Delhiwale: Our bleeding Gurugram

Gurugram faces severe traffic issues, but it also offers stunning sunset views from various spots, providing a serene contrast to the chaos.

What a deadly combo—heavy rains, a stupendous late-evening traffic jam, and the roads lit up with the headlights of thousands of stranded cars. The scene, nevertheless, looks stunning, especially when we, the frustrated citizens, stuck in outrageous jams, put up photos of such scenes on our social media. This week, Gurugram again hijacked attention nationwide for the severe hardships it repeatedly inflicts on its people.

Golf Course Road one partially cloudy evening during the sunset hour. (HT)

However, it is not tactless to recall another kind of light-filled Gurugram evening, one that not only exists, but also unfolds frequently. Here’s a reminder that you can experience it on any evening, so long as the sky is clear.

Indeed, Gurugram is blessed with a rich assortment of sunset points. The most picturesque sites to view the setting sun are undoubtedly enjoyed by the upper-storey dwellers in the high-rises of the posh Golf Course Road. (At night, the same residents vividly see the twinkling lights of traffic on their road, especially in the frequent event of traffic jams.) Another unusual good place to admire the sunset is from the flyovers of the Jaipur-bound highway that cuts through Gurugram, dividing the newer parts from the older town. The entrance of a second-floor cafe-cum-bookstore, on Galleria Market’s second-floor, holds an interesting view and offers a slightly different perspective.

Meanwhile, the Millennium City’s classic sunset is the one viewed from the aangan of the Jama Masjid, in Sadar Bazar. During a brief time before the twilight hour, the departing sun hangs right over the mosque’s sprawling courtyard. Shrouded in layers of dust and smog, the sun glimmers in a weary, pale shade of red. The mosque courtyard itself is serene, even though nestled within a noisy and chaotic market. The building’s austere architecture contrasts sharply with the zigzagging buildings of the bazar. Over the next few minutes, the sun smoothly commutes over the courtyard. As the evening solidifies, the sun drifts behind the mosque’s left minar; the courtyard feels abandoned.

After the sun is gone, once the sky is black, the arches of the courtyard resemble their own shadows, slowly disappearing. The ambiance feels even more precious when you remember that elsewhere in the same city, roads may be lit up with the headlights of a thousands of stranded cars, with we citizens rightfully showing anger at our city.

PS: Photo shows Golf Course Road on one partially cloudy evening, during the sunset hour