Where the Balcony meets the Basti
I’m told that one the prominent view from Mukesh Ambani’s castle, Antilia, is the slums of Golibar. Nothing can be more symbolic of the richer and the poorer Indian living in close proximity.. Unlike in many developed countries where there is a clear physical demarkation between the east-enders and west-enders, in India, there is no comfort of distance. This is something very peculiar to India - where a swanky SUV reverse expertly out of a parking lot guided by a man who will take a crowded bus home to a one-room chawl. India doesn’t do distance very well—not emotional, not physical, and certainly not economic. The new Unilever chief Fernando Fernandez, in a recent interview, made a great observation: one of India’s unique advantages is that “richer and poorer Indians live in close proximity.” This, he says, is what makes quick commerce viable here. But the insight goes beyond logistics and delivery economics—it lays bare the very soul of Indian urban life. (Here is the link to the art...