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Granta 122: Betrayal was published in Spring 2013.
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Comments (13)

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  1. Anil

    Sun Jul 26 05:34:47 BST 2009

    Excellent ! A great read.

    Having moved to Delhi from a smaller city, I've experienced all kinds to things in the past 5 years. Your line -"But in this segregated city, everyone comes together on the roads. " is very true and though provoking. While everyone comes together on the road, not everyone has the same right and unless the politicians are separated from administration, its unlikely that the police will ever control anything.

    Hope you keep writing such essays regularly !

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  2. Zainab Bawa

    Tue Jul 28 03:58:04 BST 2009

    Thanks for this one. I still snuggle up in the apprehensions and warmth of North Delhi - the lanes and by-lanes of the frenetic markets, the chaos and rush of Tees Hazari bus stand and the impotent potency of Civil Lines. My Delhi is shielded from the irony of affluence and profligacy you have so beautifully described in words.

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  3. Richard Sheehan

    Thu Sep 03 20:47:01 BST 2009

    A fascinating article. I admit to being totally unaware of the situation that the author writes about and he's opened my eyes to, for which I'm grateful.

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  4. Annie Paul

    Fri Sep 11 22:43:23 BST 2009

    wow, great piece, i studied in Delhi (LSR, JNU) in the 70s after which i left India for a number of years. Whenever i return to Delhi now i'm astounded at how monstrous its become, and ruthless Gurgaon! i particularly appreciated your expose of how and why it came into being--

    While i don't hold much brief for the angst of the Englsh-speaking elites it IS scary to think of the kind of business mentality that has taken over...its a petty provincialism that's global in its reach...being replicated in many cities around the world i'm sure.

    The poor Ethiopians! They haven't a clue of the rough beast slouching their way.

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  5. Rajiv

    Mon Sep 21 11:01:09 BST 2009

    As a lifelong resident of Delhi, I could immediately identify the “nouveau rich” Dasgupta talks about in this article. It is made out to be a new phenomenon, but we have seen this time and again over the last four decades. Delhi attracts entrepreneurs, and when they succeed, some crass behaviour follows, and is talked about. Delhi-wallahs have learnt to ignore this. Fortunately Delhi still has a substantial majority of people one will love to meet.

    Sadly, Dasgupta does not talk about some simple pleasures of Delhi. A visit to the walled city, a stroll through some quaint streets with mouth watering delicacies, charming bookshops and, for a discerning visitor, a sense of history to be read in the old buildings and monuments. Khan Market has some compelling restaurants and the Habitat Centre is ideal for a cultural evening.

    The reason some people made lots of money to flash around is because the educated middle class Indians had money to spend. When recession squeezed their spending power, the businesses suffered. The proposed gigantic “Mall of India” in Gurgaon, has not taken off, because of a lack of buyers. So, to conclude that the rich have made money at the expense of the downtrodden is misleading. Everybody gained from the economic boom, some more that others.

    The article belabours the infamous BMW case, as an example of judicial inequity. It is undeniable that such inequities- social, political and economic do exist in India. This is no different than any other country at India’s developmental stage. The point is that the schisms are recognised by the society and the government takes steps, albeit sluggishly, to address this.

    Notably disappointing was the utter lack of cultural aspects of Delhi. The article dismissed a few Delhi-wallahs interviewed as dinosaurs, ill equipped to handle the feral ferociousness of Delhi’s moneyed. Fortunately this is far from the truth. Delhi hosts a vibrant cultural scene- try the theatre district in central Delhi, the endless painting exhibitions, the exuberant music festivals, and the historic Red Fort/Qutub festivals. I could go on at the risk of making this a tourist advert. Thankfully none of these are the favourite haunts of the upstarts and t

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  6. biswadip

    Sat Apr 17 07:39:15 BST 2010

    Rana has been coldly precise about Delhi. I hope, in his forthcoming book Rana would offer some idea about the 'other' Delhi which is still untouched by the corrupt lot.

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  7. Grace6

    Thu Aug 04 19:50:12 BST 2011

    I agree with biswadip in that "I hope, in his forthcoming book Rana would offer some idea about the 'other' Delhi which is still untouched by the corrupt lot."

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  8. Grace6

    Thu Aug 04 19:49:20 BST 2011

    This is such a great piece about Delhi and captures the feeling and economics of the great city.

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