They see him more as an urbane, city-bred interloper, parachuting into the "other India", commiserating with the poor, and then returning to Delhi.

BBC: Waiting for Rahul Gandhi

About 80, 000 city-bred types made their way into the countryside last year, though one local official says they rarely put much investment into the land, treating it more as a hobby and their children rarely follow.

ECONOMIST: It's an old folks' home out there

Retiring to one of these communities (Sun City alone has bred a dozen places with the same name) has become almost a routine part of middle-class life.

ECONOMIST: The growth of private communities