The perception that every place in India is a farming community is simply not true. There are parts of India that are unbelievably modernized; with tall skyscrapers that may even surpass other countries.

The Imperial Towers are located in Mumbai, India. The Imperial Towers are twin towers that serve as residential apartments with sixty floors. Currently they are the tallest buildings in India. The initial stages of building the Imperial Towers were controversial. The land in which the Towers were to be built was originally land that belonged to the poor residents of that area. A stipend and a place to relocate were offered to the residents, of which some of the residents harshly objected to moving. Activists argued that “progress” shouldn’t have to be a detrimental loss for the poor and disenfranchised.

Planet Godrej is also located in Mumbai and stands 181 meters tall. It is a residential building with fifty one floors. The building was built by a Singaporean architectural firm, which also brought up the issue of why native Indian architects were not used to build Indian buildings. At the heart of these arguments is whether modernization and industrialization is benefiting the majority of Indians. It’s an issue that Indians continue to wrestle with as India becomes more modern. Even if you disagree with modernization, you have to admit that Planet Godrej is an architectural wonder.

Antilia is the home of India’s richest man Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani. It is twenty-seven floors high complete with elevators, a helicopter pad, swimming pools, spa room, theater and yoga center. No one really knows (except Ambani) how much the home costs, but it could be in the millions and perhaps billions. Again there was some controversy over the home, which is located in Mumbai. Parts of Mumbai are home to slums and some argued that the difference in the standard of living between the rich and poor was too great in India.