India, Sept. 27 -- Gurugram's transformation over the past quarter-century is a tale of promise, excess, and eventual disillusionment. What was once a sleepy town with open skies and rustic charm has grown into one of India's most chaotic urban sprawls, struggling under the weight of poor planning, unchecked construction, and collapsing civic infrastructure.

"At the turn of the millennium, Gurugram still felt like a village," says Sanjay Lal, a resident of Ambience Island. "You could sit in your garden, look up, and see the stars-a simple pleasure that cities like Mumbai or Delhi had long lost." Open spaces stretched in every direction, dotted with farmlands and a handful of glass-fronted offices, the most iconic being the "Ship Building...