Mes Viles: My Cities

Well Nikhil, there you go. Here is my take on the cities were I have spent my days.

Bilaspur (1981-1999)

Perhaps the only thing this small town was known for till the early 1980’s was it’s Railway Station. Bilaspur Junction is one of the oldest Railway Stations in the country, established way back in 1885. In the early part of the 20th century, Bilaspur used to be the only stop between Jamshedpur and Nagpur, on the Howrah-Mumbai rail route.

Rantanpur- the ancient capital of Chattisgarh (which literally means 36 forts), is situated a short distance away from Bilaspur. The city of Bilaspur lies at the very heart of the Chattisgarh region, and probably has the largest percentage of native Chattisgarhi people, as compared to other big cities like Raipur and Bhilai. The city has grown rapidly over the last 20 years, and is now the 2nd most important city in the state of Chattisgarh, after Raipur (the capital), and houses the State High Court.

On a personal note, I like this city because it is one of the quietest places in the country, never witnessing any disturbance. As far as my memory goes, no floods, no earthquakes, no famines, no riots have ever hit the place.

Bhilai (1999-2003)

Bhilai, the industrial capital of Chattisgarh, probably has the highest percentage of professionals and non-chattisgarhi people in the state. And this shows in the culture of the palce as well.

Apart from the “world renowned” Bhilai Steel Plant, Bhilai is also famous in the student community for producing truckloads of IITans every year. I guess the quality and discipline of the educational institutions in this city also makes it the educational capital of the State.

What did I like most about Bhilai?? The well planed architecture of the place, and the wide open roads.

Mumbai (2003-2005)

What can one say about the place, which has not been said before. Anyway, here are some of my reflections on life in this mega-city, that I had jotted down sometime back.

Hyderabad (2005-2???)

A city with great cultural heritage and historical importance, Hyderabad today is in a state of metamorphosis. The IT tsunami is gorging the city. The juggernaut kicked off by Chandrababu Naidu, is well on the way of taking Hyderabad to the place Bangalore occupies in the IT landscape. But one can easily foresee Hyderabad inheriting most of Bangalore’s problems as well. If serious infrastructure upgradation projects are not undertaken in the immediate future, the city is bound to crumble under pressure. “Hyderabad is another Bangalore waiting to happen” in every sense of the word.

What do I love most about Hyderabad?? Non-Veg Food ofcourse!! After all, in which other place in the world can you find dishes as exotic as Non-Veg Dosa!!