“One day I asked my soul: what is Delhi? She replied: The world is the body and Delhi is its soul.”
“Ik roz apni rooh se poocha, ki dilli kya hain, toh yun jawab me keh gayi , yeh duniya maano jism hain aur dilli uski jaan.”
~ Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib
While taking an auto ride around the city, I came across some forgotten memories. I never paid attention to the small exquisite details of my city- Delhi. I realized that I only look for flaws, the shortcomings, cribbing about the weather, traffic, and the fact that the fast-paced city with its prying eyes made me feel insecure and unsafe on several occasions. But I never looked at the bigger picture, I never saw the charming character it possesses in its nook and crook, the stories that each corner reflects. It is like a tight box full of surprises and chronicles. Delhi has given space to almost 20 million dreamers making it a megalopolis, enveloping a huge chunk of people in its shadow. It’s the city of dreams and opportunities which make it enticing.
We can see names and love signs etched on the walls of some monuments, but we can still say that Delhi has maintained its historical aspect. Even though tall apartment complexes will replace the government houses in Netaji Nagar, the area is still radiant after a rain shower making the trees greener and the atmosphere cleaner. I still go for a drive after the rain hits the city because the pitter-patter coupled with songs and the city lights radiates a calming wave. The well-planned and wide roads of New Delhi have been cathartic during monsoons and winters when the cold air hits your face bringing in the calm you’ve wanted. Tall buildings will erect, fly-overs will be made, the city will go under development, but Delhi will never lose its charm.
I feel like I am romanticizing my city a little too much, but it deserves that as I have inflicted a lot of hate on it in the past. You see, I am a hypocrite; on one hand, I will go all-in when it comes to talking passionately about the city I took birth in. On the other hand, I will loathe it too for being annoying and anxiety-provoking on several occasions. Every coin has two sides and well Delhi has a good side and an ugly side, but we will talk about the vibe and the calm that can only be felt in this city.
Let me take you to the past when Khan Market used to house families on the first floor and the shops (most of them catering to daily needs) were on the ground floor. Ten cars were visible in the parking and the then empty market has transformed into one of the most famous and fashionable markets of Delhi. While walking away from the market you come across Lodhi Garden, which always has a scent of freshly cut grass and dew. Winters in the city feel rhapsodic as everything is wholesome and in tune. Picnics in Lodhi Garden and Sunder Nursery with the right book and music can be the highlight of your day. I do fear to venture around the city alone, but Delhi has an unknown aura that I want to discover and there are places which I haven’t visited, monuments that I haven’t obsessed about, book shops that I have left undiscovered, the countless metro and auto rides that I have missed. This is the definition of a ‘merry’ day for me and if you want to hire me as your tour guide for ‘Dilli-Darshan’, I’ll be happy to assist you.
Hopping around Connaught Place and Janpath with a Deepaul’s cold coffee in hand is another luxury and the chaos that surrounds Rajiv Chowk metro station is a story of adventure. I feel like the metro station at Rajeev Chowk is like an obstacle game, you have to make it past the crowd to catch your metro or you’re just pushed into one. Due to the pandemic, the Metro is one of the things I miss, the overcrowded platforms during the rush hour, the women’s coach, and the freedom that I had while traveling alone. The metro card lies in a forgotten corner waiting to be used. Like I said there are so many places that I still haven’t discovered and due to the pandemic, the explorer in me had to halt. The journal pages that are in my possession reek of plans and places to visit, my playlists are waiting to be played when the explorer in me starts exploring the city again.
Old Delhi has its rustic beauty, with Jama Masjid and Red Fort coupled with Dariba, Kinari Bazaar, and Paranthe Wali Gali, the old part of the city is overwhelmingly bustling with people but that is the beauty of ‘Purani-Dilli’- the chaos, the jam-packed roads where your rickshaw will be stuck and the claustrophobic lanes / Gali. You would want to travel on foot here to take in every essence of the history that the old part of Delhi reverberates. The neglected architecture ,like the dilapidated shutter windowed houses which are tucked in the never-ending lanes of Old Delhi , is awe-worthy as they fulfill one’s aesthetic dreams. The book bazaar that opens early in the morning in Darya Ganj is a must-visit for book lovers. Old Delhi can be described as calm in the chaos and one should venture it at least once.
There are so many places that I can go on and on about but word limits are there to curtail one’s enthusiastic outpour. Every city has its characteristics and uniqueness and one is attached to the city they are born in. As I walk towards Safdarjung tomb with the song ‘ Musafir hoon yaaro’ plugged in my ears I take a deep breath and take it all in. The chaos we are living in, we need a little bit of calm. So, explore as much as you can, not just Delhi, wherever life takes you because this world is made of stories and someone might want to hear yours too.
Attaching a playlist for your next drive around the city 😊