Early in the morning, the wide tree-lined roads between the steel township's sectors are nearly empty, and single-storey houses sit back behind their gardens. At Maitri Bagh, paddle boats drift across a still lake, and on the edge of town the old stone temple at Deobaloda waits beside its quiet tank, its spire never finished.
Beyond the green sectors, the Civic Centre fills with shoppers and evening events, and families from every corner of India earned the city its nickname, Mini India. Summers are fierce until the July monsoon, and winters are dry and mild. A Local Friend can take you to the bench they love most and tell you the family story that brought them here.
