Delhi with a Dil

It’s the city where I was conceived, born, brought up and married! It will always hold a special place in the story of my life but not in a way that Delhi people will boast about. Delhi has some of the most gorgeous houses, by far India’s best infrastructure and the old heritage monuments that can make any city look so magnificent but the real Delhi is not at all only about that. To every Delhite, Delhi is a place where they live with people who are so alike, whether publicly they agree with it or not. Every colony will have similar people, similar cars, similar houses, similar house parties; but it will vary from colony to colony. It’s not a conjuncture of vast varieties of people like a Bombay or New York is. We Delhiites are all the same, only our bank balances differ, and hence the spending habits. From inside, we might be baniya, khatri, kayastha, or a mona sardar but we all love decorating our houses with beautiful artifacts bought from Delhi Haat, Trade fair, Surajkund Mela, or trips abroad but we all do believe that houses are the reflection of the family. We host parties. And we love it, it shows how spendthrift and social we are, how peoples person our family is. I have been to some of the most awesome farmhouse parties and to some of the most matar paneer ones but they all do happily co-exist in Delhi! Every Delhite loves house parties and knows, calling food from the corner dhaaba and daaru from the theka will be much more pocket friendly than taking your whole family & friends out for a lounge treat. Also it will be a good way to casually chit-chat about the new hand crafted mantelpiece, you know just casually mentioning it! We do go out, a lot, eat butter chicken and delicious donor kababs with a diet coke or fancy dumplings at a fancier Chinese restaurant, but the whole year through, your north Indian mom, would stir up some impeccable paneer dish, dad will get Tandoori chicken and roti from the tandoor guy from the colony market and wollah, the house party is on!

Ahh, the colony market! 

Every block, every colony in Delhi has to have it’s own market to boast about. It comprises of an Aggarwal Sweets that sells gorgeous smelling jalebi and tikkis in the evening and mithai through the day. Then, a stationery shop, where as school kids, we would go more often than to our massi’s house. A grocery shop, may be a Gupta stores or a fancier Morning store, and these will sell items per demand, and per spending habits. Diced Sugarcane (for Delhiites it is their very own Gunderi) will cost vastly different in these stores, but will surely find a place in any grocery shop’s vegetable shelves. Market will also be a house to a Mother Dairy, milk and vegetables one next to each other; a mini restaurant/dhaba, a photocopy and Internet wale bhaiya in the smallest corner, a fancy parlour, and a Café Coffee Day (that’s the new boastful addition that’s started germinating in the last 3-4years). Colony market also has to house a gift shop, where everyone will buy all the birthday gifts from and everyone knows what costs what, and still everyone passes on gifts from this very shop. Not to forget the Optician uncle, the very own guy who has seen you through your first plastic specs, your lenses and now makes your Ray-Ban personalized shades that we conveniently flaunt through our selfies without any credits to the poor uncle.

That’s about a typical Delhi colony market, with few challi/bhutta, popcorn, fruit, chai and ice cream walas occupying the very very precious parking spots in front of these shops, but all in all that’s a typical colony market for you. It comes to its full glory when in the evening, kids returning from their tuitions stop by, dark lipstick, high-heel aunties with their ever demanding kids juggle between shops and uncles hog at the momo stalls. Cars with fancy horns, blaring Yo Yo Honey Singh songs, vague stickers (read Jaat boy, Smart Boy types) and flashing spoilers can be easily spotted here. You may also see, really handsome, really fair, good looking, tie clad and full sleeved shirt men stopping by to get their pastas and oats but they will be a rare sight. Common sight will be dressed to kill girls of 15-25years of age. When I said dressed to kill, I meant, if they are killed, they don’t want their newspaper pictures to look like the real them. They have to wear shorts and something really ‘mini’ with everything in flow with the color theme, accessories for the essential bling and a lip gloss for the essential pout. Very pretty, very cute, very dressed up, but then, there comes a voice that you so wished you wouldn’t have heard, “meine toh kaa tha tereko ki si-lect chal letey, tum meri baat suntey ni ho yaaaaar”. And only with that, your visit to the Delhi colony market will come to a complete!

It’s not funny (ok some people will amuse you) but most of it, is full of hustle-bustle, and with zesty people who are so alike! All girls with similar kohled eyes, straight hair with puffs; all aunties with similar suits (whichever one is the hottest in fashion), all guys in similar spikes (whichever direction is the hottest in fashion) but each one trying to CT-Scan you top to bottom for a self assurance that is mine better or hers, or to secretly get inspired ;). They all are happy, chilled-out, i-am-the-best, vibrant people. They might appear to be shallow to the outside, but Delhiites make for the nicest friends one can have. Delhiites, are lovely people, they dress up, they flaunt, they rant & rave but they love you with all their dil.