Capital Fury!

Among other changes in Delhi, I can see a new trend in the rage levels of the city. Consider the following cases:


1. A man after refusing to pay seventeen bucks for toll, shot the toll worker even after the boy let him go without paying.

2. A man, after refusing to pay for a glass of juice, went home, returned with a kitchen knife and stabbed the juice vendor to death.

3. When an auto wala grazed a car, the driver and his companions bashed the auto wala’s head with a brick till he was dead.

4. A father and son beat a guy to death with hockey sticks and cricket bats for asking to park his auto near their house.

There was a time when I used to relish a quarrel in Delhi. Hindi is not my mother tongue, and it was fascinating to see the innovative use of the language when tempers were flared. Among a few dialogues, that I can quote safely here are:

“Tere baap ki shadi hai kya wahan, jo ball laane me itni der kar raha hai?”

“Ye kooda tumhara daddy aa ke saaf karega?”

An entire crowd would gather and a few people would butt in, in a bid to pacify the parties. Soon, the quarrel would break up and an entire week would be dedicated to the incident in excited whispers. And for years to come, these quarrels would bring a smile or arouse laughter.

Now, people move away from a quarrel with dread written all over their faces. You never know who might snap and just kill you in sheer rage. Nosey neighbours will not pry in to pacify. The parties might turn on the friendly pacifier. What bewildering phenomenon is happening here? A rage so blinding, a passion so consuming that all past and future seems to obliterate from the person’s mind. He seems only aware of an urgency to be rid of the disturbing element. And the rage lasts for long periods of time too. Any concern for consequences seems to be absent too.

Well, whatever the phenomenon, whatever the psychology behind it, what I have learnt this time in Delhi is that we have to learn to keep quiet. Another car grazes your car, don’t react. A person barges into a line, don’t speak up. A person steps on your feet, smile. It can get more ridiculous if I continue. I know its against the spirit of Delhi, but its definitely my new mantra in this newer New Delhi.

From DTC to Metro

Delhi once gave me shapely arms. At least twice a day, I was assured of an intensive session of physical exercise, equivalent to any modern gym equipped with sophisticated technology. I, as well as my fellow female colleagues, could boast of a 26 inch waist. And that too without a diet, in fact we used to hog like wolves all day. All courtesy, DTC buses. A ride in a DTC bus of those days was quite an educational tour. On a busy route, a DTC bus was a colossal cuboid of humans rolling across the streets. Those lucky enough to have a foot-hold clung to their good fortune. People from all walks of life were forced to forget their differences as they shared space aboard these indifferent machines. Labourer, teacher, housewife, student – all were equal. Summers were even more humbling.


This time the capital welcomed me with the Metro. The Metro is like the latest hottie in college. Everybody is talking about it. Everybody wants to be seen in it. Not one day goes by without me hearing an incident that happened on the Metro. I myself travelled it for most of my interviews. You can do a complete behaviour analysis of the current Delhiite while sitting on those seats.

First of all Metro stations are so secure that you can stand proud while you wait for it. Unlike when you wait for a DTC, you don’t have to rivet your eyes around for suspicious characters. And even if you do spot someone creepy, you know that help isn’t at all far. Moreover, you know the exact amount of time you have to wait, which will be max eight minutes. Unlike DTCs you aren’t going to be spending an easy half hour stagnating under the sun.

All the technology does usher in some snobbery. Swanky swinging automatic doors, tokens and smart cards, stations built like international airports; that’s a lot to brag about. People are generally seen staring into the distance with an air of superiority, mostly with a pair of headphones glued to their ears. They seem unruffled by the multitude of people milling around. For even in the new fangled Metro, there is rush. Sometimes, I wonder how the doors are able to close. I guess you can’t win everywhere.

Women Interrupted!

My first morning in Delhi, I opened the newspaper gratefully. Grateful because its been a year since I read an Indian English daily. And what I read shivered me timbers. A 29 year old married woman was dragged out of her taxi and gang raped the whole night. The woman was a bar tender in a Gurgaon pub. I have known a conservative Delhi, but the new generation has taken over. Aunties no longer flap their tongues when a girl and a boy chat in their ‘mohalla.’ Girls are no longer confined to salvar kameezes and loose T-shirts. Its nice and relieving to see that. But if this city was ever unsafe for women, now its even worse. And there is no relief in sight.If you look at the rape pattern in the city, you can conclude that we don’t have any serial rapists. These are apparently normal people, who belong to normal families. The only thing that sticks out is that they seem to have no fear – of the law, or it’s enforcers. Not that these people belong to a powerful mafia group or the underworld. So where does this absence of fear come from? Is it money? If you have an answer, please let me know. Maybe I’ll feel better.

Delhi is a vast city and full of opportunities. There are hundreds of smart and exciting jobs and careers for women, but can a woman dare take such a job, or choose such a career? Those who have taken these jobs and chosen to be wild and versatile, are they courageous given the level of dangers, or just lucky so far? The sad fact is, women of Delhi, who are smart, opinionated, bold, cannot safely work in urban places like a bar or a pub, a disc. So should they just tame themselves and do jobs that are safe like teaching, accounts and day shifts? How do you fulfill your dreams in such a place? And I wonder: was it wise for me to come back here to restart my career?

Back in Teekhi Delhi!

My sincerest apologies for the sudden absence. Being a human being, sometimes the world around me demands and I simply have to supply. Without any more fanfare, let me tell you that I am now in Delhi. Delhiites and people who have been to Delhi would know that this is not a city one takes lightly. Millions of people have tried their luck here for hundreds of years. It’s the perfect place for a reality check. The crowd here is rough, rude and ever increasing. Itcan trample on your dreams quite painfully.But, after a month of being shoved and pulled around, you realize that it doesn’t matter anymore. And suddenly, you are one of the mob, standing and watching a nervous newbie complain about the crowd. And you don’t have the time to console this person.

And soon, you get a new feeling. Like nothing can stop you from reaching what you want. Whether, its the soaring temperatures in summer or the biting chills of Delhi winter, you find that you are still delivering, still functioning, still very much enjoying too.

I almost grew up in Delhi. Did my college from DU. I am back after six years. Some of the gigantic changes that I am witnessing shock me, others surprise me pleasantly, and still others leave me nostalgic. How did I live without bhalla papdi, bhel puri, gol gappa, I wonder? How did I shop when it wasn’t Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh or Janpath, I ponder? But I am back, and am enjoying every taste, khatti, meethi and lots of teekhi!

Kismat ko aazmaane

Tere dar pe aaye hai hum

Gar Dilli dilwalon ki hai

To sapne dekhenge hum

Inhe na tod deejiye

Tere nakhre uthaenge hum