Life in the Capital

Life in the Capital

(A Puneri perspective)

Phew! It had been one hell of a week. After being on the move for two weeks, scurrying across 9 countries & living out of a suitcase, I was back in my dear old Pune on the 5^th of June, 2010.The packing was done. The heart was pumping against my ribs. Innumerable thoughts were racing across the mind. Nervousness and anticipation had flooded me. I was moving to the Capital of India for my first job after post-grad. Never before had I stayed alone and that too so far away from my near and dear ones (A two-year stay in a comfy hostel in Andheri hardly amounts to living alone). To add to the turmoil, it was my first experience of booking a flight online and travelling in it alone. I already had pretty tumultuous nights leading to the day of my departure- Sunday the 13^th June, 2010. In addition, my newly bought huge American Tourister travel bag had broken down after 15 days in Europe and I got it back repaired on Friday night. So, the entire packing had to be wrapped up on Saturday.

Around 1:15 pm, I had arrived at the famous IGI Airport in the Capital. I was already warned by numerous people of the treacherous climate that our capital has been ‘blessed’ with. Temperatures were at their peak in June and hovering around the 42ºC mark. There were no signs of monsoon which we are so accustomed to back home at the onset of June. A solitary figure of me managing his luggage (that had overshot flight limit) made his way to one of the prepaid cabs. With a map of the company guest house in hand, I set off, rather forlorn, towards a new chapter in my life.

Like a true blue Punekar, I have been brought up to look down upon other cities. And if that city turns out to be one in the north, it’s all the more to be lashed at. Delhi is poles apart from Pune. Of course, the two can’t really be spoken about in the same breath. For that matter, it’s dissimilar to another metro city- Mumbai too.

I have been in South Delhi, so most of my musings are a reflection of that. You’ll see multi-lane roads adorned with a network of fly-overs almost every five minutes’ drive. If you miss a fly-over or a turn, you’ll end up driving one-and-a-half to two extra kilometres before you are back on track. I was taken aback by the fact that Delhi is very green. You will find huge expanses of land covered with flora of various sorts, as if it’s a mini-jungle amidst the city. As a visitor, you’ll be impressed by this city’s infrastructure in general. Wide roads, unadorned by pot-holes, clear visible markings, dividers, signboards and beautiful edifices embellish the South Delhi landscape.

For a foodie, any discussion is incomplete without mentioning food. From media, gossipmongers, acquaintances and various other sources, my taste buds were eagerly anticipating the gorgeous Delhi food. But let me tell you frankly, food options in Delhi are totally limited, more so for a veggie. For someone who has stayed only in Pune-Mumbai-Maharashtra for longer periods, Delhi comes as a surprise. Back home, we are used to all kinds of food varieties and can never imagine that access to some kinds of cuisine is really non-existent.

Let me start with the first meal of the day. Breakfast options in Delhi are parathas and parathas. Add eggs and ‘Maggi’ and that’s all. Any small outlet right from hand-carts to small outlets will sell only these items. If you ask, “Nashte ke liye kya hai, bhaiyya?” you’ll get the typical response,”Sab kuch hai- Aloo paratha, aloo pyaz paratha, pyaz paratha, gobi paratha, gobi pyaz, paneer, paneer pyaz, anda paratha, omelette, maggi”. So, this is what comprises the universe of “sab kuch hai” and it seems we are in a game of permutation-combination with basic elements being potato, onion, paneer and egg. Pohe, upma and all other items are almost non-existent.

Next we come to meals. I am fond of Punjabi sabjis (atleast what we get back home) and I was eagerly anticipating that a plethora of original north Indian vegetables would greet me. But shock & dismay awaited me. Right from small ‘tapris/thelas/dhabas’ to bigger restaurants, the vegetables section hardly extends beyond the count of 10. Chana, Rajma, Dal Tadka, Dal Makhni, Shahi Paneer, Kadhai paneer, Palak paneer FULL STOP! That’s all you get in veg sabjis. If you are lucky, there might be an addition of 2-4 more variants, mostly of paneer. No wonder the common perception here is, “What do you have in veg food besides paneer?” Life isn’t as bad for the non-veg folks as there is a cornucopia of options, especially in chicken.

Another intriguing observation is that you find a ‘great divide’ over here. You have extreme low-end eateries like dhabas, stand & eat outlets else you’ll have overtly expensive high-end fine dining restaurants & international chains. To your astonishment, south Indian food (which is easily accessible & affordable back home) is luxury dining. From small dingy shops to specialised restaurants, South Indian food is definitely not an option if you wanna fill your tummy for less than `200. The simple plain dosa starts at `70-95 at most places. Another missing thing is the affordable multi-cuisine restaurants that are abundant in my part of the India- the ones those serve everything right from snacks, fast food, southy, pav-bhaji & chaats, Punjabi, Chinese, Italian, desserts and what not. Being used to these kinda restaurants, eating–out was definitely not an enjoyable option for me.

The monotony in food might be attributed to a facet of Delhite culture that they’ll prefer eating same kind of food even when eating out. I have seen localites ordering parathas and chana/rajma and kadhai paneer even if some other options are available. While choosing so, they’ll say,”It’s better to be safe and order something we know.” A common trait across Delhi is that the vendors serve lots of chopped onions and green chutney with most of the items.

Let’s go out on the street. Hawkers selling momos are a sight at almost every corner. People gorge on this cheap, non-oily food item which is really filling. Even I became fond of this item of which hitherto I was unaware. Before arriving in the capital, I was told that I’ll get sumptuous Dilli chaat. Being a chaat-deewana, my mouth was watering even before landing. But to my utter dismay, there is hardly anything to chaat here. It comprises aloo tikki, papdi chaat, bhalla papdi and gol-gappe. Onions & Sev (crisp vermicelli made of gram flour) which form a vital part of chaat back home are not even seen in a chaat outlet here. Instead, carrots, ginger and what not are used to adorn the chaat. Bhel-puri, sev puri are exotic items. And a horrendous preparation that is so-called pav-bhaji co-exists along with these chaat items and it is in no way related to the tasty pav-bhaji I am used to. Another curious thing you’ll find is that most sweet shops house eateries and they are the places where you get these chaat items, along with rabdi, falooda, jalebis & samosas..and the 70 buck dosa. A stand-alone sweet shop is a rarity. Delhi is full of ‘Aggarwal sweets’, though I doubt if they are even slightly related at all. Also, juice stalls fill the area like numerous stars lighting the sky. Unlike Pune-Mumbai, carts selling various sandwiches, toasts, dosas, dabelis, wada-bhajis etc are non-existent.

With the ‘roti’ part done and hardly anything special about ‘kapda’, let’s turn our eyes on the ‘makaan’ part of the famous roti-kapda-makaan trio. I have been to a lot of areas in South Delhi like Kalkaji, Malviyanagar, Saket, Hauz Khas, Green Park etc. and you can’t help noticing the unmistakable similarity in the style of housing. There is a culture of independent houses here. These are neither bungalows nor flats or societies. So, you’ll have different buildings with distinct styles, colours, architecture stacked next to each other with no gaps between them. Generally, there would be 3-4 floors. One floor houses a single abode. With this kind of arrangement, houses have open side only at the front and rear. They generally are long and narrow, somewhat akin to rail carriages, with one room leading into another. Another fact that you’ll not fail to notice is that arrangement for parking is non-existent. Even the wealthy have to park on the streets with dust, scratches and anti-social elements threatening to impair the vehicle.

I can’t bid adieu without mentioning the weather. Back home, we complain when all we have to go through is 2 months (at the most 3) of discomfort in summer. Rest all is paradise. But in Delhi, it’s a war out there. You literally have to take on the elements of nature. Summers can murder while winters can butcher you. Scorching heat, sweltering humidity and hot gusts of wind attack you in summer. You simply stand no chance without an air-conditioner. This starts from Feb end-March beginning and its aftermath lasts till July. Just when you feel that the monsoon will alleviate the torture, water logging and jams take-over. This continues not long before the chilling winter arrives. It’s a stealth move since you’ll actually enjoy its arrival in October but when it finally conquers, you are left gasping. You enter survival mode and all that you can think of is Darwin’s theory of “Survival of the fittest”. Heaters, multiple layers of clothing with coats, sweaters, and jackets simply are no match for the juggernaut that nature can unleash.

With all the stuff notwithstanding, you simply have to admire the capital. Delhi with its urbane infrastructure interspersed with greenery, its liveliness, wonderful edifices, the broad roads, the awe-inspiring Central Secretariat area, famous Connaught Place, the excellently managed Metro network, humongous number of eateries, old world culture merging with new state-of-the-art amenities has that overwhelming air, vigour, illumination, and love about it. People live life with a panache and that’s why it attracts scores of migrants not only from neighbouring areas but from lands far away. It’s a land where you’d probably find the highest number of foreigners. While Mumbai has the busy, professional look of a person engaged in routine life, Delhi is like a celebrity whose life is painted in glamour and flair. Ironically, it’s Mumbai where the Indian film industry resides while the politicos are in Delhi. And as I pack up to leave this place for another city awaiting me with its distinctive charm, I can’t help the mixed feelings that I am experiencing…

Delhi never was and never can be called home. But, leaving a place you stayed at for a year always stirs up your emotions even though you were not really loving it or looking forward to it. Bye Delhi!