indication of that, a grotesque mall just outside a house that sold for one crore, which I think is one crore too much. I mean why would you want a mall right outside your house. As it was pointed out to me, the lack of zoning laws in India will come back to haunt this country someday.
And never ever travel in a non-AC cab in 45 (maybe more) degrees. I'm totally pooped. I could do with a nice refreshing swim. Must join some swimming pool or another. And I need a beer. By the way, His Royal Saharaness will be back with a bang tomorrow. On TV, in papers all over the place.
The ponytailed idiot, Arindam Chaudhuri is coming out with a business magazine. Seeing its delightful design, I give it six months, which is more than you could have said for his crappy movie, I mean even the 'paid' reviews were tepid at best. The ad in HT was funny though.
Meanwhile, the Advani melodrama continues.... To be or not to be.... Advani as Hamlet. Hamming away!