anti capital.

life in Delhi.here is what the sizes are.
small : ages 20 and below.
medium:ages 20 to 30.
large :ages 30 to 40
XL :ages 40 and above.

20 and below is where you get to show off your dads car and look good and be young,and hang around cooler malls during the day.home by 6 .and continue to be cool within the confines of the home.

medium is if you are of those graduate who have a fairly decent job...living in a den of sorts with one or more people of the same age and income bracket.another yuppie establishment where bartan and bathrooms are on principle not cleaned ever.cigarette butts and bits and pieces are left to create a comfortable clutter.a Levis leather patch is the butt / bench mark.books,booze,Internet and clothes are a contrast to to non functional flush and the door off a hinge.this is basically for the out of towners who come in search of work,or stick on in Delhi to work.the family takes on a new meaning...including flat mates/room mates etc.devoid of parental pressure...they think life is a party bcoz they can live in with the boy/girlfriend guilt free.spend as they want,drink etc without a worry,an build up an image with all that they buy off the racks.

large..you've pro just got married,kids,dog...all the bourgeois endeavours to buy a great car,find a new place to live in,is the school you choose hoity toity enough,is your kitchen fancy enough...this is a pupal stage.the butterfly emerges in the next stage.

xl....butterfly at last.you could be bong,mallu,punju,maru,bihari or whatever.of course at this level,the only time time you return to your original form is when the bong will not cook machcher jhol-bhaat.but a fish something " with a delicate flavour,a speciality of the Bengali cuisine,served with rice." maru,punju and bihari will have similar modifications.
.the up-ite could remain very cultured or very coarse.and a punj will want his daaru-shaaru no matter what.
yet essentially...you remain Delhi-ite. neatly trimmed house - plus-lawns. cars in the plural.furniture,wall paint,lighting,tableware...all co ordinated and chic.you are basically shopping from the same racks.

yes...there is old Delhi,Nizamuddin,north campus and jama masjid and lal quila.where you realize you are a prince if you got 50 bucks in your denims.where there are non veg kadais beside open drains.and its nt just cats and dogs,but also cows and goats who are strays.there are nooks and crannies in the outer circle of cp,dusty and dark.....where you will get books and music and hookahs .and the cafe with rickety furniture .or cheap beer joints.north campus is a different place altogether.it demands homage as does Mecca or the Vatican.

unfair as it may be to draw a comparison....i think life is far better in any other place....cal,bombay,blore or guj...the places that i have lived in in....ranging from anything like a month to a lifetime.

phone booth and policemen.scarce in Delhi.in all other places one finds a pco both in almost every corner,main road,highway or residential area.at every pan wallah and petrol pump.those rupee coin boxes.yellow booths.....whatever.and traffic police are the best to give directions.after all if you are cocooned in you air conditioned car you do not need a phone booth,i surmised while scanning the streets for a policeman.every time im lost looking for an address in another of those cushy housing nooks...i know im really lost.and my standard "independent woman" phrase..."ill call if i get lost"...holds no value.in the perfectly rectangular res blocks,the sudden shops,stalls and stray plant is not encouraged.ITS A PLANNED CITY....thus spake the people.
of course...i fumed.i planned on getting lost.and all the housing complexes,societies and appartment blocks in the other places are products of whims.wasnt it anticipated that weher there are people....there shall be a local grocery store,a veggie wallah van on wheels.a rickshaw stand/auto rickshaw stand is st up.basically all the amenities that civiled society would like to avail of.plans ....

for ages i had called anand "mera gaaon."oh bcoz every time i needed new denims,indulge in mall culture or look for gelato(in vain) i neede to drive to baroda or ahmedabad.all that changed soon.CCD,Pizza Hut,Reebok,Sony,City Pulse and wht not soon created a neon glow in anand. now i shall call Delhi "mera gaon".thew nearet sabzi mandi,grocery shop,supermarket,stationary store is just a car ride away.a couple of kms....not much.the bullock carts went out of fashion years back.fruits are so so EXPENSIVE.hoe do ppl eat???no wonder fruit bowls are designer items in those home stores.bhak!
and if i happen to have one of those night time food cravings....for ice cream or something as petty,i only have to nurture and fantasize about it till the next morning.BCOZ SHOPS CLOSE DOWN BY 9PM!!!!unless im in north campus or cr park or something.

the Delhi metro.'its so cool...so fast....so much easier.obviously..it s a metro.and its cool in a impassive slick steely way.air condition and all.i remember in cal....school uniform days.id run in between eh pillars when i was a kid,and lounge around with the attitude when slightly older.the trains would whoosh by in both directions...and i would remain sitting on the steps.because i had no direction to go to...and i had a hand to hold.i was never frisked.and the metro still plays host to romancers and the suicidal.i remember my first metro ride....with ma to the book fair.the yellow plastic chairs have since then continued to fascinate me.

the public transport system.buses,auto or local trains...they are a classic example of democracy.of the ppl,for the ppl.and by the ppl.there will be an instant bonding between ppl.directions,a plastic cuppa,fight and arguments...followed by "peace bredder"...happens everywhere.local in bbay or guj or bus in blore and cal.the bus conductors are one of us....he shall make obvs that he has had a bad day...or he shall share his opinion on anything ..with he passengers.in Delhi....the bus drivers and conductors are these brusque hairy coarse ppl who don't even hear my question(or perhaps my Hindi is just too bad)the call center cabs are slippery.and the auto ricks just take me for a ride.literally.
and in all my life....no matter how crowded,crammed, and jostled...i have often nearly fainted due to the sweaty smell....but i have never had my bottom pinched.

pavements are strictly functional.pedestrians need them.except that there are no pedestrians.i miss cal....where pavements are non existent or are homes for the homeless.and in guj too....as the people would like it....and wherever.

im just not used to this.im used to going out at 8 pm just to chill with friends for some time.parents,how will you get back,stay over...and the worst....unsafe for a girl....ive never been faced with it.in cal or guj.there is always transport available....even at 11pm.there are always ppl on the road.and policemen too.so there.
i miss hanging out at the road side joints.puchka,vada pav,chaat,and juice...in cal,bbay,guj and Blore respectively...all 5 bucks.i miss the pavement cha wallah where we hang out for cha and a ciggie.
the cheap thrills of life have never been more thrilling or cheaper....than to make a 13 rs bus ride to Baroda,and 13rs back....only so that i could sit a day at crossword/landmark and read a book.

i can only pity the people who claim that life is good in Delhi bcoz ....well...whatever.i couldn't ever comprehend.id hate it if my city had to dictate terms.and lay down the conditions of being successful or not.if hate it if i was told how to live.what my lifestyle should be.
as of now....i dont have to CHOOSE a lifestyle mode and pattern.i can create my own.
i pity the young working yuppies....when they lapse into vacant conversation and allow hormones to take over....bcoz sex is the only thing that can give them a sense of achievement or of being wanted.im cool bcoz i am...not bcoz some one thinks so.
for those who swear by turq cottage....id say someplace else wins hands down.
for those who think alcohol consumption makes you more of a man....you are stupid.

once again....i hate Delhi.
in case i haven't been able to present a very strong case....do excuse.im too much in hate.