Delhi 2008

“Delhi Sheher nahi, mehfil hai”

I do not know when I became old enough to say the following phrase but ‘about more than a decade ago’

I opened my eyes and saw the year to be 2008, it was my second time in Delhi and it was my first time in Delhi with my proper memory and consciousness, congress was in power at the time and Sheela Dixit was the Chief Minister, the whole world was going through an economic slowdown, my world however was blooming with that feeling of being a rebel kid and having fun 26 hours a day.

I used to go to this school names the “good Samaritan” where they taught us a lot about Christianity, I was always fascinated by the eloquent prayers the choir group used to recite in the morning assemblies.

At home it used to be me, my homework and tv, Tv being a desert’s oasis due to the light being out for around 8 hours straight, I remember how there used to be diesel powered generators at every nook and corner that roared to life whenever there was a light out, the smell they collectively gave out was pleasing.

I remember getting up for school and walking up to the Allama shibli nomani road (which the whole world has nicknamed Naley wali road) and seeing my school right on the other side, the building braving through the tree canopies. The area where I lived used to be a farm land, and in 2008 there were still some crops around that were sowed and harvested, you could see it.

Journeys were always fun as they were more challenging and time consuming back then, Mamma and I used to sit on a peddle rickshaw together and go off to Batla house and it would take us nearly an hour, nearly. And despite all his hard work the rickshaw puller would charge only 10 rupees for his service.

Going to distant places was even more exciting, no I will not mention the auto rickshaws; there were more important things.

 The notorious Blue-line busses, there was a time everyone was afraid of them as someone died every week and it always had to do something with those busses, but regardless people travelled in it quite a lot.

I always had this feeling that it’d be blue in color but things changed the day I first sat in it, that imagination of mine had taken a big hit on discovering the reality. My physical body had taken many hits too due to the bus jumping around like its wheels were made out of clouds or rocks or something.

I remember buying things for 25 paises back then, particularly those packets of tiger biscuits.

The following account might not have been very vivid or aesthetically pleasing but if you too have lived through these times I am sure even these simple sentences will take you back for a pleasant ride.

What Delhi has become now is in some matters better but in some matters worse, that is the practice of time, it brings about order in some places and leaves the rest in the hands of entropy.

Overall it was a simpler time back then, those who missed it missed something significant.

I remember a letter of Ghalib in which he talked about the wrecking of Delhi and how matters were becoming tensed, Mir taqi Mir had a more vivid view of those times and sadly since 2008 the present times too took us back, but not in the way I took you back.

“Delhi jo ek sheher tha alam mein intekhaab

Ham rehne wale hain usi ujde dayar ke”