This bestselling author has messages for Noida Authority

Have you heard of Vineet Bajpai? If you haven't, you are missing out on good news. This Eldeco Utopia (Noida) resident, all of 39, has taken on bigwig authors like Amish Tripathi and Dan Brown and beating them hollow in their own game. His debut novel, Harappa: Curse of the Blood River, a contemporary thriller with a mythical backdrop, released just 50 days ago has shot upto No 1 position in Amazon Bestseller List. A serial entrepreneur, with three business/management books that have sold over 1,00,000 copies under his belt, Bajpai has been featured and interviewed all across India in mainstream media. "Harappa knits 3,700 years, powerful ancient and modern-day characters, and a nail-biting conspiracy - all in one literary thriller," writes Times of India.

Yes, he has been living in Noida for about 13 years now, ever since he shifted out of his rented GK house in Delhi. That was when as a 26 year old he bought his first house in Sector 41 where his daughter was born. But then as his career and family grew, so  was his need for space.
 

Promotional video of Vineet Bajpai's debut novel

"I went for dinner at a friend's house in Eldeco Utopia and was impressed by this beautiful gated complex and that was when I decided to move in here," says the author. In fact, he loved it so much that he even bought another house right in front of his so that his parents can move in here too. "That way we enjoy our privacy and invite our friends for drinks without disturbing my parents," he says, as he goes on a book signing spree across bookstores like Om Books and Crosswords in Noida malls like Great India Palace and Mall of India.
 

Sri Sri Ravishankar released his book in Bangalore

Released by Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in Bangalore, Bajpai, of course, thanks Noida for providing him the space and the environment to write his book.

"I would like to congratulate the city planners for building such a great city with well planned infrastructure," he says. In the same breath he compares Gurgaon with Noida. "Gurgaon is a monster with no vision. In Noida buildings don't come up just like that in the middle of nowhere as it happens in Gurgaon. Everything in the millennium city is random and ad hoc," he adds.

What about South Delhi? Isn't it a better place to be? "South Delhi has changed so much for the worse. There was a time it was such a beautiful place but now with four floors being built where there was only one, it has become congested. It's glory has faded," he says.
 

There goes our author's book right up on Amazon

It's not a question of affordability anymore. Earlier people moved to Noida because real estate prices were less in Noida, but now a Noida house can be as costly or costlier than one in South Delhi. So whoever is moving in here is moving by choice, for the space they get, for the amenities they enjoy.

His own apartment complex has three swimming pools, tennis courts and more importantly safe for children with three tired security. Besides, there are as many as 10 schools in the vicinity such as Step by Step, Shiv Nadar, Lotus Valley, Presidium and Mother's Pride. The corporate presence is also sizeable what with offices of KPMG, MetLife, Accenture, and all. "Noida will outperform Gurgaon soon with its better connectivity to Delhi and other places," he says.
 

And this is what media has been saying...

Yes, there are downsides too and that's his second message to Noida Authority.

Having made such an excellent city, why don't you do enough to maintain law and order, he asks. The moment one steps out of their apartment complexes, one doesn't feel safe. The entire region is rife with stories of carjacking and chain snatching and such other crimes. "We need better policing, more beat constables," he says.

An oh yes, Noida can do with some buzz which Gurgaon has in ample. "There are no night life and very few entertainment options. Noida needs to be as youthful as Gurgaon," says the author who has been flying in and out of the city to promote his book.

And that brings him to the next message: "Come on, build an airport here real quick," says Bajpai, who simply cannot be wasting his time commuting all the way to the airport. After all his readers are waiting with bated breath for the sequel to Harappa where as a fan puts it, "You have left me on a cliff hanger!"

Yes, he needs to finish the sequel titled Pralay.