Following on from a look inside our new home, here are some scenes from our new neighbourhood in Mumbai — Hirandanani Gardens, Powai. Powai is located in Mumbai’s central suburbs, around 6 kilometres from the airport and 25 kilometres from the city centre in south Mumbai.
Hiranandani Gardens isn’t your typical Mumbai neighbourhood. In fact, I was surprised that such a place existed! It’s a planned development township, built solely by Hiranandani Constructions.
I’m discovering that the quality of life here is quite exceptional. No wonder the area attracts a lot of expats. The developer has built parks, hospitals, and schools. There are world class hotels, shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars, and clubs. Nearby, there’s even a go-kart track.
Most of the accommodations in the area consist of luxury highrise apartments, constructed by the developer. However, step outside the boundaries of the township and you’ll find people living in huts on the side of the road. The contrast is immense. The bungalows where I live are the only buildings that haven’t been built by Hiranandani Constructions. They lack the luxury element, but make up for it with character and space.
I feel incredibly comfortable walking around this neighbourhood. On more than one occasion I’ve seen Indian women dressed in mini skirts or shorts. I do miss the “Indian” element though — those small, small shops that clutter the side of the road in a mismatched manner. Outside my old apartment building there was a tailor, a paper recycler, numerous vegetable sellers, a laundry, a hardware store, a mattress maker, a chemist, a grocery store, a fancy store, a guy who came on his bicycle to sharpen knives and other instruments, a chai-wala, and an assortment of evening snack stalls. Sadly, the only vada pav we’ll be eating around here is Jumbo King!
Our street. Entrance to the compound is on the left.
Our street looking the other direction.
D-Mart is at the end of the street. 2 minutes walk from home.
So is Aromas, and other coffee shops.
Another 5 minute walk and there's a three level shopping centre.
Heading towards Powai Lake along Lake Boulevard there are stores such as Levis and Natures Basket.
Entrance to one of the public gardens.
Despite the sanitation, there are still some reminders of India, like this guy lifting his rickshaw up for repairs
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- I’m Never Buying Ready-Made Clothes Again!
- Answers to Questions About My Life in India #3
- The Quality of Life in Mumbai
- Looking Out My Front Door in Australia
- Rediscovering Australia
- Ganesh Chaturthi and the Maha Prasad
- Dadar Station Flower Market
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KL didn’t allude to any of that though. He/she was actually asking for information about how wealthy Indians earn their money. It was an open ended question. No hint of call centres!
Maybe Indians need to start relying less on perceptions and assumptions.
Developed countries don’t always equal wealthy people! All it generally means is that the standard of living there is better, AND goods and services also cost a lot more!
“Or the attraction and respect will be superficial I guess.”
Yeah, or else the attraction will seem fake.
Rich people in India get rich the same way they do anyhere in the world – businesses, artistry, high paying jobs, politics, etc. And of course, the alternative ‘industries’ – bureaucratic corruption, smuggling, sex trade and the like.
There are both old money and new money in India. There tends to be more of new money in the metropolitican cities and tourist hotspots. New money is generally spotted for being ‘loud’ – snobbery and crass. Old money is usually more sober.
If he knew, he wouldn’t have asked. Let us not be so rude and condescending to people who are curious about India and Indians.
Some people in India think developed countries are heaven but the fact of the matter is that people have to work like hell to develop it and the cost of living in some areas would seem like hell too.
And even the cost of home help makes it unaffordable to most people in developed countries! Having a driver or a maid is unheard of for middle class people, despite our perceived wealth and “luxurious” living standards!
Ancient Egypt, China, Rome etc. All these ancient Empires looked rich and developed but millions had to suffer and die in order to build the pyramids, the great wall, and the cities of Rome. So being developed exactly doesnt mean its all joyful all the time.
India has definitely earned a prosperous future then, considering all the past sufferings and challenges.
@Sharell
“India has definitely earned a prosperous future then……”
An ordinary Indian/Chinese will NEVER have the money that say an ordinary American have or make……but the STRENGTH LIES IN NUMBERS
For a lot of people in India, the developed world is indeed a heaven. And not just because of misconceptions. Think it this way – if one is a taxi driver, which would be a better place to make a living – London or Delhi? What about if one is an ace footballer? For people living a comfortable life in India, such questions do not arise.
Have a look:
http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/01/24/india-will-be-number-two-economy-in-the-world-by-2050/
First China. Third US.
Though it means very little in 2010…..but there is a chance that big things will happen here.
Ronny, Numbers could be a bad thing as well cause human population is increasing and there’s not enough space left for life. Once population gets out of control, the balance of nature gets out of control, and that would mean trouble for the world.
@Indian American
“Numbers could be a bad thing as well cause human population is increasing and there’s not enough space left for life.”
That’s a very good point…….by the way, we may not survive till 2050 because of Global Warming……..lets hope for the best
Talking about 2050, some people are worried about 2012. But then we create our own problems. Like in the film where some people drill into the earths center, messes up the earths core. Thus causing the axis to shift its balance, and there goes the planet.
“But then we create our own problems.”
hahaha …….We have been creating our own problems since time immemorial……. biggest example is terrorism
KL didn’t allude to any of that though. He/she was actually asking for information about how wealthy Indians earn their money. It was an open ended question. No hint of call centres!
If he knew, he wouldn’t have asked. Let us not be so rude and condescending to people who are curious about India and Indians.
With the constant China India hysteria that the western media stirs up, I am surprised that someone can ask such a naive question. I mean, how do people the world over earn their money? I might have come across as rude but it was more of a surprise+shock response. No offense meant to anyone!
“hahaha …….We have been creating our own problems since time immemorial……. biggest example is terrorism”
Human beings are special when they care but human beings aren’t that special when they destroy.
Western media portrays India in a negative manner but then western media doesnt portray how India was robbed of its riches, its peace, its stability, etc once. During the time of chaos, she was standing on one leg. Now she’s standing on both her legs.
That’s a very good point…….by the way, we may not survive till 2050 because of Global Warming……..lets hope for the best
Humans are selfish, they’ll find always find ways to survive. This century will be the hotbed for clean/green technology and forget global warming, I can already see the ice age coming in another century!
Western media portrays India in a negative manner but then western media doesnt portray how India was robbed of its riches, its peace, its stability, etc once.
Well, we are a poor country and it’s normal for anyone to project India the way it is. But the western media does it very regularly and opportunistically.
He didn’t ask a naive question, he simply asked what rich people do in India. It is a perfectly normal question, no more naive than the suggestion that only the US is more industralised than India.
He didn’t ask a naive question, he simply asked what rich people do in India.
It was a perfectly normal question to you, but the most ridiculous question I’ve heard in my entire life along with the other statements.
It is a perfectly normal question, no more naive than the suggestion that only the US is more industralised than India.
Look up the meaning of industry verticals.
You want to hear a more ridiculous one?
“Do elephants have headlights in India?” This is a question a friend of mine got in a US church seminar.
I doubt many people live in Hirandani garden are rich. I see so many small small cars in the photos. Shouldnt there be all bmws,mercs and lexus models?
Posh area usually do not have auto rickshaws ,right?
Check out a reprint of my blog post that appeared in the local Powai paper.
http://www.planetpowai.com/news/2102201006.htm
wow, the place has changed. I grew up in iit powai. If you are coming from the airport on adi shankara road the firt buiding to the left in iit campus was my first apartment. My parents used to tell me the whole area in front of iit was a jungle, i.e. on right of adi shankara road.
Have you been to iit campus yet. May be next time I come over for a conference or something, I could show you around the campus.
Hi Jiga, yeah, I saw some photos of Powai from decades ago… when it was a jungle. I couldn’t believe it. The whole area where Hiranandani Gardens is was just one road… and jungle.
The only place I’ve been to in IIT is the post office! Thanks for your kind offer. 
“…my husband is easy going and very western….”
Sharell,
You hubby and his family are a bit hard to place, let me tell why.
These are some nuggets we gather from your writings:
(1) Your in-laws live in prabhadevi area. They have a flat, outside which there is a beehive of activity. If they always owned a flat they are very well off. But, then you say your in-laws are low class (your words-lower class). Is it possible that they used to live in chawls in prabhadevi pre-1995 and that some developer then gave them flats in a high rise building latter ?
(2) You mention your husbands family is or oriya origin but still own a family business. And, that both your in-laws don’t know how to speak english. There are not many oriyans in bombay, so for some one with not much education (not knowing english in bombay equates to lack of degrees) to have a family business one would normally have to be in a business community like sindhis or gujrathis. So, that’s another contradiction a family of oriyans which own a family business in bombay, while not knowing how to speak english, are “low class” but still have a flat in prabhadevi ?
(3) Assuming your hubby grew up in Bombay, I can imagine like most bombaites his hindi to be cringing to ones ears (e.g. like ghetto english in new york). Not like the melodic hindi of lucknow, etc. He might be speaking decent hinglish like most bombaites with some undergrad education. Again a contradiction pops up, how did a guy with his background end up being a DJ in “top night clubs” in calcutta and such. Of course it is possible that he has an awesome tongue and glibbness to rise to that spot ? But, in my limited experience of Indian DJ’s they are normally loud boisterous males with large egos and confidence…basically larger than life. And, from what you say about your hubby, he doesn’t sound like that. As per your description, he is easy going, laid back and doesn’t cause a scene etc (you paint a picture of him being a easy going mouse, not alpha dog or wolf). What is he…how did he become a top dj to represent some of the top clubs…what makes him tick…?
Hi Botham,
Yes, I agree that they are very hard to place!
And I like it that way! Since you’ve raised those really interesting questions, I’ll elaborate for you….
1) No, they didn’t receive the flat from a developer. They have owned their flat for over 30 years. My father in law purchased it with his own money. He also owns his own shop in Prabhadevi near the temple. The family came to Mumbai over 40 years ago, when it was not such an expensive city. The flat is in a peaceful building on phul gali (behind the temple) and my father in law bought it when it was getting built. My husband grew up in it (I’ve seen photos of the whole family posing on the terrace). It’s not a high rise one, it only has 6 floors (my in laws live on the 4th floor).
2) My father in law owns his own business because he bought it too!. It was the business he worked in when he first came to Mumbai. He’s a very talented carpenter and it’s a furniture business…. he makes custom designed furniture. My youngest brother in law works with him in the business as an interior designer…. which was what my husband was supposed to do but he wanted to pursue music. My father in law is very hard working, and has done very well for himself, including sending his children to private schools. The family lives a comfortable middle class lifestyle. They do have interest from developers who want to buy the shop, so I guess that will happen in time. Life has turned out well for them. But they deserve it because they’re very honest, warm hearted people. And they’ve adapted well.
3) When my husband embarked on his DJ career, he was only one of a handful of DJs in Bombay (starting out at Leopolds upstairs in the early 1990s). It was a very small, close knit industry. My husband actually went to school with those guys, so they were close friends although a couple of years older than him. One day he filled in for one of his friends, who couldn’t work their shift. The owner loved his work, and gave him a residency. Back then, music was played on cassette tapes, and queued up with a pencil! He has plenty of friends who have the “gift of the gab”, are street smart and can negotiate well (the kind you have mentioned). A couple of them went to Calcutta, again this was a long time ago when there were not a lot of DJs around, to get the music scene started there. One of them recommended him. He got offered a contract, and went to Calcutta too. He was in his early 20s at the time (so over 15 years ago). Once you’re in the scene and have an opening like that, and have proven your have ability, you’re in. And since there were hardly any DJs in the country back then, work was plentiful.
Most of the old skool DJs have retired from the scene now (most are in their late 30s), plus they haven’t kept up with the technology. There are a few exceptions though — Ash (who’s now in the popular group Jalabee Cartel) and Lloyd (you may recognise him as the guy from the DJ round on that show Music Ka Maha Muqabla…excuse spelling of the last word!). Lloyd is probably one of the best negotiators in the industry, and very business savvy too. He and my husband were in Calcutta together (and they went to school together). My husband left the family business (his brother in law’s not his fathers) to join him in music production last year. We also live in row houses next to each other. If Royalty (where Poison used to be) ever opens, they will be working there too. My husband is also working on some of his own tracks, which will be released later in the year (he has another friend associated with new record label in India). What makes my husband tick? He’s creative, loves music, is one of those people who watches and listens, and absorbs everything. And has friends to do the talking for him. His friends still joke that he never used to say much, but what ever he said was relevant. So, they enjoyed his company and respected his ability.
So, that’s the story!
Sharell, Thanks for the generous explanation. It’s not really my business, but I felt I should atleast point the contradictions from my perspective.
It’s okay. I thought your contradictions were very perceptive, so I was happy to reply!
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