Delhi in a Day

Just got back home and here’s Part 1 of my Tales of Three Cities.

I was going for a sleepover at my school-friend’s house. 

My husband had no issues. 

My parent’s were not too happy because it meant one day less at home. 

My kids were wild with reactions ranging from: 

           You are deserting us…

           How can you go to a friend’s house in another city (might as well be                               another planet)….

           Oh, then we can also go…

Being Loverna, I still went ahead.

We were together since we were in 1^st C. Then we went to college in different cities and got to meet only a few times in a year. We used to talk for hours about anything and everything and the world seemed to be so much better after that.

Now we get to meet only in a few years and have to cajole our kids into giving us that time. 

We managed and talked through the night.

It was back to reality in the morning. She had work. I had to do Sarojini Nagar.

As I drove into the areas which had once been home, I was amazed that so much had changed. Relieved that so much had not.

That smooth flyover where they had uprooted the broad shady trees and build giant contraptions (which added some 40 mins to my commuting time for a year while it was being built) was dug around and barricaded all around-again.

Oh. Were they taking out the flyover and planting trees again?

Of course not. This time it was the Delhi metro.

Sarojini Nagar was the same too. Nobody remembered those security cordons and men in uniform who were positioned after the Diwali blast. The same equation held for bargaining through the bazaar (Start at 50% -10% of Original quote: settle at +10% of the same). Shopped to make it last till whenever the next trip happens.

Same story on the way out.

More cars than the widened roads and junction-less crossings could hold. Every driver trying to move into the fastest moving lane at the same time. And the widened roads suddenly narrowing down to one-third leaving the rest for metro construction. In fact I would have missed the bus home had it not been for another friend who honked and knifed and danced through the traffic with the zeal of a true Delhite.

What a city! Everyone from the Pandavas, the Sultans, the Mughals, the British and the Government of India built it up and it is still Chaos who rules.

I was told it will be all spanking clean and organized before the Commonwealth Games start.

Yeah? And then we’ll start preparing for the Olympics?