FORTUNATELY, the city of Nagpur still has some localities where commerce has not started dominating the residential landscape. Certain coolness, certain calmness, certain homeliness prevails in the roads and lanes and by-lanes in those areas. There, people move around with a sense of assurance that permeates in a residential neighbourhood where every family is known to every other family.

 

Temples, community halls, parks and gardens and open grounds frequented by people and their little ones dot these areas. If insiders give out the message of a well-knit neighbourhood, outsiders unwittingly relate the atmosphere to their neighbourhoods back home. These areas -- such as Shankar Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Ram Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Gorepeth and Giripeth, Laxmi Nagar, Sneh Nagar, Sahakar Nagar, Hanuman Nagar -- to name a few -- have so far remained unaffected by the commercial juggernaut that has been rolling all over the city of Nagpur for the past few years. True, no one knows when the raucous commercial lobbies will start invading such localities. No one also knows when tall, fearsome multi-storied buildings will start making their appearance on the landscape of these localities in massive numbers. Of course, each of these localities has been getting introduced to the concept of skyard development of the city. Despite that, many localities have still not lost their domination of residential housing -- which is a matter of great satisfaction. The loosefooter has no rancour to express against commercial establishments. But he does not mince words while stressing the importance of retaining the original character of each area coming down from generations. Let us take a look at Dhantoli once again.

 

This place, known previously for dignified residential houses -- bungalows with well-kept courtyards of varying sizes -- has lost all its old-world charm. And, to be frank, the Dhantoli of today has no character of its own, no signature to mark its presence, no distinctiveness that was its hallmark in olden times ! Much to the contrary, Dhantoli of today is an utterly chaotic place, thanks to the urban madness that stands to no reason. Dozens of hospitals and nursing homes now dot the Dhantoli landscape that has no relation to what the locality used to be say twenty years ago -- as if there has been an official plan to develop the area as a medical hub -- though the citizens of Nagpur were never taken into confidence about it. Similar is the case with Sitabuldi as well. Its old character now stands totally demolished and a sense of disgust fills the air in the place.

 

The disgust, of course, is not about commercial activity -- for Sitabuldi was always a mixed area. Unfortunately, however, the commercial activity just overwhelmed the residential housing in most parts of Sitabuldi, leading to a total loss of its old warmth. The localities where forces of commerce have not become menacing still give out a feeling of warmth and homeliness. The loosefooter enjoys moving in such areas since those places exude sort of a familial atmosphere. As evenings descend on those areas, certain calmness also starts enveloping the places. Residents come out of their homes to walk around, to go to shops buying things for daily use, pausing by one another for an easy chat by the roadside ... ! The entire area is thus steeped in a warmth and coziness that cannot be seen or sensed in any place dominated by commercial activity.

 

The loosefooter apprehends that the Nagpur is now growing in rather an unplanned manner -- with no sense of direction. Every area looks to be the same. Every area is dominated by commercial establishments -- with residential housing having been pushed into backlanes. At some unfortunate moment, some unthinking persons made a petition to the courts pushing for store-frontage on major roads of the city, and the courts, too, gave a green signal to that idea. From that moment on, residential segment of every neighbourhood got pushed into the backlanes (that now appear to be steeped in darkness as against the razmataz of the commercial lighting on arterial roads. The loosefooter is conscious of the snide remarks some so-called modernists may make about his views on urban planning. But he knows one thing for sure -- that in the years to come, a place like Nagpur will lose its old-world charm completely -- in favour of senseless planning so thoughtlessly tilted in favour of commercialism.