The DLF's Ship Building.
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Gurgaon: Commerical Oasis
Oct. 13th-15th
Gurgaon is a bizarre commercial park that has sprung up in the middle of a virtual desert, about 20km outside of Delhi. Gurgaon itself is an insignificant town in the neighborhing state of Haryana, but the area attracted numerous corporations due to the open space, the low tax rates, relatively mild traffic, etc. It is considered a commercial haven and oasis, and a superior altenative to the other business center in Delhi--Connaught Place, which is crowded, messy, and difficult to reach during rush hours. High-level Gurgaon employees live in posh apartment complexes in Gurgaon, while lower-level workers commute from Delhi via the MG Road (Mehrahuli-Gurgaon Road) and NH-1 (National Highway 1).
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The DLF's Ship Building. |
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G-1 |
The most prominent building in Gurgaon is called the "Ship Building," and it was constructed at the behest of the DLF -- Delhi Leasing and Financing Corporation. The DLF is one of a number of financial powers that have backed ventures in Gurgaon, attracting corporate clients to rent office space in the area. As demonstrated by the Ship Building, the architecture in Gurgaon is ultramodern and vain. Main of the buildings were designed by an elite and brilliant architecture firm called Hafiz Contractors.
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The DLF's Ship Building. |
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G-2 |
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The Main Entrance |
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SJCH-1
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The DLF's Ship Building. |
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Another venture in Gurgaon, called the National Mall, was recently completed. It bears much in common with an American supermall, both in terms of the stores and restaurants, and in terms of the quality and opulence of the stores. What the Westerner might not immediately appreciate is that Gurgaon is both a cultural AND financial revolution for India. Not only in the culture blatantly America-centric, but the role of develops and leasing corporations is very unusual for India (i.e. corporations usually build their own headquarters, and thus there is little real estate liquidity).
A bizarre thing that I noticed about the Ship Building is its proximity to a small slum. The juxtaposition was quite ironic.
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The DLF's Ship Building, and a nearby slum. |
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The DLF's Ship Building, and a nearby slum. |
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The DLF's Ship Building, and a nearby slum. |
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The DLF's Ship Building, and a nearby slum. |
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G-6
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Escalators at the Millenial Mall |
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G-7
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Street in Gurgaon at sunset. |
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A building at the Nestle complex. |
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Dr. Basant Ku. |
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THAM-2 |