Such a buzz word in Bombay these days! I even found a huge construction in the once spacious bus depot plot next to my building in suburban Andheri. The government decided the land they owned was too commercially viable to grant to aesthetics. However word is that some citizen environmentalists have protested the dumping of construction wastes into the adjoining swamp and so work has halted. My mother is excited about rumours of an IKEA store in the mall.
When I entered a fully functional 'mall' called Infiniti, I was taken aback to find an actual amusement park ride inside the kid's play area, Rajasthani thalis in fast-court format, and many new Indian designer stores (thankfully not Claires and Hot Topics). But there was a TGI Fridays, a bookstore that resembled Borders, and even a gelato stall! I was a little saddened to think that kids would now have free access to gun-toting video monsters.
It doesn't stop there. My aunt who also just moved back to India (after 23 years) with her Caucasian husband from San Diego inform me that there are 22-checkout lane supermarkets like Hyper City!
I ask a friend, also in their late 20s, if anyone is reluctant about the hasty mall development and culture, and he responds "No way yaar."
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