Dilli For Me.

Ooty. Wellington. Mhow. Manipur. Bangalore. Saugar. Udhampur. Srinagar. Delhi.

These are all the places I have lived and done my schooling in. When people ask me where have you studied? Which city? Which School? I have nothing to say. Or let’s put it this way: I have too many schools, and too many places to name. So I just say: I have gone to schools located all over the country. And I often have to add one more line to explain why I said what I said. But one place I have always identified with and always will is my very own Bengaluru. So in spite of people calling me a ‘pseudo Banglorean’ I still prefer to say that I am from Bangalore. However off late people have come up to me and said- “You look like a typical Delhi Girl”. Having done the last two years of my school and graduation from Delhi I guess it’s but natural for me to have certain traits of what people call “a typical Dilli girl”. I hated the tag initially. I hated Delhi completely when I lived in the city. I always compared it to Bangalore, and it always fell short. I guess it’s really unfair to compare any city with Bangalore. Because I truly believe that Namma Bengaluru is the best and will always remain so. Period.

However in my love for Bangalore (or hatred for Delhi) I turned a blind eye to what makes Delhi so special to some people. And now, to me. A lottta people questioned my decision to move to Hyderabad when I could’ve worked from Gurgaon as well. But I was so sick of the city, that I was desperate to move out. And I did.

Today I do not mind the “Delhi girl” tag any more. I cherish it in way. It keeps me rooted to the city. A city that I once wanted to leave forever. Now, I crave for the Yashwant Place and Dilli Haat Momos. I miss the Rs 60/- movie tickets in Chanakya Theatre, which used to be a blessing in this era of expensive PVR tkts. I loved watching movies in Chanakya, and even now I have distinct memories of all the movies I have watched there. I terribly miss the export surplus shopping in Sarojini Nagar Market. My friends and I have actually picked up stuff that we can easily pass off as designer wear in S.N. Mkt. I miss shopping in “fake FabIndia” in Lajpat Nagar. I miss the Dilli Lingo. I miss the amazing Radio Stations in Delhi: 93.5 Red Fm( Bajate Raho) a special mention for Khurafati Nitin, 91.1 (Dilli ka Radio City- Whatte Fun!), 98.3 Radio Mirchi( It’s Hot), 92.7 Big FM ( Dilli ki Marzi), 94.3 Radio One( Non-stop Hits, Non-stops Mazaa), Fever 104(It’s All About The Music) and of course 102.6 AIR Fm Rainbow( Station Of The Nation). And my all time Favorite Sud (short for Sudarshan) on Radio Mirchi. Those who have heard his jokes will sympathise with me. I miss those nights with Love Guru. NO. Before you come to any conclusions, I never called him or consulted him in any matters of the heart. I just happened to love the music on the show. Nothing more. Nothing less. I miss driving through India Gate, South Block, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, and the utterly confusing ‘gol chakkars’ in this area. India Gate has always excited me. Just one look at it and I can feel the pride and love for my motherland swell in my heart. I rank the view from Rajpat second only to the view of the Taj Mahal from the main arched gateway.

I miss how I used to stroll in Janpath, picking up lovely trinkets here and there. I miss going round and round and round in Connaught Place and picking up the latest books from the sidewalk. I love shopping for bangles in Dilli Haat, for Kholapuries and Oshos in SN and Lajpat, for fruits and veggies and non-veg in INA. I miss the auto rides in the Capital. Somehow it just has a different charm to it. I miss Dilli ki Sardi, I miss the days and nights when you couldn’t see a thing thanks to the thick fog in which the city is cocooned in these wintery days, I miss blowing hot air from my mouth, I miss wearing those woollens, an extra pair of socks and gloves and yet shivering to death. And somehow all schools and colleges have exams in winters, when holding the pen itself used to be such a task! And yet, chai and coffee tasted even better between Nov-March, and music was even more melodious.

I miss haggling for every single thing from Auto fares to a pair of earrings to socks to utensils, any purchase outside of a showroom ended with an often heard line: “Bhaiya hum to aap hi se lete hain, thoda toh kum ho sakta hain.” And how can I forget the infamous DTC (Delhi transport Corporation) – This is one thing I do not miss for sure!

I miss those drives to India Gate at night just for an Ice Cream during summers and for coffee/chai during winters. I miss the gazing at the magnificently lit up North and South Blocks during Republic Day. I miss watching the R.D. Parade. And the even more ceremonious Beating The Retreat 3 days after 26th January.

About Delhi’s eating joints, enough has been written and said and I will leave it at that. However I would like to mention Dilli’s own version of Corner House’s Death by Chocolate, it’s called Mississippi Mud Pie and is available at Big Chill Cafe. Although it’s not as heavenly as DBC, it comes pretty close.

So today whenever my plane lands at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, and when I look out of the window to see the shimmering city lights, I feel a sense of belonging. A feeling very close to the one I get when I go to Bangalore. I wouldn’t be wrong to call Dilli a second home now. And I never thought I would ever say this, leave alone just a year after leaving the city- I love Delhi.

Yeh Dilli Hai Mere Yaar, Bas Ishq, Mohhobat, Pyaar.