Gurugram, June 20 -- When 62-year-old Dr VK Gupta returned to Gurugram after nearly five decades in 2021, the only thing that had not changed in the city was its name. The city that he left behind in 1973 was nothing more than a large town. Born in Wazirabad in 1963, Gupta, a neurosurgeon by profession, remembers Gurugram as a place where distances felt larger. According to Gupta, only one bus ran from Gurugram to Wazirabad. Fields stretched where office towers now stand. People knew one another. His career took him across cities, including Allahabad, Chandigarh and Hisar. Chandigarh's orderly sectors and deliberate planning would later become the benchmark against which he would measure urban life, said Gupta, adding that when he returned to join Silver Streak Hospital, he encountered a city transformed beyond imagination. "There are so many houses, vehicles, roads, flyovers and corporate offices now. The city has progressed so much, but unfortunately not in a planned manner," he said. "When I moved back there weren't many roads. The new Gurugram used to be a big, barren land waiting to be developed. Today, there are so many residential areas and shopping complexes," Gupta said. For someone who spent years in Chandigarh where growth followed a plan, the difference is hard to ignore, he said. Gupta said roads in Gurugram are unable to keep up with growing vehicles, infrastructure struggles under the weight of rapid expansion, and people complain of waterlogging every monsoon. "The emotional connection between people is not the same anymore," he said. In the old city, communities were formed naturally. Today, millions live so close to each other, yet often remain strangers. "That, perhaps, is the paradox of modern Gurugram," Gupta said. "It has mastered growth. It has attracted investment, talent and ambition from across the country. It has become a city of opportunity." For Gupta, the city's transformation is remarkable. But as Gurugram continues to grow, he said its next challenge might be people learning how to grow together. "The city has come a long way, but now it has to grow in a planned way; people and authorities should be held accountable for their actions. If we truly believe in the idea of Millenium City, we should work towards making Gurugram one," he said....