Wednesday 2 December 2015

Delhi oh Delhi ! #madeofgreat





My city of choice is my beloved Delhi, falling under North Zone. Let me think now, how many cities have I seen in my long life of over 50 years? I belong to Delhi, but the cities I have lived in are Mumbai,  Bangalore, Pune, Geneva, Paris, London, Berne, Zurich, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, Panjim, Ahmadabad, Jamnagar, Chandigarh, Shimla, Mussoorie, Mandi, Manali, Nainital, Cochin, Tiruvananthapuram, Wellington, Ooty,  Conoor. Kodaikanal, Madurai, Chennai, Kolkata, Allahabad, Nasik, Belgaum. Each is unique, but for me, Delhi is the best in terms of all three-Drive Design and Connect. It truly is “made of great “as epitomized by http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/

You may taste the most fabulous cuisines of the world but the ultimate comfort you get from the home-cooked food you have grown up with, cannot be replicated. So is the case with the city you have been born and brought up in. It may not seem great to many, but those who have grown up in it tend to automatically wear rose-tinted glasses when comparing it with any other city.

Over the years, I have witnessed Delhi becoming the melting pot of the country-pulsating with drive; it attracts people from all over, beckoning them to become a part of its throbbing growth. So we have migrants from Bihar, from Kolkata, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Karnataka who have made Delhi their home and added their vibrancy to the city’s rich tapestry-it is no longer peopled by the rich “haveliwalas” with their leisured lifestyles but with upwardly aspiring youth from all corners of the country, bent upon achieving what they have set out to: maybe higher studies at Delhi University or JNU or a job at an MNC or call center, or the eagerness to learn English and get that passport to the life they want. Kudos to their drive to overcome all   barriers in the way of their progress.

Delhi is also the place where many thousands relocated, leaving all that they had, behind in Pakistan in the aftermath one of the bloodiest partitions in human history. They came penniless but with sheer dint of hard work, set up successful business empires. The drive to succeed in the face of all adversity and ability of overcoming all odds has been the leitmotif of this city from ancient times- it has always had to fight for survival and emerged a winner against numerous invasions right from the days of the Mahabharata.   

 Which other city can surpass the regal splendor of Rashtrapati Bhavnan, Rajpath and Lyuten’s Delhi? The magnificence of Shanti Path where the High Commissions of all countries are located, would be the envy of any city. No shopping mall can stand competition to the majesty of Connaught Place. Delhi’s design is unique to itself-the aristocratic posh colonies like Golf Links and Nizamuddin rubbing shoulders with the stacks upon stacks of similar-looking Government houses, the identical DDA housing blocks  and the region- specific colonies like Chittaranjan Park(for Bengalis), R. K. Puram teeming with Tamilians! The chance to taste authentic dishes from the four corners of the country is thanks to these colonies-sandesh, shighara and Macher Jhol from Bengal and Littie Chokha fron Bihar, Wazwan of Kashmir, Bisi bele bhaat from Karnataka, all are available in Delhi.

Worth mentioning are also the study-specific student villages-Sarai Kale Khan for IITs, Ber Sarai for IAS aspirants, Rajendra Nagaer for CAs and so on- the design of the city formulates on its own, according to the existing requirement, resulting in a win-win situation for all. Reams can be written about the magnificent historical monuments dotting Delhi from the Red Fort to the Purana Quila, from the Qutub Minar to the Bahai Temple.

The beautiful Design of Delhi can also be seen distinctly in each season not only in the changing colour of the foliage of trees and bushes, the birdsong but even in the wares of the roadside vendors-. The heaps of ripe emerald-green watermelons (with their lovely red slices displayed to literally quench the thirsty eyes of the summer-worn citizens) augur the harsh summer months. You can also see cartloads of cool cucumbers. The roasting corncobs on coal herald the onset of monsoons after a parched hot summer and onset of winters is proclaimed by the mounds of water chestnuts and roasted peanuts, popcorn and gajak.  

All other cities in India envy the connectivity of Delhi being easily accessed by air, train, and bus. This is the reason why conferences and exhibitions from all over the world are held regularly in Delhi. With the coming of the Metro-no place is too far now. Even the well-heeled ditch their cars in favour of the metro when it involves long-distance travelling to crowded places. So connectivity whether intra-city, inter-city or internationally, is just superb. The impressive flyovers bypassing the crowded localities of the city have also contributed to cutting down travel time. There are glitches in some places but with time, these too shall be ironed out.

The physical connectivity apart, a lot can be said about people’s connectivity- you can’t come across a real Delhiwala without them wanting to know each detail of your life, your social standing (as evident from your residential address), your family, et all-very different from Mumbai’s professional types where everyone minds their own business.

So Delhi stands top in all three parameters- drive, design and connect!

 

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