Gurgaon is fast becoming the most progressive city in North India. One of the most coveted metropolitan cities, it has a distinctive name in terms of technology, banking and finance. Over the past few years, it has seen a rapid boom in medical tourism as well. Known for its educational institutions, malls and high-rise premium living, it has also made its name in the field of entertainment. ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ or KOD is a multi-faceted hub that has become one of the biggest attractions of Gurgaon.
The Outer Glory
You can see the colourful lights beaming from a distance. As you reach in front of its huge, majestic golden gates, the floodgates of your five senses are also thrown wide open. The large water fountain steals your attention from the bigger picture. Just as you turn your head, the large stature of the building towers over you. The bold strokes in golden and black colour give it an attitude that is truly sublime. It’s like a large canvas that simply sucks you inside its glory and magnificence.
Culture Gully
As you walk through the gates of Culture Gully, it seems as if you are walking onto the sets of a movie. The ceiling of the building is a painting of the sky that looks too real. A giant ship, wrecked next to a large sandy beach attracts the young and old alike. Other than that, there is a little puppet show, ethnic stalls from fourteen different states, mouth-watering cuisines, lilting music and scores of benches on which you can sit and chill out. The whole experience breathes a mini-India that seems to have squeezed itself under a small cover.
It’s an amusement park for all the shopaholics out there. There are little wooden handcrafted toys, hand-sewn embroidered bright flowers and birds on large pieces of cotton-like soft cloth, glimmering shards of glass glued on ginormous clay vases, and so much more. Kingdom of Dreams also has a large variety of food which is ready to be devoured. There are traditional sizzling hot curries with fluffy naan bread that soaks all the flavour from the thick liquid goodness. There are also circular flattened baked doughs dressed with vegetables and herbs. There are also bars that serve your favourite concoctions. If this wasn’t enough there is a tattoo shop for the daredevils, a Caricature stall that is bound to give you a good laugh and many more amusing stops that keep you happily behind the slowest snails.
Nautanki Mahal
Another hall called the Nautanki Mahal has made its own niche in theatrical performances. Many people visit KOD just to watch the musicals and drama productions that are performed live in this massive theatre. These productions are so engrossing that the imaginative minds among the audience fuse seamlessly with the characters and by the time the show ends, you realise that you have already fallen in love with one or two of them. The musicals absorb, enthrall and soak you in their extravaganza.
Be it a child or an adult, everyone is bound to have their eyes twinkling with joy as they visit this dream-like kingdom. Kingdom of Dreams truly lives up to its name.
Writer : Umika Sharma
Grade : 10 (Year 2022)
Place : Gurugram, India
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