Rajendra Place

rajendra place (or rajinder palace as the bus conductors would call it)
is in a state of decline
built as a office complex
it could have rivaled bikaji cama and nehru "palaces"

when we shifted to karol bagh
rajendra place was a novelty
because it had one of the few theatres that ran
english movies - Rachna
at that time the whole place was dug up
buildings were being planned
the ground shining with reddish brown mica

when the complex was completed
for some time Vikram Towers
was the tallest building
in the area

i do know whether it was the fire at Gopala Towers
or the frequent traffic jams at Pusa Road
that made people abandon their offices
and shifted to Gurgaon or south Delhi

the entire complex is built
with an interesting plan
with shops on the lower floors
while the offices were spread above

today as one walks around
most of the buildings
are broken down
with vacant parking lots in the middle of nowhere

as you turn into some corners
the place looks
like a abandoned township of the future
with taxi drivers sitting around playing cards
piles of garbage, large metal doors lying on their sides
but there is a mcdonalds arc shining through all this shit

people thought that once the metro station is built
the place would take off again.

the jat boys are waiting for that day
their taxis are gathering dust.