Five reasons you must avoid Cyber Hub to save yourself from heartburns

Way back in 2016 someone mentioned Cyber Hub for the first time exalting how European it is. Neatly laid out eateries, shops with beautiful decor and paved pathways and all that making the impression of being the dream place for hanging out. Not wasting any more time, I straightway drove the wife and kids that very weekend and boy it turned out to be a total disaster. Long parking queue, jam packed and crowded place, no place to stand or sit, too much of noise and crowd packed in a small space.

Tragically between 2016 to 2023. I was forced to make multiple trips to that location and each time was a torment worse than earlier. Cyber Hub has always been a headache for me while people around me sing carols on it. Here is my take on this charade. People get bored some time or the other. Techies get bored everyday. Such destinations are tailormade for this specific kind. So here are the five top reasons why I would prefer to avoid Cyber Hub.

DSLR Photography not allowed

This was a pretty surprise. If this place is so photogenic, they why ban photography. With the professional photographers it is easy because they take permission to conduct photoshoots. But what about ordinary bloggers and street photographers. We land up with a tiny backpack and an even tinier camera like the Fujifilm X S-20 (my fav rig these days) and all of a sudden at the security, they are told that DSLR or mirrorless cameras are not allowed. There is no locker room to keep this stuff. So all of a sudden you are stranded. Security check is 50-50 so sometimes, they allow the DSLR to enter inside, but the watchful guards stop you the movement they see you clicking. Mobile photography is allowed, the management knows they cannot stop it. But why be discriminatory with the mirrorless tribe.

I remember in 2015 I asked permission from a temple priest to click pics of the temple and one devotee protested that photography is not allowed. That is how as a photographer I was welcomed in Delhi. Today who is going to stop the scores of youngsters with their selfies. I wish I come across the same devotee now, will give him my piece of mind.

Endless waiting time

Mornings in Cyber Hub are quiet and lazy, but within a couple of hours, there is a steady inflow of patrons. By about 4 pm the parking queue gets longer, seating in many restaurants is filled to capacity. In evening everything is jam packed. So now there will be a waiting for parking, waiting for a seat, waiting for billing, waiting for security check and so on. But why this happens is equally interesting.

All the restaurants and cafe in cyber hub are accommodated in the tiniest of spaces. With limited seating, it is but natural that any restaurant will get filled up in no time. This is basically an artificially introduced crowd waiting. Cyber Hub itself is very small with hardly any open spaces and the walking plaza itself is small. So even with 200 people entering, this place gets jam packed.

Of course, for many page 3 wannabes, crowd has a different meaning altogether. So for these people waiting in a queue is actually therapeutic.

As cold as Jadis, the White Witch of Narnia

Krishna Sweets is a quaint sweet shop in Model Town dwarfed by the glitz of brand stores crowded on the main street. They have a tiny menu which is freshly done daily. Even though the shop exteriors are not swanky, they have a loyal fan following. Food is tasty and is prepared and served with love. Talking about outlets like Milko Sweets at Gopinath Bazar at Delhi Cantt or Ashok Meat Wala at Gujranwala Town, these slowly disappearing restaurants are being replaced by the factory made food outlets which we find in malls and supermarkets. Shinning lights with bland food served with an ice cold stare which reminds me of Jadis, the ice cold witch.

Affordable menu

Techies work hard most of the time. They also get commensurate salaries. No one is really privy to what they do inside their corporate offices once they enter those revolving doors. The companies which hire these techies also have no way to advertise their might. So the best compromise in such a situation is that one location in town where the techies can let their hair down and show off their warez.

That means, there is this location in town where techies visit to spend their money. This necessarily means just one location or two in the whole town. Try to find any techie group at Rajasthali Restaurant at CP or at Sita Ram Diwan Chand at Paharganj. Or go and visit Bala Meat Wala at Mayapuri during the lunch hours on any week day. Chances are you might not find a place to stand but you will definitely never find a techie there.

So why are the techies found at certain places in town only. That is because the menu at these places is affordable. Thankfully 7 years of wisdom has taught me one mantra. Stay away from places where techies frequent. And I am happy with my Rupees 200 kheema meat. Expensive but tasty.

A sanitized ghetto exclusive and upmarket

There is a section of population which needs segregation as a means to depict exclusivity. They are ready to pay the premium for services. There is a demand in the market but does everyone fit in such an arrangement. What is the cost of fitting in and who bears it? If there is a requirement of upscaling your appearance, will that come at a cost and how many days are you going to sustain it.

In the quest for appearing at the right places we forget the basic rule that everything is measured in terms of cost of money and time. Places like Cyber Hub are meant to forget these calculations and resolutions. They are supposed to break your back on the way to the bank.

Photography only allowed on mobile phone. What a joke? Reminds one of the License Raj.