Daunting, Delightful, Innovative Delhi

Delhi-pic coutesy Olacabs.com

How can a city be delightful and daunting all in one- an innovation to wonder about? Perhaps, if Delhi is chosen as the one.  An off-chance weekend trip to Delhi, always fun, but more so in the winter, brings back so many memories. Of shops brimming with handicrafts, of historic marvels springing from nowhere, of deer dancing in the middle of the city, of khau gallis and fruit chats , of street markets and Dilli haats, of carrots pickled in vinegar and sundried in the tender winter sun, of cycling around the IIT campus, and so many more.

Yes, this is Delhi indeed. The darling of many, this is where it all began. So many stories stand today- of the Mughal Raj, the target of many a reign, of wars, of a city that just stayed on. So many attackers came and went, and yet she stood her ground. Steadfast, refusing to fall, or perish. And so she lives on, even today. Daring Delhi indeed!


Bombay may have been known as  the city of dreams, but Delhi, has always been the dream city for me. So elegant, dreamlike by day and daunting by night, all in one. The expansive Lutyens bungalows, the pristine Connaught circus now somewhat, but thankfully, not completely marred by the likes of ugly monstrous buildings. The streets of Janpath, all fortified by daunting barricades and army posts, speaking of a city so loved , yet so hated, as a symbol of New India that villians chose to defile. Defile they must, by their acts of terror, on people –one or many, but the city still stands, stoic and tall, witness as it has been to the many invaders who tried to break its spirit, through dreadful and heinous acts, even hundreds of years ago, but never could succeed. For it rises, like a phoenix, each time, with its body damaged, but its  soul untarnished, brave and beautiful, ready to spring back. Delhi is and remains a delight- a paradise for writers, many of whom have devoted their entire books to it. “Adventures in a megacity”. “ Derilious in Delhi”,The new “Delhi stories”, " Delhi-6, the movie" and many more, inspired by the soul that refuses to die.

K

A lot of conjecture goes into what gives Delhi its name, but, I guess, the city of delights may be the best that I can think of. “Delightful Delhi” . Be it a glutton, a historian, a shopper , or just an amblingindian, delightful it is indeed, endearing to them all, and innovative in its own way (More about that in the next post). Delightful Delhi, at its best, as it is today, and will be !


Regards
Aina Rao,

The amblingindian.

P.S the amblingindian has today crossed 20,000 views. You, dear readers, delight me, as does Delhi...