The market that was

Well now that I am back in Delhi, suddenly there is so much work that needs to be done that I am unable to find time to write. I have my Visa Interview on 8th July and the prep is a big pain. If I list the documents that I need to carry to the American Consulate, it goes on to three pages... And they have their own specification of photographs etc. too. Pain!!

Shopping generally comes after you get your Visa and in my case I should seriously wait and not throw away all my money into new clothes and tit-bits till VI. I am not really sure of finances and it will only be prudent to wait. But you see all reasoning fails when you have money in your account and that too of own earning. So, two days back I dragged my mom to Lajpat Nagar. Its my favorite place to shop(and feast on lip-smacking chats!). Last time I came to this market was six months back, probably before I left for Bangalore, and it turned out to be really long time! And this time I was greeted by a crowd consisting mainly of small shop owners who put there stuff out on the roads and offer some really good value for money, and bargains. You see, Delhi government has set its goal to clean up the markets by removing these roadside shops. and police officers were busy implementing the orders in Lajpat Nagar. A good step to ensure citizen safety!


The market looks barren and unattractive for a shopper like me. All the roadside stalls have been removed. I know the drive to clean the market place is to make the shopping experience more orderly, easy and less chaotic, but I am a true blue lover of this 'chaos' in Delhi markets... Without these roadside shops, it just doesnt feel the same, it has become a desert and quite truly it lacks a lot of bargains, which I guess girls will appreciate more than boys ;)

But it Rained

Its raining in Bangalore. Actually this is the third time this week. The weather is so good, I want to shift my computer next to an open window. With a cup of hot tea on my table, I want to enjoy the cool air and the mild fragrance of wet earth which I so love.

I have just come back from the cafeteria, having lusted after the overcast skies, wet roads and newly washed trees for around an hour. A thousand memories- images from yesteryear's flashed in front of my eyes in this past hour.

I remember how my mom used to scold me for playing with friends in pouring rain. It used to be so good, surely gross, to jump in puddles of water. Finally when mom managed to get me inside the house, I would be sneezing and she would push me inside the hot shower with a towel and a change of clothes. That hot shower would remove the chill from the body and a cup of hot chocolate would be waiting for me on the table. I would pick it up and stand on the doorstep. Some tiny drops would bounce off the side wall and land on my face.

While preparing for IIT JEE in eleventh and twelfth standard rains used to be a welcome break. A reason for me to take my nose out of the book and take in the sweet smell of first rains. The scorching summers of Delhi used to make it even more special. I would sit on the entrance to the garden and see the grass slowly disappearing in the waters. The leaves and branches of the trees would relieve their parching throats, bending and submitting themselves to the heavy downpour. Sometimes, overwhelmed, a branch or two would break and fall down on the street. And I would just ask mom for some samosas, cheela or pakoras. It would refresh me for another week to be spent inside my room with my books.

And now, I am sitting in an enclosure which does not even have windows to enjoy the view. This centrally air-conditioned building has glass walls and no windows. The only place where I can sit and enjoy is the cafeteria at the other end of the building! Still I find my own ways.

I have always enjoyed the rains, and will continue to do so. In the present circumstances it will require extra efforts from me, a closed concrete jungle that I am living in. I do not in the least bit mind though - anything for that refreshing feeling and that breathtaking beauty of nature that comes with the rains. It can magically pull me away from everything else around me, and make me forget everything... everything!

Saadi Dilli

Life, for me, is a blur right now. You see, my eyesight had deteriorated and I had some eye allergy so I went to the doctor in the hope of relief. He took me off my contact lenses for a month and I have been surviving on some old glasses I had. The doctor refuses to check my vision before I get some other tests done. So, I am living with a foggy vision. Total bulls*^t . I am telling you, those of you who have perfect vision are lucky souls. NO care for glasses and lenses. You can go out in the rain, without any concern. You have not experienced vapor condensing on your lenses just as u are about to take a sip of your hot coffee. No sitting in the front row in the classroom just because you broke your glasses last night during a b'day bash. Importantly. no visit to the opthalmologist...

Ok, enough of cribbing. That is not what this post is about. So, of course I cant drive to the doctors with this poor vision. Even mom is fed up with the thrice-in-a-week visit to my eye specialist... she has her own work too... so, just this once, she suggested I take the bus... the famous DTC bus ride at 9 in the morning... Well, there isnt much you can do sitting in the bus... out of the window, think, look out, wonder, look out, ponder, look out and smile... that bus rid etriggered this blog... There are some things which I simply love about Delhi. They make Delhi what it is. They make us Delhites what we are. Some of these quintessentials:

• All DTC bus drivers wear their seat belts. At least that is what anyone on the outside would think. In reality, the belt has been stretched out of use and is just strewn across the shoulder of the driver to fool the traffic policeman. What is commendable here is the effort that the driver puts in to fool the policeman, and the innocense displayed by the latter.
  
• Another thing I have noticed in my many bus rides is the difference in the behaviour of DTC and Blueline conductors. A DTC conductor wont move his ass to give you the ticket. It is upto you to wade through the crowd and at the end of it, hold a three rupees ticket as a trophy of your victory. On the other hand, Blueline conductor won't let you sit(or stand) peacefully. He will hound you till the end of your hour long journey, even though you bought the ticket as soon as you entered the bus. I guess it is one of the many differences that contribute to the Diversity in Delhi
  
• Talking of diversity, Delhi is home to people from all parts of the country. Being the capital of the country, it attracts people from all over, and of all economic stratas. What unites the capital, though, and keeps it together is at display in all the markets in Delhi. Bargaining is almost like the second nature of Delhites. It is an undescribable experience to see a women decked in lakhs worth of jewellery haggle with a shopkeeper for ten bucks. Again a lesson for all- ones and twos can make lakhs. After all that is the secret behind the wealth of the aunties.
  
• One obsession shared by all Delhites - their health. Everyone, from 9 to 90 years old is obsessed with their health (or rather figure ;)). I use the word obsess in place of consious for a reason. And this reason would be apparent if you decide to go out at 7 in the morning. Dont go out on foot, mind u, it is against the Delhi traditions. We drive ten kilometers to get to Lodhi graden, Nehru Garden or one of the many other gardens. We park our cars on the road to go in for our 15 min jog, before we drive back to our home just half an hour away. Again, it is our spirit- the pot bellied uncles and hundred kgs overweight aunties are working very hard on getting the right physique.
• Obviously, if there are so many 'bellies' in Delhi, there is a reason for it. A true Delhite can eat ANYTHING at ANYTIME. Hot, cold , sweet, sour, salty, spicy, any damn cuisine- just bring it on! Whatever. We always have room for more food in our stomach. (I guess people who know me already have a proof :P)

Well, there is lot more to write... all in the next blog... need to go and eat ;)