Meri Dilli..! and that too Dil Se..!

-

We are in the final lap of bringing down the curtains on year 2011. Significantly the year also marks the completion of 100 years of DELHI as the CAPITAL of modern INDIA . This city also happens to be my HOME for over 50 years now. The city has seen me growing up from being an "SCHOOL KID" to become an "OLD MONK". I have traversed the entire length & breadth of Yeh Mera India and still continue my hip hopping to all the metro cities . However I am always in a hurry to be back home to Meri Dilli. This city is my eternal love...

I have watched her transforming from being a big urban village to a chity chity bang bang metropolitan. This city has walked her way from being a citadel of political power to being a Jantar Mantar of Collision politics. From the fortress of Babudom to being kingdom of Corporate czars. From a city of monuments to a city of Millinium Malls and from being Maverick to coming into Mainstream

Way back in 60's & 70's "Dhaula Kuan" neither was a fear junction nor a stalkers heaven. Way back then Fiat Padmani, Bajaj scooters & Jawa bikes were a rage but there was nothing called road rage. People defenately were bullied on roads & streets but never "bullet ed" on the drop of a hat. Eve teasing was prevelent but it was never this stressful for the "EVE" to venture out after the dusk. The city was dusty but not as dirty & dreadful as today...

East Delhites were then ridiculed and sarcastically called Yamuna Par'. With passage of time much water has flown down the Yamuna and collected muck. Today East Delhi remains a source for raking the moolah for Land sharks, Builders and the Politicians ...

Delhi over the years have remained the home of urbanized middle class who loved their city as much as they loved their foggy winters and dusty summers. The summer's "Shikanji" and winter' s " Allolo Paratha" always gave them enough reasons to celeberate their everyday with laughter that was always dil se...

I don't know was it politics or demand of time that forced Delhi to be brewed into a toxicating concoction by annexing part of Haryana & UP into Delhi. If today this city is branded for being most infamous, ineffable, intimidating and intoxicatinglly brash & arrogant; it is Perhaps the price that this city is paying for being an NCR .

You know when you mix up "states" the city that emerge becomes a cocktail. The heady cocktail has drifted away Delhi from being a fun city to become a city that remains fatigued with Crime & Criminals , Pollution & Corruption. May be the famous phrase Dilli Dilwalon Ki is turning to be a proverbial myth..but that will not stop me from being in love with Meri Dilli..! and that too Dil..Se...!

Comments

HT said…
I don't think I have ever read a more perfect assessment and reading of the city. Only someone who has spent multiple decades in the city can read her so well.

Very well written, nothing half baked about the post or the city itself.
December 22, 2011 at 3:12 PM
KAYARBEE said…
Thank you Himanshu..
December 22, 2011 at 10:04 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bitten bit of my past !!

-
Image
    I was the youngest of the 4 siblings and the only son ,but that  never  made me precious and  pampered by the family. My father was in the army. We all  grew up in cantonment environment, hopping almost every 2 years  from one Cantonment to the other  Like from Allahabad’s Draupadi Ghat we came to Calcutta’s Fort William and  then to  Bangalore Cantonment  Bangalore was the only city where we  remained stationed for almost 5 years before getting  shifted to Delhi Cantonment in 1961, 4th of July to be precis It was the year 1959-60 and I was about 10 years old  studying in the 6th form in the Army’s  Regimental school . Around this time my  father decided to put me into “King George Military School” .This  was a ‘day’ Boarding School exclusively for Defence personnels . It is now called “Rashtriya Military School”. There was an aptitude test which I cleared but failed the written test. I was happy, a...
Read more

DE LHI Gasping!!

-
Image
Delhiites have turned   indifferent to the " Toxic Air" that they breath  They have stopped bothering about the "smoke screen " that is keeping away   "Sun light"  from giving them the ray of "HOPE"  to keep their lungs "Sun Shined" . Like "AGE"  for them now  even the  AQI (Air Quality Index) has become a sheer number .They have long since stopped reacting to the AQI  shooting up. They have lost their "JOSH"" to protest for their fundamental right to breath. Delhi is the very seat of the duly elected "POWER".  of  World's largest Democracy  The "custodian" of this Democracy reside here  at   "7 LOK KALYAN"  but remain hardly visible in and around the city This  "custodian"  continues to remain the very "Most"  'Frequent Flier' of our Democracy and  the only  'STAR '  campaigner for the political party that he comes from.    Getting re-elected...
Read more

The Blessed Curse "Nostalgic flashes" !

-
Image
   When you already  know a little about the  book it does create an  interest “Blessed Curse” was just that.  This book is about an  Indian middle class household  that is holding together three generations in generous harmony with all those ifs and buts about the generation gaps  The book undoubtedly is  an inspirational read  especially at a  time when the concept of   “nuclear households", remains a widely spread idea among the Millennials  It recalibrates your mind to question , debate ,accept and  celebrate every generation’s point of view  This book is the story of Jagdamba Prasad & his wife Pushpa Devi living with their son, daughter in law and grandchildren in one of the colonies of East Delhi’. The author in this book takes the reader through good, bad and ugly about each generation. The beauty is, it does not come as a bout of episodes but as “cosy chats” between the members of the family...
Read more