Mega-Mess

When I visited my Alma Mater, IIT Madras, earlier this year, our guide KL took us around the campus. When I was there as a student, every hostel (dorm) had its own cafeteria, or as it is called in India, the Mess. Now, KL pointed out, IIT had built one massive Mega-Mess that served all the students. It had multiple floors, and students could choose from a variety of menus. A far cry from our days when Dosas and Vadas and well made uttapams were our favorite foods. Now, pizzas and Chinese foods have taken positions next to the native dishes as choice foods. Even when we visited Infosys, the cafewteria there had subway and Pizza Hut and other fast food purveyors.

Talking about Mega Messes, the WSJ had an article examining growth of Indian cities, titled "Megacities Threaten to Choke India." One key statistic in the article is that "What's happening in India is part of a world-wide challenge. Megacities are sprouting around the globe. But in billion-person India, the trend is on steroids. The country already has 25 of the world's 100-fastest growing urban areas, according to City Mayors, an international urban-affairs think tank. That compares with eight in China. Pune, near Mumbai, has more than four million people, about the same as the Houston area. Kanpur, in north central India, has more than three million, as does Surat, in western India. India is expected to add 10 million people a year between 2000 and 2030 to its 5,161 cities, according to the United Nations."