Much before Gurgaon became Gurugram, the first Gurugrammers arrived here, a clean, green place then, a short drive away from south Delhi. Some came from Delhi, some from far-off states. This was a growing tribe of professionals, moving to this Delhi suburb that was fast becoming a corporate hub and a melting pot of identities and culture. It would take a while before a new identity would get forged, a Gurugrammer identity that we see today. But what was it like in those early days? And who were the first Gurugrammers? In the thirteenth part of our weekly series, TOI turns the spotlight on the early settlersMemory tends to play tricks, and Kunwer Sachdev can't pinpoint exactly when he came to Gurgaon, but it would have been around 1994-95. A time when to one side of the highway that led to Jaipur, there was all industry. From the open if featureless expanses of Palam Vihar to the privilege of a view from a penthouse in The Magnolias, Sachdev has seen it all. More than 20 years on, Gurgaon may have grown way beyond its means ,but the man behind Su-Kam has no reasons to complain, and feels life has given him a fair go. "We had the best of times," reflects a contented Sachdev.Palam Vihar (welcome to Gurgaon)There was lots of space for big houses in Palam Vihar, and it was clean and green - all of which you could see sitting in front of your house. There was a big park, so lots of space and freedom for the kids to play. And because there was no traffic, they could cycle without worry.But to enter Palam Vihar was a challenge, since there was only one road, which ended outside the colony, after which there was a small lane which was so narrow that two cars couldn't move. Also, there was a village bang next door, which was always a nuisance.The first moveWhen I came to Greenwood City, in 1999, I was only the fourth citizen to move there, in a place that had 250 houses. There was a road to Greenwood, but beyond that was all villages. It felt good coming here - people in the old city considered this side as posh!Taking care of the basicsI remember only one market, which was in South City. And most of the roads were in bad shape. If we needed to get work done around the house, I would pick someone up from Delhi and then drop them off on NH-8 You struggled to find anything in Gurgaon, because there were hardly any markets - because there were so few customers. So we would bring stuff from Delhi, and living here we learnt to keep stuff in reserve - that was the whole point. Since I was commuting daily to Delhi (my office was in Nangal Raya), it wasn't so much of a problem. As for petrol, I would fill up the car in Delhi.A life without worriesFriends were reluctant to come. They'd say - 'Where are you staying, out in the jungle?' But once here, they'd enjoy themselves, and would stay overnight (as we did when we went to Delhi). Because there were open spaces and very little crime - and there was none of the construction dust you see today, or the pollution.Gimme shelterThere was no police station in Palam Vihar - the only one I remember in the city was in Sadar Bazar. We didn't know what crime was, where the police stations were. Earlier, there would be an SP, who would know everyone, whoever was in Gurgaon. But we never faced any safety issues.Sohna daysThe farmhouse on Sohna Road, which I got built in 2000, is still a great place today, despite the mess that is that road these days. We'd farm here in the winters, and we have helpers that keep the place well maintained.Lucky townGurgaon turned out lucky for me - I started rising when I came here! Initially, I took a factory on rent (in little-known DLF Phase-VI) which I then thought to buy since it was going cheap. And the inverter industry was growing, our brand was growing and we were expanding.The balance sheetWe would have aloo-puri at Om Sweets, in Sector 14, on Sundays. We've seen the true Gurgaon, and really enjoyed our experience here. And some parts of the city are very beautiful - especially if viewed from the top!

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