On 11 April 2024, the Eid-ul-Fitr day, I along with my colleagues Shubham Kashyap and Aena Rawal happened to be in Dhampur while we were doing field work for our study titled Forty Years’ Development Saga of Dhampur: Growth Dynamics and Regional Transformation of an Indian Small Town. Since it was a public holiday and we did not have any meetings lined up, we decided to go to see the famous Najibabad fort popularly known as Sultana Daku ka Qila located around 45 kilometers away. The city and its fort were built by Nawab Najib-ud-Daulah around 1755. The East India Company called it Sultana Daku ka Qila as the dreaded dacoit was suspected of hiding in the fort.

We were staying at the Eurasia Palace Hotel, the only fancy hotel in town, which also has two multi-cuisine restaurants. We came down around 11.00 am and were surprised to see the hotel lobby jam packed, mostly with groups of muslim young men, few women’s groups and families. All these people were waiting to get into the Ambrosia Restaurant that was already full. As we navigated our way out of the crowd, we encountered even a larger number of people in the front lawn, some just taking selfies and group picture while others waiting to go in for lunch when their turn came. We saw the hotel manager and security staff busy controlling the crowds of people entering the property. When we talked to the much-harassed manager, he said he was charging an entry fee of Rs 300 per person as the only way of controlling the number of people coming in the hotel that day.

After about an hour’s drive, we reached the Najibabad fort and that too was in a festive mood, with street sides full of parked cars and motor bikes, crowds of people milling around in new clothes out for a day’s picnic, and hordes of vendors who reached there to make a quick buck by selling fruit, snacks and beverages. We looked totally out of place in this largely muslim community of revelers. People openly asked us who we were and where did we come from. When I told them that I am writing a book on the urbanisation and industrialisation of Dhampur, they were very impressed and respectful. In response to my question: why have they come here on this festive day rather than sticking to the normal practice of first going to the mosque for morning prayers, then visiting family and friends and eating loads of festive home-cooked delicacies like kebabs, biryani and sewanyana. They said they have done all that and now they want to hang out with friends but there are not many places where they can go to, other than going to restaurants that can be pretty expensive.

On our way back to Dhampur, we stopped for lunch at an upmarket highway eatery called Tularams Grand Restaurant, which is also a sweet shop well known for its gulab jamuns and rasgullas. And that too was full to the brim while people outside waited for tables to become free. There were also a few groups of boys and girls in pretty clothes some as young as 10 – 15 years of age with money in their hands, just to get gulab jamuns or ice creams. While we waited for our turn to get in, I learnt that all these people came from the nearby villages for a special Eid a treat at this restaurant.

This is what I could make of it at the end of the day as to why so many people were out there looking for some fun on Eid day:

First, the proportion of Muslim population in Bijnor District is much higher at about 43% than the state average of about 20%. Hence, their presence in public domain is much more visible in sheer numbers.

Second, the Eidy (the cash gift given by the elders to the children) has increased phenomenally from what used to be 10-20 to 100-200 Rupees per child, and multiplying it with the number of elders in the family, it could add up to be a pretty sum of 500 to 1000 rupees per young person. This is a clear indicator of change in the economic status and enhanced availability of disposable income in most families, not only in the cities but also in the villages.

Third, going out to eat is a major life style transformation that is sweeping many parts of India. Dhampur town and District Bijnor are no exceptions. We often found groups of students, often celebrating someone’s birthday, at 3-4 fairly pricey restaurants of the town where we went for lunch. Many of these students also commute daily from the neighboring villages to study in the prestigious schools and colleges of Dhampur.

Fourth, there are hardly any public places where young people can hang around to have a good time. The only options are about half a dozen pizza and fast-food restaurants in town that survive on young clientele frequenting them. There are also several well-known street food stalls in Bhagat Singh Chowk in the center of the town. The only place where young people and families can go without paying is the Chhatrapati Shivaji Municipal Park with an open gym, also located in the crowded town centre near the railway station and bus terminal. The other nearby places they visit on Eid day are Water Parks in Nehtaur and on Noorpur Road, and Ramganga Barage near Kalagarh Dam.  But this is possible only for those people who have personal mode of transport like cars and motorbikes.

Fifth, the Eurasia hotel opened in 2021 is the new status symbol and the most attractive place to visit, both for the town people as well as for the residents of the nearby towns and villages, even if it is just to take pictures or to share a plate of noodles between four-five friends.

It is clear from the above observations that small aspirational towns like Dhampur must create clean and safe recreational public places to cater to the needs particularly of the youth. In larger cities, there are several such options like parks, playgrounds, restaurants, markets and malls. In smaller towns, there is not enough volume of business for building malls. There is also no open land available within the densely populated town for any such place making. But, a few parks and shopping arcades with restaurants could certainly be incorporated, especially in the new private residential developments taking place in the periphery all around the town.

Left: Young men in front of the Sultana Daku ka Qila at Najibabad on Eid day, picture by Pushpa Pathak
Right: Young boys at the Eurasia Palace Hotel on Eid day, picture by Shubham Kashyap