CHANGE

Packed my bags from Mumbai and shifted to Delhi. Everything has changed in the past couple of days, city, job, profile, friends, atmosphere, weather and culture. Every little thing has undergone a sea change. I know, why Mumbai, even I am missing the claustrophobic Mumbai. No matter how dingy and dirty the Mumbai gets, it will truly be the best and most happening city of India. SEA, the dirty Arabian Sea, I miss it badly.

Although there have been debates, discussions, PKSE (Pyaar ke Side Effects), cover stories on Delhi v/s Mumbai, why Delhiites hate Mumbai and vice versa. I was happy to be greeted by the cold weather, which makes your organs shrink and the white layer of fog stretched across the city. After three long years, I was experiencing the cold weather of the Northern region. Remember my school days, when my parents would force to wear gloves, layers of clothing, but young in the blood, brave at the idiocities, no gloves, no sweater. Holding shoulder to shoulder of your friend and riding bicycle while one or two of them driving scooter would pull the whole chain of friends’ riding bicycle.

Delhi ki sardi is truly a joy to cherish. The cold weather brings the real flavour of the whisky. The two/three long swigs of whisky breaks the whole idea of a winter, which even comes at a discounted rates compared to Mumbai. In Mumbai, after gulping n pitchers of beer, you still felt hot inside and outside.

Yes I am truly adjusting to the bull shit transport service in Delhi. Though fares are cheaper in Delhi and exactly half the rate in Mumbai. But the hassle of catching an auto and begging him to take you at the fare he demands.

Meter se chalo, saab meter kharaab hai.

To theek karvayo, Meter se kaun chalta hai.

Acche kitne, 60 rupaiye.

Bhaiya 50 chalenge, saab dal 100 rupaiye se upar ho gayi hai, chinni 50 paar kar gayi hai.

Mujhe kyon bata rahe hon, Manmohan Singh ke pass time kaha hai yeh sab sunene ke liye.

Finally he says with all his pride and valour intact, bolo saab chalna hai. Still you are requesting, No man, please don’t leave me alone in this deserted place, I feel scary (yes I do feel the same at 8:30 in CP, the CBD of Delhi). In Delhi, even men are also not safe after sun sets.

He made me realize that the prices of basic commodities has really skyrocketed. Its been more than six months since I last visited grocery store. And promised, if I contribute towards reneging Manmohan Singh out of office, he will charge me 40. In Mumbai, an autorickshaw driver is hardly bothered to understand the economic parameters. In Mumbai, you meet and greet a lot of people, who are talking about stock markets and gulping and churning market information, is their one and only motive for existence. While in Delhi, people are always talking about Soniaji, Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh and all the special human beings sitting above, below or around them.

At the same time, we can definitely talk about the Metro and the Mumbai local. Both have different meanings and importance in the lives of the people of two cities respectively. You do miss the madness of the Mumbai local? It is a phenomena on its own.

In Mumbai, I would search for my friends, who owns a car or who is able to lend a car to me. But in Delhi, all of my friends fly on four wheels except me, who has started to feel crippled without a car in Delhi.

In Mumbai, we always shop at malls, but in Delhi, even for the most upmarket and chic stuff, you visit markets, where you can roam on a street and window shop and loudspeakers are on, please take care of belongings and take care of your car, somebody may be trying to steal things by diverting your attention. Cars are parked in open. In Mumbai, most of the cars suffered from exhaustion by sitting and waiting for too long in cramped underground parking spaces.

Aur SirJi kaise hon. Everybody greets you with humbleness and respect, though most of them don’t feel the same, most of the time. The babugiri has seeped into the veins of every Delhiite, be it a peon. Nobody takes time to look at the watch. Everybody is running an hour or two late, which is like standard time.

I miss the professional and corporate culture of Mumbai, where you only talk about the work and not about bhabhiji, bache and kakaji, even if it is for the first time or nth time. In Delhi, besides work, people have time for all the schmuck burdening the earth.

Girls of Delhi and Mumbai. Mumbai girls are smarter than Delhi girls. Delhi girls are more beautiful and fair than Mumbai girls. Delhi girls like to get-up (no not dress up or make up), something is loud or bold on their body. Either a body curve, excessive lipstick, jhumke (earrings), dupatta, something is always over the board, as if they forgot to remove something after attending yesterday night’s party.

I am a foodie, so will definitely talk about food. Its difficult for a Punjabi to live on rice. In Mumbai, rice is the only reasonable (in terms of cost, time, hygiene and genuinity). But in Delhi, food just tastes awesome and the smell of it gives butterflies in your stomach. The sumptuous chicken tikka, kebab rolls, parantha and chhole and the thick daal. Every second day, somebody orders the delicious samosa in office. While in Mumbai, I was bored and saddened to eat the idlis, dosas, vada-pav, pav-bhaji and rice pulav, it’s difficult to survive on such such of food. BalaSaheb your Marathi brigade really deserves the accolade and the respect for eating and living on such food.

The list can be endless about n number of things, thoughts and perceptions. But to sum up, I have found average Mumbaikar lives as he has been send to spend some time on earth while Delhiite lives to eat and a comfortable life, without caring about money.