Also, this altering cityscape is raising fear that our heritage and landmark buildings will have to give way to the new edifices. According to the Vasant Kunj protesters, the mall is being built in an area geologically considered part of the Ridge. Not only would it affect the environment, it would scar the sheer beauty of the area too. "I no more take that road for my morning walk. With construction going on in full swing, it is an ugly sight," complains Raj Ahuja, a resident.

"Malls represent a busy mechanical life. Maybe it's a requirement. But it changes the very outlook of the city. They are just similar looking block-type buildings with a floating population," says Bangalore chronicler Suresh Moona. Most of Bangalore's theatres have seen the axe in rapid succession -- Movieland, Plaza, Galaxy, Shanti, Nanda. Alankar and Lido were the first and the latest ones to have morphed into shopping hubs. "Theatres were centres of entertainment and the buildings were part of the character and culture of Bangalore," he points out. Moona, with likeminded citizens, has founded AARAAMBH (An Association for Reviving Awareness About Monuments of Bangalore Heritage) to campaign against it.

Safey concerns
Malls also raise safety issues. Two years ago, there was a stampede in an Ahmedabad Big Bazaar outlet. A six-year-old boy fell to death from the fourth floor of Garuda Mall in Bangalore. Whose negligence caused these incidents? The malls or those who visited them? Garudachar of Garuda Mall says it has got done a third party safety audit and the report will be made public soon. But he admits, "There is still a huge amount of fear among the visitors. Women in saris hold it up thinking it will get stuck in escalators. Now we have guards at each of the escalators to help people get used to them."

Among many such queries bobbing in the mind, there is also this: Can the experience of shopping at an air-cooled mall match that of satisfying everyday needs at a noisy, crowded bazaar? "They can't provide community exchange and camaraderie. The bargaining, pushing, the hawkers' calls to catch your attention... can big bucks offer that colour?" asks Jayraj.

Varkha Chulani, Clinical psychologist, Lilavati Hopsital, Mumbai, looks at the psychological effect of mall culture on consumers. "It is picking up because of a lot of superficial consumption to fill a void due to reasons like lack of self worth, the stress of keeping up with the Joneses or other emotional problems. Although it is a distraction of some sort from the hectic life, it gives rise to problems like shopaholism." Outdoor games, reading etc. are dwindling and "shopping has become the new leisure activity. This experience might give people pleasure but there is a difference between pleasure and happiness."

If experts like Chugani point at the flip side of the fast-growing consumerist culture, there are the likes of Sharda Dwivedi, the writer of Bombay: The Cities Within, who feel a heavy price would be paid for going the American way. "A lot of people are shopping with their plastic cards as we have joined the consumerist cult. With our middle class going the American way and succumbing to temptation, it is a big fear that the Indian middle class does not end in huge debt," she states.

Malls, often considered a hang-out for the young and the happening, seem to attract certain types of people. Like youngster Sumathi from Chennai, who says, "It is a great place to wait till the movie starts. We come for the atmosphere." Shopping? "Only through the window." Then there are those who seem to have graduated from this experience. "My friends and I used to hang out in malls when we were in high school. Now we prefer pubs and discos," declares the one-year-into-college Anjali S. from Bangalore.

Delhi boy Pradeep Banerjee says malls have never attracted him as they are too big. "I get tired there very fast." "Even the prices of movie tickets are far higher than others. For me, it is only Shakuntalam at Pragati Maidan," says Richa Bansal, a student of a Delhi University college.

Middle-class shoppers like Jayraj corroborate the feeling: "A large portion of consumers whose routine shopping does not go beyond light bulbs won't go to these malls."

So finally, can these two worlds meet, rather co-exist? Yes, feel some. "Malls won't compete with what's outside, they will complement them. Malls are only for the upmarket shoppers," says Jayraj. Madhu Kishwar of Manushi, Delhi, can't agree more. "It should not be malls or otherwise. There should be choices. Take those farmers of Hoshiarpur (Punjab). They are so happy to supply tomatoes and potatoes to an MNC making ketchup and chips simply because they are getting a good price for their produce." She argues, "It is easy to take a high moral ground but is it not right to let farmers decide what they want to do with their produce? If such a meeting ground happens, what's wrong in it?" Yes, if the poor benefits, what's wrong with it?

Eye-openers
 Despite tall claims about security, several incidents and statistics show that all is not well with the malls. On January 15, 2008, a 26-year-old supervisor was stabbed to death by a former employee of Magnet Mall in Mumbai's Matunga area. Investigations revealed Kuldeep Yadav used to work as a sweeper in the mall. The murder took place in the vegetable section of the mall and was allegedly witnessed by at least half a dozen people. Police officials investigating the case reportedly said that after Yadav quit, his monthly salary was not cleared by Vijay Karande, who was the supervisor of all the sweepers.

On July 2, 2007, Ahan, a six-year-old boy died after falling from the fourth floor of the Garuda Mall in Bangalore, raising safety concerns about the mall. CCTV images showed that he slipped between the steel railings on the fourth floor and the escalator to the fifth floor.

On September 9, 2007, a 26-year-old man died after falling off the sixth floor of Centrestage Mall, Noida. The floor houses one of the biggest discotheques in India and the man was found in an inebriated state.

Described as "India's truly international city" by Haryana Urban Development Authority, Gurgaon has on an average 10 thefts and five robberies a day.