1. We landed at the fabulous IGI Airport. This was only my second time in the new building and I already liked what I saw. Indian cities are finally getting their much-deserved share of international-level, smooth-functioning and well-built doorways to the world. Most of these city airports commission art work from local artists which adds the unique contextual flavour to their design; an initiative also taken up by the CSIA for the newly built Mumbai Airport. The key factor in keeping this image of these city's airports, is maintaining them well. And Delhi seems to have done a good job with that. In general, even the city of Delhi appears to be cleaner than Mumbai, as does it's Metro where one can try looking for red 'paan stains' but hardly find any, as I found out, during my time there. The city's streets are wide, people honour lanes relatively and litter is not as prevalent. Infrastructurally speaking, the capital city works better than Mumbai.
2. Yet when I landed, I must confess my mind immediately unfurled it's antennae - the sixth sense for predators, that which all women are born with. For I knew I had landed in the city of disrespecting men, the city of rapists. Pardon me for being so general there and for the harshness of that sentiment. But I am being honest here. Being an outsider/ visitor, that too a girl/ woman in Delhi, this is the first emotion that ran through my otherwise rational, not-one-to-generalise-so-quickly kind of a mind.
As Hubster and Pops stood waiting at the baggage claim to grab our bags off the belt, I found myself staring at the locals around with a suspicious eye. As I held my daughter's hand, I couldn't help but think how many of these loud locals (A big group of men were fighting with an airline representative over their baggage) had come close to that four letter word, every girl is so wary of - 'Rape'? How many of their neigbours, sisters, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters had been assaulted - mentally or physically - in public by local idiots? Eve-teased on their way to work or school, grabbed and touched in wrong places or simply whistled/ jeered at in public?
I am sorry Delhi and I am sorry Delhi-ites. Some of you are my friends and I love you. But I will never be able to see or experience your city in the same way as I might like to. Hats off to my single girl-friends who live there, for I know they are doing something I could not. Rather, I would not, if I could help it.
There are moments when I want to fall in love with your city, but there's always a fear looming over my head. A fear, that tells me that I need to be overtly-cautious, extra-suspicious and too careful when I walk around here. That is not the emotion I am used to, being a Bombay girl. My city may not be flawless and completely clean, but I feel safe in it. At any hour of the day. With anyone who I speak to. And in most places I go.
I don't need to hide my fears behind an air-conditioned car that comes to pick me up or drop me off because the public transport is unsafe for me to use, in the evenings. I don't need to think twice before wearing what I want to, on a regular day in most parts of the city, afraid that I'll have people trying to grab my body parts or letch at me.
I am only partially in love with you Delhi, because for every nice guy I meet in you, I meet another one being a jerk. Love can never thrive amidst fear. So as much as I'd like to fall in love with you for your monuments, your rich heritage, your markets, your food and your beautiful confluence of languages and cultures that represent the country so beautifully, I must say I cannot. To me you're still not as clean as I'd like for you to be. I prefer my Mumbai's dirt over your physical cleanliness. At least in Mumbai the dirt is largely only on the outside.
3. I know I got a bit carried off there, but it is indeed the feeling Delhi aroused in me, on this visit. It could be because I was making this trip, after the new rape incidents that have occurred in the city, over the last few months. With the city expanding it's outer limits to gradually engulf parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP & Rajasthan to form the National Capital Region (NCR), there is no time better than now to start to instill a new mindset among its populace. For boys and men to understand and uphold the honour of girls and women.
To decrease the burden of migration-led population explosion on Delhi, the Indian government decided to build Noida and Gurgaon as adjunct residential and industrial areas around the capital. Noida, which was developed to house population growth of the next 20-25 years was overloaded in just 15 years, thanks to the massive influx to Delhi. Thus, Greater Noida was developed, 50 kms away from the heart of Delhi. Presently, as our taxi driver told us, there are talks of a 'Super Noida' being developed on the outskirts of Greater Noida as well. I wonder if in this game of sprawl, Delhi will one day reach Mumbai? Hubster got special brownie points when he innocently (?) asked the driver if Super Noida should have been named "Greatest Noida" as per the Normal-Comparative and Superlative degrees in Grammar? Trust Hubster to come up with random sh*% like that!
4. Most of our time in Delhi was spent - well commuting, considering we were based out of the city completely. Yet, due to their inter-state connectivity, our ride into and out of the city was never longer than an hour. In our three days there, we visited multiple markets - my favourite sights in this city. Dilli Haat was the first one - a personal favourite that I end up visiting each time I am in the city. The food at Dilli Haat, just like it's artefacts, jewellery, antiques, clothing and everything else, provides for an excellent representation from all parts of the country. We opted for some yummy momos from the Sikkim food stall followed by succulent kababs from the Lucknow food stall. Since Mom, Pops and Hubster were with me this time, we had enough hands and eyes to take care of the little one, during our time there.
5. A dear friend, part of 'The Village' entourage - our group of friends from NYC, works for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and lives in the Hauz Khas neighbourhood. We visited her beautiful and huge home to spend the afternoon resting/ chatting at her place, exchanging notes on life outside of NYC and expat-living in the cities of Delhi & Singapore. The friend and the little one re-bonded after months of having met each other, (the last time they met was perhaps in NYC).
A memorable recommendation made by our friend was to visit the Deer Park in South Delhi, close to her place. We were pleasantly surprised by this vast, urban, patch of green, bang in the middle of the city, which housed several deer & peacocks within it. It was the perfect evening, as the cool breeze set in due to the greenery around. We strolled along the meandering pathways of the park, through its various areas to reach the part where several deer & peacock are confined behind small ledges. As our friend had correctly remarked to us, there were quite a few offenders feeding the deer, inspite of huge signboards instructing them not to do so. Trust desi's to defy signboards, that too when they are standing right in front of one!
The little one was thrilled to wake up from her afternoon nap and find herself in a jungle of sorts with deer and peacock prancing around. She probably thought it was a dream. Then again, the rate at which we shuttle her around, she's probably used to it by now. A unique way to spend an afternoon in Delhi for sure. Highly recommended!
6. As is always the case with us, we like to eat our way through most places we visit. Delhi was no different, since Hubster and I both are massive foodies and absolutely in love with Delhi's street food. Yet, we could not find the time to visit a must-do on our list - Paranthe waali gali. Going there with the entire family was on the agenda, but a last minute change of plan, made us cross it off the agenda completely. Naturally, it gets top priority on our next visit! We did however get a chance to dig into great Mughlai and North Indian fare at various restaurants and 'dhabas' during our short stay there. So for now, that should help us sail through until the next visit.
7. Hubster chose to move to his hotel in Gurgaon, close to his place of work, after the first night, to avoid the long commute. So the next couple of days saw Pops and I, making a trip into the city while Mom and her grand-daughter spent their days with each other, at home.
Khan Market and Paalika Bazar were the two other markets we visited. Both completely opposite in nature to each other, hence great choices to interact with the two of many faces of Delhi. Khan Market is the supposed go-to spot for rich, well-off and expat residents, who come here to shop for their favourite foreign brands or simply stock up on their western supplies such as cheeses, breads, jams, coffees and baking goods. Targetted towards the higher class of society, this market also has some good restaurants and cafes where one can find the random tourist sipping coffee with his/ her Delhi socialite friend (the one sitting next to us was too loud, cursing away endlessly, making Pops and me cringe, with her monstrously fake laughter, that had seemingly jumped right at us from Page 3 Delhi Times). This was at the Latitude cafe - above the Good Earth Store. Thankfully Ms. Loud socialite left in a few minutes after we arrived, so we could have our afternoon tea/ coffee over mildly-toned, father-daughter conversations and a fun walk down memory lane.
8. Palika Bazar, situated in the heart of Connaught Place, is the poor man's underground shopping mall. And it is completely air-conditioned. So naturally in Delhi's heat, one can find regular pedestrians stroll into the space, sitting around on benches or squatting on the steps, all in an attempt to evade the heat outside. It is here that one interacts with the common Delhi-ite. Brought into effect by the efforts of the New Delhi Municipal Council, this market is described to be in a state of decay at the moment and hence undergoing regeneration work. Here one can find everything possible - from hair pins to pirated/ stolen goods. I was happy with my one find - a beautiful stark white Chikankari kurta, here.
Once done with the market place, we drove around India Gate and Sansad Bhavan with the driver giving us his tit-bits on each. Both Pops and I have been to Delhi a few times in the past and seen it's multiple landmarks and historical sites, yet the magnificence and the aura of them still amazes us. One of the things I like about Delhi is how in an oddly flat skyline, while driving on any of it's highways or even in it's Metro, one is suddenly surprised by the emergence of a random historical monument, that completely revamps the tone of the otherwise banal view from the moving window. That to me is the quintessential Delhi moment - the kind to which hopeless romantics like me lose their heart to!
9. The short trip to Delhi ended with a red-eye flight that we took back to Singapore. The toddler loves shocking us, with her sudden energy levels at midnight brought forth through the realisation that she is at one of her favourite places in the whole world - the airport. Just being in one, be it anywhere in the world, gives her a strange insurmountable energy, probably at the prospect of where she is flying to next. She did finally relax after a point and go to bed, which made the flight easy on us and spared us the aisle-walks and sheepish smiles to random co-passengers, that both Hubster and I are already so tired of.
The rest of the week was spent recuperating from the India-trip in Singapore and prepping up for more itineraries - some our own, others of friends and family that will visit us in the next few weeks.
Cant wait to have everyone over - the inner hostess in me is somersaulting already!
On that upside-down note, see you next week with more fun updates! Happy Reading!
Love,
Shweyta
P.S - I am sorry to be so hard on your Delhi. I don't hate you. I just don't love you like I love some others. Believe me, I really want to. We - you and me, have potential. You just need to work a bit harder and get clean. Make me feel safe and sound and I'll be all in then! Hoping we'll be hopelessly in love someday soon!
2. Yet when I landed, I must confess my mind immediately unfurled it's antennae - the sixth sense for predators, that which all women are born with. For I knew I had landed in the city of disrespecting men, the city of rapists. Pardon me for being so general there and for the harshness of that sentiment. But I am being honest here. Being an outsider/ visitor, that too a girl/ woman in Delhi, this is the first emotion that ran through my otherwise rational, not-one-to-generalise-so-quickly kind of a mind.
As Hubster and Pops stood waiting at the baggage claim to grab our bags off the belt, I found myself staring at the locals around with a suspicious eye. As I held my daughter's hand, I couldn't help but think how many of these loud locals (A big group of men were fighting with an airline representative over their baggage) had come close to that four letter word, every girl is so wary of - 'Rape'? How many of their neigbours, sisters, mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters had been assaulted - mentally or physically - in public by local idiots? Eve-teased on their way to work or school, grabbed and touched in wrong places or simply whistled/ jeered at in public?
I am sorry Delhi and I am sorry Delhi-ites. Some of you are my friends and I love you. But I will never be able to see or experience your city in the same way as I might like to. Hats off to my single girl-friends who live there, for I know they are doing something I could not. Rather, I would not, if I could help it.
There are moments when I want to fall in love with your city, but there's always a fear looming over my head. A fear, that tells me that I need to be overtly-cautious, extra-suspicious and too careful when I walk around here. That is not the emotion I am used to, being a Bombay girl. My city may not be flawless and completely clean, but I feel safe in it. At any hour of the day. With anyone who I speak to. And in most places I go.
I don't need to hide my fears behind an air-conditioned car that comes to pick me up or drop me off because the public transport is unsafe for me to use, in the evenings. I don't need to think twice before wearing what I want to, on a regular day in most parts of the city, afraid that I'll have people trying to grab my body parts or letch at me.
I am only partially in love with you Delhi, because for every nice guy I meet in you, I meet another one being a jerk. Love can never thrive amidst fear. So as much as I'd like to fall in love with you for your monuments, your rich heritage, your markets, your food and your beautiful confluence of languages and cultures that represent the country so beautifully, I must say I cannot. To me you're still not as clean as I'd like for you to be. I prefer my Mumbai's dirt over your physical cleanliness. At least in Mumbai the dirt is largely only on the outside.
3. I know I got a bit carried off there, but it is indeed the feeling Delhi aroused in me, on this visit. It could be because I was making this trip, after the new rape incidents that have occurred in the city, over the last few months. With the city expanding it's outer limits to gradually engulf parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP & Rajasthan to form the National Capital Region (NCR), there is no time better than now to start to instill a new mindset among its populace. For boys and men to understand and uphold the honour of girls and women.
To decrease the burden of migration-led population explosion on Delhi, the Indian government decided to build Noida and Gurgaon as adjunct residential and industrial areas around the capital. Noida, which was developed to house population growth of the next 20-25 years was overloaded in just 15 years, thanks to the massive influx to Delhi. Thus, Greater Noida was developed, 50 kms away from the heart of Delhi. Presently, as our taxi driver told us, there are talks of a 'Super Noida' being developed on the outskirts of Greater Noida as well. I wonder if in this game of sprawl, Delhi will one day reach Mumbai? Hubster got special brownie points when he innocently (?) asked the driver if Super Noida should have been named "Greatest Noida" as per the Normal-Comparative and Superlative degrees in Grammar? Trust Hubster to come up with random sh*% like that!
4. Most of our time in Delhi was spent - well commuting, considering we were based out of the city completely. Yet, due to their inter-state connectivity, our ride into and out of the city was never longer than an hour. In our three days there, we visited multiple markets - my favourite sights in this city. Dilli Haat was the first one - a personal favourite that I end up visiting each time I am in the city. The food at Dilli Haat, just like it's artefacts, jewellery, antiques, clothing and everything else, provides for an excellent representation from all parts of the country. We opted for some yummy momos from the Sikkim food stall followed by succulent kababs from the Lucknow food stall. Since Mom, Pops and Hubster were with me this time, we had enough hands and eyes to take care of the little one, during our time there.
5. A dear friend, part of 'The Village' entourage - our group of friends from NYC, works for Human Rights Watch (HRW) and lives in the Hauz Khas neighbourhood. We visited her beautiful and huge home to spend the afternoon resting/ chatting at her place, exchanging notes on life outside of NYC and expat-living in the cities of Delhi & Singapore. The friend and the little one re-bonded after months of having met each other, (the last time they met was perhaps in NYC).
A memorable recommendation made by our friend was to visit the Deer Park in South Delhi, close to her place. We were pleasantly surprised by this vast, urban, patch of green, bang in the middle of the city, which housed several deer & peacocks within it. It was the perfect evening, as the cool breeze set in due to the greenery around. We strolled along the meandering pathways of the park, through its various areas to reach the part where several deer & peacock are confined behind small ledges. As our friend had correctly remarked to us, there were quite a few offenders feeding the deer, inspite of huge signboards instructing them not to do so. Trust desi's to defy signboards, that too when they are standing right in front of one!
The little one was thrilled to wake up from her afternoon nap and find herself in a jungle of sorts with deer and peacock prancing around. She probably thought it was a dream. Then again, the rate at which we shuttle her around, she's probably used to it by now. A unique way to spend an afternoon in Delhi for sure. Highly recommended!
6. As is always the case with us, we like to eat our way through most places we visit. Delhi was no different, since Hubster and I both are massive foodies and absolutely in love with Delhi's street food. Yet, we could not find the time to visit a must-do on our list - Paranthe waali gali. Going there with the entire family was on the agenda, but a last minute change of plan, made us cross it off the agenda completely. Naturally, it gets top priority on our next visit! We did however get a chance to dig into great Mughlai and North Indian fare at various restaurants and 'dhabas' during our short stay there. So for now, that should help us sail through until the next visit.
7. Hubster chose to move to his hotel in Gurgaon, close to his place of work, after the first night, to avoid the long commute. So the next couple of days saw Pops and I, making a trip into the city while Mom and her grand-daughter spent their days with each other, at home.
Khan Market and Paalika Bazar were the two other markets we visited. Both completely opposite in nature to each other, hence great choices to interact with the two of many faces of Delhi. Khan Market is the supposed go-to spot for rich, well-off and expat residents, who come here to shop for their favourite foreign brands or simply stock up on their western supplies such as cheeses, breads, jams, coffees and baking goods. Targetted towards the higher class of society, this market also has some good restaurants and cafes where one can find the random tourist sipping coffee with his/ her Delhi socialite friend (the one sitting next to us was too loud, cursing away endlessly, making Pops and me cringe, with her monstrously fake laughter, that had seemingly jumped right at us from Page 3 Delhi Times). This was at the Latitude cafe - above the Good Earth Store. Thankfully Ms. Loud socialite left in a few minutes after we arrived, so we could have our afternoon tea/ coffee over mildly-toned, father-daughter conversations and a fun walk down memory lane.
8. Palika Bazar, situated in the heart of Connaught Place, is the poor man's underground shopping mall. And it is completely air-conditioned. So naturally in Delhi's heat, one can find regular pedestrians stroll into the space, sitting around on benches or squatting on the steps, all in an attempt to evade the heat outside. It is here that one interacts with the common Delhi-ite. Brought into effect by the efforts of the New Delhi Municipal Council, this market is described to be in a state of decay at the moment and hence undergoing regeneration work. Here one can find everything possible - from hair pins to pirated/ stolen goods. I was happy with my one find - a beautiful stark white Chikankari kurta, here.
Once done with the market place, we drove around India Gate and Sansad Bhavan with the driver giving us his tit-bits on each. Both Pops and I have been to Delhi a few times in the past and seen it's multiple landmarks and historical sites, yet the magnificence and the aura of them still amazes us. One of the things I like about Delhi is how in an oddly flat skyline, while driving on any of it's highways or even in it's Metro, one is suddenly surprised by the emergence of a random historical monument, that completely revamps the tone of the otherwise banal view from the moving window. That to me is the quintessential Delhi moment - the kind to which hopeless romantics like me lose their heart to!
9. The short trip to Delhi ended with a red-eye flight that we took back to Singapore. The toddler loves shocking us, with her sudden energy levels at midnight brought forth through the realisation that she is at one of her favourite places in the whole world - the airport. Just being in one, be it anywhere in the world, gives her a strange insurmountable energy, probably at the prospect of where she is flying to next. She did finally relax after a point and go to bed, which made the flight easy on us and spared us the aisle-walks and sheepish smiles to random co-passengers, that both Hubster and I are already so tired of.
The rest of the week was spent recuperating from the India-trip in Singapore and prepping up for more itineraries - some our own, others of friends and family that will visit us in the next few weeks.
Cant wait to have everyone over - the inner hostess in me is somersaulting already!
On that upside-down note, see you next week with more fun updates! Happy Reading!
Love,
Shweyta
P.S - I am sorry to be so hard on your Delhi. I don't hate you. I just don't love you like I love some others. Believe me, I really want to. We - you and me, have potential. You just need to work a bit harder and get clean. Make me feel safe and sound and I'll be all in then! Hoping we'll be hopelessly in love someday soon!
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