The story of Gurgaon is the story of a New India - urban, ambitious, entrepreneurial, growth-obsessed. If Nariman Point was the go-to address of India Inc till the turn of the century, that distinction may now well belong to Gurgaon.
Indeed, the rise of Gurgaon as a corporate nerve-centre has blurred the old, classical division of power between Delhi and Mumbai - Mumbai remains the seat of finance, but its once unchallenged status as India's business capital is at stake; some of the largest corporations in India, particularly MNCs, have chosen to headquarter themselves in Gurgaon.
There's a critical difference between Nariman Point and Gurgaon, though. Gurgaon is so much more than just a business district - it's a full-blown city, a place where people live, work, shop, eat, drink, watch films and play golf. Shiny corporate complexes coexist with swank residential highrises and swish new entertainment hubs complete with malls, multiplexes, pubs, restaurants, clubs, gyms, hotels and art galleries.
And it isn't just people living in Gurgaon who find that their every need is met here. There are so many people who fly into IGI airport, drive directly to Gurgaon, work and stay there, and then fly out without once venturing into Delhi.
Critics see it as one sprawling gated community where the middle-to-upper classes live in a steel-and-glass bubble. Should Gurgaon apologize for being an enclave of the economically empowered? We think not. Does it think differently from the rest of India? So what if it does? Why should conformity or catering to a common denominator be considered a virtue?
It is to celebrate Gurgaon's unique identity that The Times of India has chosen to dedicate a separate edition to it. It's a decision we took almost a year ago, but we didn't want to just take the Delhi edition, add a couple of stories from Gurgaon, and call it a Gurgaon edition. That would've been a cosmetic change and, quite frankly, dishonest. We wanted to be faithful to the idea of Gurgaon and add genuine value to what we offer our readers here.
Today, we launch the edition with a dedicated team of editors and correspondents under the leadership of one of India's best-known journalists, C P Surendran (who incidentally lives in Gurgaon).
In the weeks and months to come, we intend to enlarge this team even as we enhance the edition in terms of both reach and depth. Gurgaon may have begun life as an extension, a suburb of Delhi - but it has grown beyond imagination into what is arguably India's most rapidly developing, upwardly mobile city. With a mind and heart and soul of its own.
Obviously, with growth come the pangs of growth. For a city that's been built ground-up in less than a quarter of a century, there's a lot that still needs to be done. Infrastructure is a serious problem, and it'll take more than an expressway and the Metro to fix it.
While The Times of India will rejoice in the successes of Gurgaon, it'll also champion its cause, and the cause of the people who have made it their home. We will seek to chronicle a city in transition. In the days to come, we hope to be your voice, both within Gurgaon and outside.
TOI has editions across the length and breadth of India. In the last two years alone, we have launched four full-fledged editions. But the challenge Gurgaon poses is unique, straddling as it does two worlds: Delhi and Haryana.
Which is why our new edition will bring you extensive and exclusive coverage of Gurgaon - and the decisions of the Haryana administration that impact your lives - while still offering you everything you've been used to getting from our Delhi edition. We are not trading one for the other - what we are offering is a win-win. We're excited to be setting up home where you live and work, to be a part of your life. We look forward to hearing from you.
