Big City Boy
You know you have become a big city boy when the roads no longer appear like meandering snakes and feel disappointed if a certain venue is not distant enough for a car ride. When you miss the hustle and bustle even in a charmingly calm environment of a hill station, when you feel drawn to the mystique of every coffee shop and have all the time in the world to savour it's ambience, concept and of course- the menu- on a shoestring budget though! When you judge and evaluate a market with the omnipresent brands, showrooms, roadside stalls, hawkers and the perennial parking problem. When discovering each and every monument within a city becomes a passion and the where-to-meet-this-time dilemma always has a new answer. When reminiscences about good times always include a popular landmark of the city and when every memorable or disastrous date finds itself unfolding within the comfort of an air conditioned mall, restaurant or for that matter-the very metro station. When the ease of reaching a place is judged by a bus's route and the metro's connectivity and the most reasonable excuse for not meeting somebody is a long drawn whine, '' Honey! You literally live on another planet!" and that planet, by the way, is the not so glamorous part of a city.
We sure love our city, or to be more precise, "our part" of the city! Wars of words have been waged over endless smug smiles and emphatic nods when it comes to declaring one's loyalty and fascination for the beloved city. South Delhi snobs or West Delhi heart throbs, Old Delhi's street food or New Delhi's epicurean delights, we sure know how to make the most of everything that is available under one city. Look around and the stark contrast of the varied flavours of life that this city has to offer would leave you amused, to say the least. Endless newspaper columns have been devoted to bring out the best of this city and we feel only too happy to acknowledge and appreciate.
Which brings me to the question- Does a city's magic slowly grow on even the most hardnosed of people, when the worldly wise in you finally gives up with an affirmative nod along with undertones of a sense of belonging and affection or over the years we become so used to our part and parcel of metropolitan existence, that come what may, we still continue to get along, like a good natured neighbour? The answer lies somewhere in between.
Which brings me to the question- Does a city's magic slowly grow on even the most hardnosed of people, when the worldly wise in you finally gives up with an affirmative nod along with undertones of a sense of belonging and affection or over the years we become so used to our part and parcel of metropolitan existence, that come what may, we still continue to get along, like a good natured neighbour? The answer lies somewhere in between.
When a certain industrialist declares that Indian cities have truly acquired an international and cosmopolitan outlook or a rich designer declares his/her undying love and passion for a city, why do I find myself sniggering and scoffing at such lofty statements? Because I know what it is to travel in a jampacked bus on a sweltering May morning, where my co-passengers with "an international outlook" towards life take pride in spitting and digging their noses, while that Mr. MoneyBag zooms ahead in his imported four wheeled wonder and I lookout for another "India Shining" media byte in the city supplements. Call me a post liberalization spoilt brat, who has never seen long queues for rationed sugar and wheat grains or witnessed the endless wait to get a telephone connection or that dream car, but does that mean the end of road for all our hopes and expectations? Have we truly arrived in every sense of the word? Why do we have to be so thankful for everything we enjoy? Why this maai-baap sarkaar hamaar attitude? Isn't it our right to have clean roads, a regular bus service, safety for women and a terror free liberal environment, for minds to develop and souls to nourish? Sure, agony for me means a loud ringing mobile in a multiplex , a slow internet speed, endless traffic jams or having to choose between dozens of brands , right from a pencil to a mobile service, but know what? Am not thankful for having a multiplex in my locality, something which my grandparents never dreamt as a possibility in an independent India or for that matter, having internet in every home or being spolit for choices in the matter of- hold your breath- cars!!
Because, I know for the fact that the day we become grateful for literally about anything and eveything, complacency would sink in and we would become too comfortable in our already, much thickened skins.
Why do people with materialistic comforts view their and for that matter, everyone's world with rose eyed spectacles? "I love Delhi for its greenery and open wide roads and of course -the mouth watering street food"-what Miss High Heels on a two-day visit to the capital means is that she basically loves Lutyen's Delhi, because the roads are smooth enough to let her apply her favorite shade of lipstick while being in the car, without making a mess of that delicate pout and of course the street food served in that five star is absolutely lip-smacking , thanks to the Evian chaat water unlike that bhayia on the stall who serves the chaat water with his own hands! Ew!
I don't particularly love my city when their are 10 hour power cuts or the water supply goes on a vacation of its own, courtsey some " jal boards" , who by the way, have a prejudice against tiled bathrooms with fancy bottles of conditioners and hand washes and western loos!
"Yeh toh bade log hain, paani agar aata bhi nahin hain toh 50 rupaye kharch kar ke Bisleri ke drum se brush kar sakte hain!" is the trumpet of a certain cold war between classes and masses. It is silent, mimimalistic and yet overpowering enough to fail the most conventional and seasoned of logical sociologist minds. A certain unspoken animosity, to say the least, does exist and for all you - the Anglicized Nasal Accent Hinglish speaking, French struggling , Star Plus sniggering, MTV loving and FTV gazing voyeuristic weirdo- know, you might be the next victim.
"Ke baat ho gayi chore? Tanne raapte se hi samjhana padega!" is the standing joke in the snooty and prestigious colleges, where the reactions range from snorting to scoffing at that Khaki clad, green with envy thanedaar, delighted with a smug smile to have finally caught the quintessential rich brat yuppie, on his ever speeding bike.
Have all the materialistic trappings? Will be subjected to envious glances and foul words aimed at your wealth! This is the character of this city. We might endlessly wish for all the riches of this world and then, come a tiny little fortune our way, we will be scampering to hide every trace of it. Buri Nazar(Evil eye) ...you see! Yes, we do love to flaunt but not before taking the right anti buri nazar precautions, read- a kohl cross or dot on the neck or forehead or nimbu-mirchi.
True, this city offers hopes and vivd images of success like no other, but one needs to have nerves of steel to survive. People use and throw tissue papers, disposable plates and other people of course. Relationships are momentary and illusionary to say the least, and single, looking to mingle? Make sure you have a 3G enabled mobile phone with plenty of credit, a fancy address of any posh locality, car with an AC, Cool Waters perfume, manicured nails, and the latest fad- six pack abs and biceps and surprise , surprise -you will find yourself some "serious" marriage material types.
But as they say-The proof of the pudding is in eating it. So savour every bit of it and don't be surprised if at the end of it, you do fall for the charm called Delhi.
Comments
And talking about the diversity in the classes and life styles of such metroploitons and cosmopolitons, trust me, come to a city like dubai and you will miss the diversity. Here we are all the same. No omne's poor. No one's rich. Anyone can afford a luxurious dinner in a five star hotel atleast once a year and everyone has free flowing petrol to drive their chevrolets and BMWs. No one's inferior. Hence no one cares. I am not pro-class system. Yes equality is important. But who says everyone needs to earn same to be equal. Go to Delhi and you will know that we all.... in essence ARE EQUAL!! equal in love and spirit. May it be a middle-class girl clad in a cotton kurta nd jeans, a desi dark short brown haired boy in jhatak yellow pants or a hi-fi aunty witha diamond necklace to beautify her non-existant neck, everyone loves life and is daily struggling with an undefined...and even indefinte at times.. purpose in life.
Life is not viewed by me through rose colored glasses.No. Life is viewed by me as a beautiful transitory phase on earth which needs to be utilised to the fullest in order to learn essential lessons about self!
Dont get drowned in the chaos of the traffic jams and in the confusion that the plethora of brands create. Learn discreation. Love the chaos. Talk to the sardarji on the bike next to your SUV about how Delhi Traffic Police can better handle the situation, decide what you want to buy and then, only visit the store that provides you that stuff. Minimalistic requirements, minimalistic needs, basic living, high thinking.
Delhi is the dilli of MY INIDA not because of its exteriors or interesting interiors even. Its because of its High-Spirits!!! People, inspite of all the bull shit given to them by the hum-kya-kare-unse-poocho government are still so vivacious and active that they can inspire the laziest of the lot to take his/her life in one's own hands and create a world for him/herself!
Oh and dude... please dont form lengthy sentences!! YOur one sentence is as long as a para!! The reader can get bored and over burdened with the usage of so many punctuations. Cut down to many small sentences instead. It makes the article crisp and more reader-friendly.
Kudos to the great blog you have put up. i liked ur previous "X-Rated" blog as well (raised to the power of X).... it was a wonderful understanding of life. Sometimes the most important things and people in life are taken for granted and trampled over ... not to forget ... how mercilessly they are over-used and over-burdened. But then (sigh) thats a beautiful lesson to learn as well!
lols....
and ur biceps wont reproduce children. it might make the process more fun for the girl..ahem ahem... but then thats about it!!!
anyways.. Mr. i Love Being A Spoil And cynical Brat...
here's some food for thought. Mr. Daisaku Ikeda, a peace laureate, in one of his discussions with young men and women from his Buddhist Organisation said:
"In our discussion on the realm of the human heart (at the Seikyo Shimbun building in September 1997), Dr. Seligman, the well-known American psychologist and former president of the American Psychological Association, pointed to a vital ingredient in dealing with setbacks in our careers or lives, or coping with suffering. What do you think that ingredient is?
[Called on to give their answer, several members in the audience respond individually, 'The heart,' 'Conviction, ' 'Resilience, ' and so on.] Good answers. You're all very insightful. Dr. Seligman's answer, however, was
'optimism.' He defined optimism as the conviction that though one may fail or have a painful experience somewhere, sometime, one can take action to
change things. He also described optimism as hope. In the same positive vein, Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Winter always turns to spring' (WND-1, 536). The Daishonin's Buddhism pulses with an invincible spirit of optimism. "We all have the power to overcome the most daunting circumstances. This is something that I'd like you to reflect on deeply."