India, July 18 -- For 42-year-old Sheesh Ram Yadav, Gurugram represents both aspiration and contradiction.

The city transformed his professional life, offering opportunities which according to him would have been difficult to find elsewhere, but it has also exposed him to the consequences of unplanned urban growth.

Yadav moved to Gurugram from Mahendergarh, Haryana nearly 20 years ago, driven by the ambition to build his career in a city that was rapidly emerging as India's corporate capital.

"I came here because Gurugram had opportunities that smaller towns simply couldn't offer. Every major company was setting up offices here, jobs were growing and people from across the country were arriving to build their careers. It felt like the ...