Wow…the shouting of the Jaipur-Delhi, Agra-Delhi, Chandigarh-Delhi bus-conductors still resounds in my ears. On return of every trip from Delhi to any other place - for nearly five years this was the enunciation and preliminary rites of my re-entry back into Delhi like the resonant ringing of temple-bells heard long before getting to the entrance of the main-temple! The energy, enthusiasm and nonchalant attitude of Delhi so aptly rendered by the enthusiastic private bus operators who race to get their bus filled up with passengers so they leave first!
And it is difficult to explain why I love Delhi so dearly….is it:
• the bright colors of Red-stoned structures, green grass, boulevards
• nostalgic ruins at every other block,
• majestic structures/street-lights/arches all proclaiming in majestic fashion the charming denizens they served in the past,
• dramatic shifts of climate between Summer, Winter and Rainy seasons
• the beautiful people of the city caparisoned in each season differently as if challenging the nature to be more colourful
• weather seasons followed religiously by the dresses of the beautiful people of the city
• wonderful options of food available – whether veg or non-veg, south or north Indian cuisine, road-side or inside
• or, is it just me?Some of the unique experiences of mine linked with Delhi are:
• cold winters which I absolutely loved and also learnt the pleasure of having Nirulas Icecreams in Winters (coming from South-India, this was a different and wonderful experience for me)
• hot and humid weather with never ending mosquitoes – causing never ending night-long turning around on the bed due to power cuts!
• fast and furious rains with big hail-stones I got pounded upon (vividly remember trying to cower my entire body under a single helmeted-head after having parked my bike beside the Delhi-Ghaziabad road)
• memorable movies and songs of the late 90s: DDLJ, DTPH, Dil Se, Titanic, The Mask of Zorro, ...
• visit to Qutub Minar...and the awe there of....
Indeed one of my quotes was that Delhi is indeed the true capital of India because it has its pulse on the Country :
• Weather – Delhi is a distinct city which has all the seasons:
o Cold as most North Indian cities in Winter,
o Hot and Dry like some other places across the country till May,
o Hot and Humid like all coastal cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Calcutta
o Rains stones and thunders – like many other places in India
• Populace – Draws people from across the country. Indeed visiting a place like Delhi Haat one can has the authentic and exquisite cuisine of all the states of India! Also one can get into the grain of the culture of each of the States by participating various events conducted by each state in the Capital. Myself have enjoyed quite a few cuisine and movie related programmes at ‘AP Bhawan’, ‘Kerala- Coconut Grove’.
• Overnight bus/train travel possibilities to get to a Desert, Himalayas, Tiger and Bird Sanctuaries, Taj, holy places like Amritsar/Vaishnodevi/Ajmer-Durgah/Mathura/Sanchi/Haridwar-Rishikesh/Devprayag/ Karnaprayag….., wonderful cities like Jaipur/Lucknow/Chandigarh/Shimla/Hardwar/Jammu …
• The cultural-cauldron that Delhi is thanks to its history, monuments, people, embassies, ministries et al. Being the capital, Delhi is the base for most International Cultural exchange programmes, Art Exhibitions – both private and state-sponsored, Concerts etc in India
Well, may be some places don’t need any reasons for being out-of-the-world after all, they are too wonderful to be put into so many words or pictures or experiences !
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