Unreal stuff, man

I went to Powai this week for a conference. Powai Lake is beautiful, even though this summer, it looks quite shallow. Around the lake, there are several tall buildings.

Up close, this is what the buildings look like. I ask you, does any other part of Mumbai look like this? The whole thing seems like a cross between classical-Greek and mad-Bollywood fantasy. And it's a smash hit with the yuppie population.

Customers just can't stop buying apartments in Powai! Perhaps there's something about the grandiose style that appeals to the status-conscious Indian?

Or maybe it's because Powai is a planned township. When you're in Powai, for a little while, you can forget about the rest of Mumbai, with its crowded streets and slums. Instead, you're in a tall building with a lake view, and guess what honey, there's a KFC here!

The architect of this "distinctive Neo-Classical architectural style" is Hafeez Contractor, an interesting man with a slew of awards to his name. Hiranandani, the builder who backed this project, is laughing all the way to the bank and launching identical new projects. Of late, more buildings with this type of architecture have been springing up in other parts of Bombay.

In the 1800's, we had Bombay Gothic. In the 1900's Mumbai had art deco buildings. Is the 21st century going to be labelled the Hafeez era?