Presenting the world in a city
by Gitanjali Sharma

The grand entrance to Amby Valley Sahara Lake City, 135 km from Mumbai

MASSIVE twin gates, claimed to be the widest in the country (45m wide and 16m high), mark its entrance. What is inside is even more opulent: shimmering lakes, majestic fountains, cascading waterfalls, colourful flowerbeds, manicured lawns, exquisitely designed villas and timber chalets, etc. Where have you entered? A film city? No, you have just stepped into Amby Valley Sahara Lake City (AVSLC), beside the splendour of which the lavish sets of Karan Johar finish a poor second. How do you react to such a picture-perfect setting? Are you mistaken or do you hear a resounding applause — Mugambo khush hua! — to the loud and grandiose surroundings?

Giving yourself a shake, you push away all filmi thoughts, and learn more about this unbelievable city that has been making your head reel. Here comes the briefing: located in the Sahyadri range of hills on the Western Ghats and 135 km from Mumbai, AVSLC is spread over 5,700 acres. Set up by the Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited, the city was evolved in 1993 and is likely get completed by 2007. Here, it is pointedly mentioned that this man-made city stands on non-agricultural land purchased from tribesmen of the area, many of whom have been employed for the building of the city.

Opulence personified: The Titanic-shaped discotheque and the well-designed swimming pool in the sports complex

Coming back to the brief: the hill city, which will use just 9 per cent of the area for construction and devote the remaining 91 per cent to open space, including hill slopes, landscaped area and water bodies, aims to offer world-class residential facilities and tourist attractions. Sahara will begin marketing the custom-made houses from February this year, says Ramesh Thakur, Adviser, Business and Operations, SICCL. The place will cater to 10,000 dwelling units and "anything available worldwide will be available to our citizens here" is the tall claim.

With these high-sounding words ringing in your ears, you decide to take a tour of the place. The plush reception and sales office near the entrance sets the mood for all the flamboyance and grandeur to follow. Against the backdrop of the imposing Koyarigarh fort, you find a man-made lake, the banks of which have been landscaped to perfection. There’ll be a total of nine such lakes, you’re told, all rain-harvested and with a total shore length of 21 km. There are even three dams coming up, it is proudly announced. Next you’re taken to the 18-hole floodlit golf course — pride of the place — which is designed by David Hamstock and Associates and certified by the Professional Golfers Association.

A dream home: The cosy timber chalet

Not less fascinating though a little garish you find the Titanic-shaped discotheque, complete with a small pool around it with lighted icebergs. Even its décor reminds you of the grand vessel. Next come a number of eye-catching black dome-shaped structures, offering numerous sporting and recreational activities: billiards, snooker, tennis, video games, rodeo, swimming, sauna, steam, Jacuzzi, etc.

Then the luxurious, well-furnished Swiss tents catch your fancy, but what eventually take your breath away are the imaginatively designed timber huts with their large stone-tiled bathrooms. The roofs of these baths partly open up to the skies to allow you to experience the thrill of natural showers in the valley, which records an average annual rainfall of 4000mm.

This is the first city, you are told, which has come up with the concept of Comfort Index, taking into account parameters like air quality, noise level, relative humidity, wind speed and direction and pollen count. To comply with such parameters should be easy, you guess, considering that the valley temperature ranges between 12°C and 32°C the year round. Again, it must be easy to boast: "The best time to visit the valley is from January to December."

Aiming to offer "the world in a city", there is very little AVSLC does not propose to offer to its residents. There’ll be state-of-the art transportation, including chopper service, latest security and communication facilities, round-the–clock connectivity and emergency services. Basic public amenities will be taken care of as well as a number of leisure activities will be offered like angling, dirt biking, go-karting, natural therapies, paragliding, hot-air ballooning, bungee jumping and rock climbing. The residents will also not have to travel miles to relish the snow. A chemical–free snow park will come up along with a man-made sea beach, offering you the pleasure of riding high in simulated waves.

What’s left? A retreat for nature lovers, who will get to explore and enjoy the butterfly park, bird sanctuary, night safari and the equestrian school.

Whew! Enlisting the bountiful offering leaves you dazed, even as you decide not to revise your first opinion. It all seems unreal — stuff that dreams are made of. But let’s not forget that this particular dream of Subrata Roy, Chairman of SICCL, is on its way of getting realised. And if you would like to be a part of his dream sequence, be prepared to shell out a hefty sum (conservative estimates rate a one-bedroom log hut at a crore and more). Now, did that jolt you back from the fantasy world? Cheer up, your city too offers you a variegated bounty: it has the privileged and the deprived, posh hospitals and government-run medical institutes, shopping plazas and apni mandis, gourmet malls and the unbeatable roadside chaatwallas, and, of course, real snow just a few hours away. Can you ask for more?