Saturday, January 15, 2011

Dilli!

Revisited the capital of India after 5 years and came away with a very good opinion. Here are a few good things:
Metro: best thing to happen to the city. The roads (good at a few places; quite bad at a few others) are at last relieved of so much pressure. Found the Metro very efficient-quick, clean, economical, scaleable. Hats off really! Waiting for the time when the metro will be completed and running in my city:( Of course, how the amazing Sridharan sir managed to get the project completed in time in the land of babus is the stuff worthy of legends!
Akshardham: The history of the Guru Gujaratis revere notwithstanding, one important takeaway was the showcase of our glorious past and the encouragement to carry on the legacy and create history that we can be proud of. Also found the security, cleanliness and crowd management quite efficient. I really wonder how terrorists could even manage to sneak in a bomb at this place. Heck, my son's Rs.5 toy car was not allowed in! How I managed to convince the kind security ladies to keep it safe until we returned from inside Akshardham is another story.
Kingdom of Dreams and Zangoora, the Gypsy Prince: Very interesting concept, quintessential Bollywood, superb execution, brilliant set design (trademark Omung Kumar) and of course, Hussain (aww...). Kind of an Indianised Broadway show. Heard they are heading to Vegas soon. Good luck!
The Culture Galli concept is good though there is some room for improvement of the inventory.
All in all, India is definitely learning the ropes of marketing well. Great attempt at showcasing India and hope to see it evolving much more. Zangoora & the Kingdom of Dreams, take a bow:)