India, May 26 -- Many years ago, as a child, I lived in Bhopal. I was studying at Scindia School, Gwalior, but used to visit Bhopal during the holidays since my father was posted there by the state government. Our house overlooked Bhopal's famous lake, Bada Talab. The only bungalow opposite our house was that of the then Inspector-General (IG) of police.

The lake is vast, the beautiful centre-piece of the city surrounding it. In fact, there is a popular saying: "Garh hai to Chittorgarh, taal hai tau Bhopal" (If there is a real fort, it is Chittorgarh, and if there is a lake of lakes it is that of Bhopal). Decades later, when I visited Bhopal again, I found a vast degree of change. The city had grown so much that I located my father's hou...