If they cannot have good drainage let them have Disneyland?
The news that there might be a Disneyland spread over 500 acres of Manesar in Gurugram near New Delhi has set social media afire in India. It's an excuse for AI-generated images of Disney castles and Mickey Mouse wandering through the office parks of Gurugram.
This is Sandip Roy in Kolkata.
GURUGRAM FLOODS
Many Gurugram residents reeling from recent floods and past dengue outbreaks have rolled their eyes at the idea.
Columnist Rajyasree Sen pointed at ‘Manesar Hill Site’ or 4,000 MT of untreated waste lying at the Sector 6 dumping site and wondered if instead of Disney’s famous Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Ride we would get the Big Trash Mountain Ride. And given Gurugram’s recent floods it seems more suited for Water World rather than Disney World anyway.
An AI reel went viral with the caption - “Disneyland in India? Chaos, paan stains, and Mickey throwing hands! Watch this wild ride!” A security guards chases a man running away with Minnie Mouse tucked under his arm. Entire families with stainless steel tiffin carriers sit down for banana leaf picnic lunches on a ride. A man in a lungi spits out a volley of red paan juice on a No Spitting sign.
Some would say these are unfair, just spoilsports who don’t understand the spirit of...
HAKUNA MATATA
But in truth, it’s a great idea. With the recent immigration crackdown US visas are getting harder to come by. How wonderful it would be if we could get our Disneyland selfies in India itself. This would be our version of if Mohammad cannot go to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammad.
Each Disneyland, whether in Paris or Shanghai, comes with some unique rides tailored to local sensitivities though the brand is unmistakably always Disney. Shanghai’s version of Sleeping Beauty’s castle shows Chinese influences. The Paris Disneyland avoids American flags. Maybe the Indian Disneyland can have Mickey Mouse doing yoga. But it’s a great lesson in the projection of soft power, something India is deeply interested in this days. Disney can offer a masterclass on how to export the idea of Americana but making it so feel-good it does not feel like cultural imperialism. This is Americana you are happy to take a selfie with.
Disney has not commented on whether this is really in the works and it’s not clear whether this is Disneyland or just a “Disney-like” theme park. That’s just a minor detail. I live in Kolkata where a theme park has economy-version replicas of the wonders of the world from the Coliseum to Christ the Redeemer. The city is dotted with replicas of London’s Big Ben.
No one can deny Disneyland’s timeless appeal. I thought myself too cool for it in the years I lived in California. When my parents visited from India they had two requests - McDonalds burgers (that had not arrived in India yet) and Disneyland. I finally succumbed and took them to Disneyland. They look so happy in the photographs.
ITS A SMALL WORLD
We all felt like children again, going on little boat rides for It’s A Small World and watching fireworks explode over the fairytale castle. Disney is in our DNA and there’s no getting away from it. Its appeal spans generations. It is in many ways the American Dream supersized, super sweet, candy-coloured and utterly unreal. Its motto “Happiest place on earth” is sheer PR triumph.
But in these troubled times even Disneyland in Anaheim, California has not been spared. US vice president J. D. Vance visited recently with his family. California governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X “Hope you enjoy your family time, @JDVance. The families you’re tearing apart certainly won’t.” Newsom was referring to aggressive immigration raids conducted by federal immigration agents especially in southern California. “35% of Anaheim’s residents are immigrants. Disneyland doesn’t run without them,” Newsom’s account reminded Vance. “Had a great time, thanks,” Vance retorted. Protesters gathered outside the entrance to the park. That didn’t stop the Vances from enjoying Tom Sawyer Island and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
Gurugram with its housing complexes with names like Palm Springs and Malibu Heights was always aspiring to project Americana in Haryana. Disneyland would feel right at home in it.
It seems entirely fitting that India too should claim Disneyland’s tagline Happiest Place on Earth. America, torn apart by culture wars and immigration raids, certainly doesn’t feel like it anymore.
This is Sandip Roy in Kolkata for KALW