A place to Love... A place to Hate... A place like nowhere else - DELHI - Ramblings of an itinerant vagabond...

LOVE ----

1. The 'Old'

If you have wandered around the crowded lanes of Old Delhi, spent an evening unwinding in the Qutb complex in Mehrauli, ejoyed the splendour of Humayun's tomb or walked along the paths in Safdarjung's, explored the ruins at Tughlaqabad or Aminabad, thought about the depth of his verse while standing next to Rahim's tomb in the Khan-I-Khanam's, spent the evening listening to Sufi music in Nizammuddin, or strolled along the expanses of the Hauj Khas complex in the evening, or steeped in the light-and-sound show in the Purana Killa complex - I will not have to explain to you why I have put this as the first and foremost reason to love Delhi. Folks like me just cannot have enough of the 'Old'... To me, this alone makes me forget all the other things that Delhi may be loved or hated for...

2. The 'Food'

I was thinking of putting this on top of the list - but did not want to come across as a glutton... The food scene in Delhi is absolutely amazing - the Mughlai and the Punjabi stand out clearly, but there are numerous other cuisines which differentiate as well - try the Karim's in Old Delhi, the Punjabi by Nature, the Bukhara... and you will know why. I always say that even the average Mughlai or Punjabi food here is miles ahead of anywhere else, and the other cuisines easily measure to what you get elsewhere. The Mediterranean scene is fast picking up, though we do have some catching up to do on the Japanese side...

3. The 'Infrastructure and Reach'

The roads, the Airport, the flyovers compare to the best anywhere else - and is definitely unique and the foremost in India. Delhi is connected (mostly through direct flights) to all over India, possibly the busiest Airport in the country... the traffic during the rush hours is frustrating, but after my experience in Bangalore or Calcutta - I am not complaining. The mountains are not too far off - half a day ride towards the North, the deserts to the South and West, the forts of Jhansi and Gwalior beckoning to the East... what more could you wish for? The swanky malls all over the city - the DLF, the Ambience, the Select City... all stand out - and are amongst the finest in the World.. and certainly the best in India.

4. The 'Green'

When we moved here to stay - I was amazed at the amount of green in Delhi. There are vast stretches of parks in Delhi which abound in trees and greenery. This is true across the city. The vast stretches of green in the city - the Lodhi Garden, the Deer Park, the Mehrauli complex, The Garden of Five Senses.... I could go on and on. Also, most of the avenues in Delhi are tree lined, there is a healthy absence of high rises in most areas making it possibly the greenest Metro in India.

5. The 'Clean'

I know that many of you will not agree. However, if you leave out some of the unplanned colonies, and a few of the pockets that have largely skipped the 'clean' drive in the city - you will largely encounter a city which is clean. I have lived in Bombay and in Calcutta, and have visited the other Indian Metros numerous times - and I will vouch for Delhi being the cleanest Metro in India.

HATE ---

1. The 'Meethi Chhuri' (literally 'Sweet Knife')

I hate to say this - but I have become a less 'nice' person after moving here. It is impossible to keep your faith in humanity if you have spent some days here. People rarely say what they mean, and rarely mean what they say - this pervades across all layers of the society starting from the top and working its way relentlessly all the way down.

If someone says 'Pakka' (English translation - 'absolutely'), you can rest assured that it will not be done. You have to shout, swear, and coax your way through life in this Metro... this can be frustrating for people who have not been born here -  Add 'Jugaad' (English - Nepotism) to this heady mix, and you will sometimes wish that you never landed here.

2. The 'Safety' (or rather, the lack of it!)

I do not want to beat this topic to death. Delhi has a teeming crime scene, and has a violent underbelly. Much has been said about the record Delhi has on Crime against women, add the numerous cases of car jacking, mugging, and theft - combine it with the prevailing atmosphere of corruption - and it paints a very sorry picture.

I was personally at the receiving end - when we returned from a weeklong vacation in the Maharastra coast to find our apartment in a high security complex ransacked and valuables missing... this happened inspite of having 3 levels of guards in the complex which is mostly occupied.

There are some places in the suburbs where entire ATMs are uprooted and stolen, it is very unusual to see women out in many places after dark, and the general response of the administration is apathy. If I move out of this city, it will be primarily because I never feel 100% safe in this place...

4. The 'Summer Heat'

The sweltering heat of the summer makes the Delhi summer the least desirable time to be here. The dry, unrelenting heat really gets to you. Every single day of the summer, I thank Carrier for his unique creation (I heard that he invented the first air conditioner) that helps us survive here... I can commiserate with Babur who complained about the heat and dust more than 500 years ago. If you have never stayed here a summer season, you cannot imagine how dry, hot, and dusty it can get. Honestly, for me, it just the memory of the last winter, and the promise of the next one which keeps me going.

4. The 'Winter Smog'

Winter is my favorite season here. It is nice, clean and crisp - and memories of the sweltering heat of the summer rapidly recede from your memory. Just when you think that things are getting really nice, the smog hits you. You can hardly see a few yards in front of it, add that to the traffic and the ambition of every motorist to overtake everyone else, all airline schedule absolutely haywire, and you are in the midst of an extremely confusing and rather dangerous situation. You never know how long it will take you to get anywhere - getting out early in the morning and late in the night is a harrowing experience, which all of us go to great lengths to avoid, if possible.

Disclaimer: I initially started with the intent of picking up 5 things that I like about the city, and 5 that I hate - while I could think about a zillion things that I simply love about the city, I could not think of more than 4 that I hate. Also, I do want to say that the views are my own personal opinion - so if you are die-hard 'Delhiite' I do beg your forgiveness for offending you with the later part of my post; if you are a 'Delhi basher', I owe you no apologies for loving the city that has so much to offer. I have thought through it once again - and I reiterate that I love this city more than I hate it!

The people who believe in nothing... the India of today...

 

Chanakya once said "A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first". It is surprising that even 2500 years later, we still remember this and live and die by this maxim. Today, truly, we are a people who believe in nothing...

Here are some things to ponder on -

1. We join rallies and protests against corruption and bring a whole city to a standstill, but think nothing of bribing to hasten or enable a simple process - like getting a license, avoiding a ticket, etc. There is an interesting report that I was browing through... Have a look... http://trak.in/tags/business/2009/06/30/india-corruption-bribery-report/
2. We go to candle lit vigil in honor of a young rape victim in the capital - and then think nothing of teasing and heckling women on our way back
3. We debate on the politicization of religion, caste, and community - but make sure that we vote along the same lines
4. We complain about the un-neighbourly acts of our neighbour in the West, while we happily beat up monks from our Southern neighbour - and gang up against them for things that we proudly justify doing ourselves
5. We worship Women dieties in all forms, but have very little respect for women in our daily lives
6. We profess that 'Guests are Gods'... while taking any opportunity to rob, rape and cheat every foreigner who hits our shores
7. We claim a rich heritage of tolerance, yet ban people from saying what they feel, or exhibiting anything that any group, community, religion, or sect, has any kind of objection to
8. We go on and on about equality, while we have devised all different kinds of rules and regulations for each denomination of society based on caste, creed, and religion... so, what is OK for one citizen, is not for another...

I could go on and on... but the sad reality today is that we, as a people, have imbibed Chanakya's teachings to such an extent today that there is nothing that we stand for, other than the 'art of the possible'...

When I was growing up, still fired up with the ideals that seemed so real, as yet untarnished by the ironies of life, I thought that a person always stands for something - atleast most people do. I may not agree to what he stands for, may not believe in the same things, but we could still respect each others views and still co-exist.

It was much later... that I came to the conclusion that the reality is very different. Most of us, in India, actually believe in nothing and do not stand for anything at all.

I think that it is precisely in this kind of environment that creativity suffers, corruption thrives, and our lives, as a whole, become less enjoyable...

If we really are to create an 'Incredible India', or 'Shining India' (terms not mine!), we have to take a step back and decide what we really stand for, believe in, and are willing to die for... Otherwise, we will continue to be a poor caricature of the West, and a bleak shadow of what we once were...

JAI HIND!

Reliving the past.... a few days in Calcutta...

Though I keep visiting the city for work, I visited my home city (Calcutta) for a vacation after a long time with my family (sadly Princess Aurora, my Rottie was in a pet hostel for the period) - and the overwhelming feeling that I had during this period was one of sadness... I am not sure if the feeling was one of regret, possibly not - but definitely a profound sadness for all those moments which are gone, never to return. Here are some of the thoughts that filled my senses during this week...

The moments with my father... talking, walking, or just in silence during the long period of his illness. His calling out to me, when he could not walk any more. His waiting up for me and restlessly walking up and down the street in front of our house when I was back late from college. His silent pride when I scored high in the JEE; his disappointment when he realized that I did not inherit the religious bent of the family, did not bother about rituals, and stayed away from temples... his apprehension that I would never fulfill my religious duties as a son after he passed away...

Rushing out in the early evening to play in the fields (at that time Calcutta still had some open spaces left) - usually Soccer (which I was not good at), and sometimes Cricket (in which I could manage).  Trying to dodge my tutor who invariably chose that time to make an appearance and sometimes succeeding in stopping me and diverting my attention to Maths, Physics or Chemistry... Sometimes going for long walks with my friend Babu, or playing cricket in the gully with a set of kids in the locality...

The hectic days of the Durga Puja when the entire family got together to celebrate - particularly the time when we stayed in Bhubneshwar and came to Calcutta once a year duirng this time. Going with my kaka (uncle) to the Bazaar to get fish and vegetables, stopping by on the shop in Fern Road for some sweets for the offerings in the Pandal, diving into my Boropishi's (aunt) bag to see what goodies she had for us, eating our dinner standing up on the Verendah windows to watch the immersion procession on Dashami. The fading impression of my Granddad in the Puja room, my Chhotokaka (youngest uncle) who was specially fond of Comic books and died young at the age of 32...

Walking on the roads during the Kal Baisakhi - the seasonal storm which used to hit us in the month of April with unusual ferocity, specially in the evenings - alone... daring the storms to do its worst... revelling at the sudden flashes of lighting that lit up the entire locality once the electricity went out in the first few moments... returning home drenched to the usual admonishments of my irate Mother, who never tired of telling us to stay indoors during this time...

The first stirrings of adolescent emotions... initally tentative... sometimes powerful...The silent pinings of first love(s) (or infatuations)... Waiting through the day for a few moments with the object of your frustration or desire, the usual poetry so typical of the lovelorn Bengali teenager.... the awkward struggle that is so much a part of your growing up years... mixed up feelings that leave you befuddled and grappling for a way out of confusion...

The pure unadulterated joy of achieving anything, however small, in life, the first few seeds of confidence in yourself that so typically grows in you as you grow up... as you become YOU...

Calcutta means all that to me.... and more.... a place which is the sacred treasure house of innumerable feelings that I have felt, thoughts that I have thought, and ideas that I have accumulated. I still love the City - but it is a different kind of love - not the tempestuous first love of an adolescent, nor the passionate love of a young adult... it has somehow matured into more of a long loved companion who is always there for you when you choose the return... always holding you in her embrace, and never demanding anything in return...