So, what started as an impromptu
conversation turned into a school girls party at the national’s capital
Delhi…and when the duo of Delhi and winter beckoned me – how could I resist the
offer? So, I put on my “out of office”, pulled out my withered winter clothing,
clipped off my strings and flew into Delhi on a crisp Delhi morning..
And while the magic of touring a
city with friends whom you last saw in pinafore and braids pervaded the entire
journey…the eclectic array of sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Delhi was nothing
short of a warm xmas gift wrapped neatly in the Delhi fog white..
Charm is the one word that comes
to my mind as I savour the memories of the weekend in Delhi…charm that can
astoundingly oscillate between old heritage and new chic with an ease that only
Delhi can boast on. On the one end, you can admire and appreciate history that
is ornately inscribed into its forts, monuments and ruins..heritage that will
stimulate your pride and humble you in one stroke. At the other end, you can
gawk at its quasi European pubs, cafes, well dressed gentlemen and absolutely
“high fashion” dames of Delhi…their winter scarves tied to the perfect
knot…their uptown squares where wealth and pizzazz unite…the one place where
you can literally wear your khadi or cashmere on your sleeve!
The heart of Delhi is almost like
a “model” apartment, like a “showstopper” built for applause..the India that
you can encapsulate into a “developed” image for the global audience…plush
government establishments and residences..wide avenues shaded with
trees…highways and pedestrian walkways..you feel almost cheated as an Indian
who has been impoverished of all “developed” necessities. By no stretch of
imagination can you imagine the entire country built on the same lines so if
you must experience it, you must indeed visit the capital region. The beauty
and symmetry of the various “Margs” of Delhi is so astounding that it almost instills a sense of “inferiority” into your impoverished existence in a
pseudo-city like Bangalore.
And if there was a possibility of
staging a multi-act gastronomical musical, it would debut in Delhi for which other
city can lay out such a “scrumdiddlyumptious” variety of dishes? It will make
you forget your “calories journal”, it will make you sin and it will make you a
foodaholic who will pine to return to Delhi just to savour that "aloo tikki" once
again!
But all good things must end and
the best of them must be cherished..and so as I sipped my ginger tea the piping
steam dissolving into the Delhi dusk…I cherished..the friendship that rekindled
on the journey, the “girlie” times on Delhi shopping streets, the tryst with
history and culture in its dargahs and forts ..making a silent promise to come back for more!
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