The world of Saawariya, architecturally speaking, is the misbegotten offspring of a one-night stand between the Gothic and Saracenic styles, when both were vacationing in Venice. Thus, you have winding canals on which ply -- at times with no visible means of propulsion -- sawn-off versions of Venetian gondolas.
Lining the canals in neat arrays are homes largely Gothic in shape, with the odd cupola, minaret and such betraying the Saracenic side of its parentage. The polyglot nature of this world is underlined by the neon-lit names adorning the structures: Khaikhomer, Windermere, Capitol, Gulgulshan...
It is a well-lit world, with antique street lamps and blazing neon and, despite the incessant rain that pours down at the drop of a clapper-board, bright fires burning in huge barrels at street corners; these have been strategically placed by the far-sighted municipal corporation just in case anyone has any letters to burn.
The latest census indicates that over 50 per cent of the population is prostitutes. There are a few yuppie BPO types who can be found in the town's sole nightclub; a smattering of elderly ladies who are someone's grandmother; and a man who scares the crap out of girls by stalking them down dark alleys or popping out of nowhere to sneeze in their faces. Prostitutes, however, far outnumber these other categories.
Also read: US reaction: 'They should have called it Sa-bore-iya'
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