Sunday, November 28, 2010

The Promised Land

Dear Delhi,

I write this letter to you curled up in my 10 pound quilt on this wintery sunday morning where the classes have been called off because of the overbearing power of a mass bunk and as I have substantial amount of time left till I leave home for my Narnia movie I am going to pour my heart out to you.Hence, I request you to get some popcorn or paratha if you must and sit back and brace yourself for a long-ish post.

So first things first. You have to work on your PR bro. I mean the amount of negative publicity this city generates is just crazy. So you call gola chuski and spell Pav bhaji the wrong way but still.All that any one imagines when one thinks of "Delhi" is rape,robbery,more rape,and the vvips of the nation zooming off in the shiny white ambassador cars with a red batti on top. This imagery although not entirely false tends to overpower multiple other facets and faces of the city, which is something that one has to experience to truly relish and cherish.

You my friend Delhi have been an adventure of sorts. Staying away from home in a different city guarantees the much needed freedom. I would like to take a moment here to thank you from the bottom of my abysmal heart for having protected the ijjat of my two girlfriends and I when we went out at 9.30 in the night from lajpat nagar to hauz khas to get booze to mark my transition from naiveity to stupidity on my 18th birthday.
Unfortunately,when the hangover of independance wears off and one has to go to the dentist and the doctor alone and when one is forced to wash their own undies everyday,freedom suddenly doesnt feel so pleasant anymore.

It is in this city that I realized what it felt like to be a part of a "society" in college. So, it doesnt feel any different. Well,turning 18 years old doesnt feel any different either but people around you have an urgency to get laid/sloshed/drive. Anyhoo, as I was saying, you realize how lucky you are to be in where you are when you can perform a street play dealing with the issue of mob mentality among an enthusiastic mob infront of India Gate.

Now, moving on to matters of grave importance. WHAT EYE CANDIES MON! + 200 points for the eye candies you stock,from inquisitive foriegn tourists to the lads with bieber hair-do, you've got them all. At this point I think it is only fair that I disclose a very important secret. I am studying in an all girls college. Therefore, I live in constant hope.

Having studied in co-ed schools for a major part of my life, the initial days at my college were rather strange. It was as if I was engulfed in a sea of boobs. But gradually, things got better, I realized that being away from the men folk lead to women dropping all their pretentions. (almost). Thus, the sight of a bunch of girls rolling down the slope of a grassy hill or just sitting in the front lawns soaking up the sun was not a surprising one. Among the gazillion girls at my college the group of girls with chocolate muffins and hot chocolate in their hands standing infront of the Nescafe stall singing glee songs in pitches gone awry and chilling would be my group of friends.

This city, would not hold as much value for me if it were not for these wonderful and completely bamboozled people I call my friends. We eat, we chill,we click random pictures(thats issy moo's forte),we plan world elimination (thats diya's agenda),we sleep (1 of piddi's favorite activities),we bunk classes(yeah this one is our favorite), we shriek (thats just me actually), we pet animals/humans, we stand tall (thats just adilah actually),we eat cheap chinese that tastes like punjabi but isnt at city cafe, we blow up all our money at big chill cafe but the best thing about us is that we belong. To the city, to each other.

Delhi, you are like a fresh made tiramisu, with layers galore, as one digs into you one discovers and rediscovers things,places and people. I only hope that I can discover myself in the process of discovering you.

Yours truly,
I love you as much as home,

Red one.

PS : Good job with the metros.
PS1 : Amazing food yaar.
PS3: Ainvayi likh diya :P

-------------

This post was left unwritten so I decided to finish it today. Sorry for the long delay in publishing new posts. I admit that I am an idiot.

3 comments:

  1. I almost, mind you Almost, feel this nostalgia for an older, simpler, more cultured city-life...the kind grand-parents reminisce about when they say "Hamaare zammane mein..." The kind you still get in Calcutta and also Delhi when it's not being it's usual criminal self.

    Delhi is like that.Complicated. Like Rani Mukherji says in No One Killed Jessica.

    Would I love it? Probably not.
    Would I learn anything there? Most definitely.
    Do I want to live there??

    ...well maybe just for a vacation... =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hellew Ms. Ray, firstly thanks for reading. Delhi does have an aura of old world charm about it. But the reason I have written this post is just to basically express the immense joy that this place has given me. People always say that "X" city is better than "Y" city, why must we choose? Why cant X AND Y be their separate awesome selves and thereby add to the awesomeness of our country? You know what I am sayin'?
    You should totally come here for a vacation. I'll show you around :P

    ReplyDelete
  3. I know ya... I absolutely HATE it when random relatives ask me which city I like the most out of all the ones I've lived in...

    I will Pratigya, I will...
    Ab Dilli door nahin! =P

    ReplyDelete