Reporter’s diary: Expectation of Gurugram in stark contrast to reality

In Gurugram, a city of dreams, a flooded school reveals stark contrasts, highlighting urgent infrastructure issues amid claims of progress and success.

In my first fortnight as a reporter in Gurugram, I expected trysts with cafes, metro lines, and gleaming towers that outsiders often associate with the Millennium City. Instead, my first real brush with the city was a knee-deep, waterlogged school compound on Budhera Road near the SGT Medical College. They call Gurugram a city of dreams—home to million-dollar condominiums and the corporate elite. Yet, barely a few kilometres away, a government school with 500 students, turns into a pool after every spell of rain.

The flooded compound of the school near SGT Medical College in Budhera. (HT Photos)

The toilets were flooded, the playground reeked of sewage, and garbage floated, like boats in a swamp. I braced myself for a conversation with the principal, expecting regret and some helplessness. Instead, the school head wanted me to highlight achievements, not the stench. Her students, she said, had topped district sports competitions. I wondered how that was possible with a playground sinking under dirty water. The answer, perhaps, lies in the resilience of the children, who pursue dreams despite crumbling infrastructure.

I wrote the story with hope that someone in the administration would take note. A few pumps, a few trucks, a little attention—that’s all it would have taken. But when I revisited the spot, the scene hadn’t changed much. The knee-deep water had receded a little due to the late-summer heat, but the despair remained.

At the district education department, I expected urgency, but faced a long wait time in a dingy room with broken furniture. When I got to meet the education officer, I was told that the principal was incompetent and that a new building would soon replace the existing infrastructure. While there was hope for a better future, I wondered how classes would be held until then, given the teachers’ helplessness and the students having to brave hazardous conditions.

As someone new to Gurugram, I couldn’t help but notice the contrast— how can a city that sells luxury as a lifestyle allow its children to wade through filth for education? Why are officials so reluctant to admit weakness, as if acknowledging the problem itself is a liability?

Mahatma Gandhi once said that strength comes from recognising one’s own vulnerabilities. Perhaps, Gurugram too, must learn that lesson. A city cannot claim to be futuristic when its foundations are rotting in water and indifference.

The city of dreams is still chasing its promise. But will anyone pause to clean up the reality it is drowning in?

Abhishek Bhatia is a correspondent with the Gurugram bureau, who covers crime, traffic, and road safety.