Singular and plural forms

Compared to Mumbai, Delhi is the kind of city that would require loads of goodwill (read: great PR) to be accepted. To an overwhelming majority, it's the kind of place that is still associated with show-sha-ing and classism. On top of that, the burden of 'rape capital of India' has done irreversible damage. To make things worse, Mumbaikars are known for their let-me-help-you attitude whereas Dilliwallahs... well, let's not go there. If you ask an inhabitant of the capital city, they'll squarely put all the blame on places like Gurgaon and Noida. Delhi NCR ensures this reaction. Apparently, great things happen in New Delhi whereas all the evil stuff carry on in the rest of the NCR. It's naive to tag a city something—savoury or not—based on a few reported instances but the problem festers after the media has done its job. Regardless, there is one story that none of the journalists have mentioned so far: the usage of the word 'ladies' in the two cities. In Delhi, women shamelessly cut public queues using that word. In Mumbai, men use that word to inform others in a crowded train compartment that there is a woman among them and they should provide sufficient space for her to stand. Grammar be damned, civility triumphs when that happens.

Gurgaon diaries

I'm not a critical expert on cities. It was only after working with mid-day that i learnt what Mumbai was all about. Before that, i was just a simpleton Mumbaikar nostalgic about a Bombay that wasn't mine. It was only during my days as a journalist i saw how a city behaves just like a person. Some days are good for it. Somedays, not so. A city develops its character by the people who build it. Mumbai, as we know it today, was built by immigrants. Delhi was built by refugees; people anxious to have a place they can call home. Who built Gurgaon? However, i've been here for almost a year now and i've noticed certain undeniable observations here. Listing some of them out with no malice towards those who are capable of looking at the cheerful side...

• Gurgaon looks like a city waking up from a terrible dream.
• The dust never settles for less here.
• Everybody's in a hurry. Haryana explained.
• What happens in Gurgaon strays in Gurgaon.
• It's boiling during summers with nobody to turn off the sun.
• That's also when most of my aspirations got roasted!
• On the brighter side, the sun doesn't set us on fire when it's fully capable of doing so.
• Going by the earthquakes, dust storms, unseasonal rains and warm winters, Gurgaon is yet to come to terms with my presence here.
• This city is the perfect mix of unsettling dust, filthy pigs, sweltering summer, rude autowallahs, bored cows, corporate residents and farce.
• Love is like the Gurgaon summer. No, wait. Forget it.
• Thanks to G-spot (that's my nickname for Gurgaon), i'm a wildweather photographer now.
• Gurgaon didn't go to the pigs. It went to the people. Pigs were here first.
• "Bhaisaab, aapka Gurgaon dick raha hai."
• It takes 3cm of rain for this city to flood.
• Dusty. Dustier. Gurgaon.
• In Gurgaon, it either rains like dogs and pigs or it doesn't.
• Mumbai mein rehne ke baad sabhi sheher gaon lagne lag jaate hai.
• Completing half a year in Gurgaon today. That's like a lifetime of dust in Bombay.
• Baarish mein maloom lagta hai ki Gurgaon kitne paani mein hai.
• After moving north to Gurgaon, i've developed a healthy respect for junk food.
• Gurgaon is not THAT bad. Just makes Delhi look better.
• Zuckerberg hosted FB Townhall Q&A (Oct') and DiCaprio filmed his documentary (Nov') in Delhi. Gurgaon was dusty as usual.
• When in Rome, be a Roman. When in Gurgaon, honk.
• The greatest difference between Bombay and Gurgaon is people from the former won't give you wrong directions just to entertain their ego.
• Mumbai has sea. Gurgaon will never have a sea. Gurgaon: burn Mumbai: won
• During winter, it's pitch black even before the clock hits 6. 
• Went home for Diwali and came back here to shoot Interstellar part 2.
• As a social experiment, go to any supermarket in Gurgaon and scream "Hey, asshole!" and count the no. of heads that turn. They cut queues.
• So used to the contaminated air in Gurgaon that i might fall sick in a cleaner city.
• Before Christmas, the correct reply to “how are you?” was “freezing”.
• Why are ALL the cars dented in Gurgaon?
• It was only after watching Everest (2015) that i realized Gurgaon isn't THAT cold.
• Not a day goes by here i don't see a moron driving while talking on phone.
• The class discrimination prevalent in Gurgaon is as feudal as it can get in the 21st century. Maid in India, anyone?
• Gurgaon tries way too hard to be a city.
• Lastly, i haven’t been molested even once despite being so damn pretty.