Delhi and I

Posted on by sudhagee

This is the story of a 36-year old relationship with a city that has had many names in the past, but is known quite simply as Delhi today.

It is a city that has fascinated me for a long, long time.

It is a city that I have never lived in, but have visited it so many times that I have lost count.

And yet, it is a city, that I know very little about.

It is a city that sets off my respiratory allergies, if I stay for more than a day.

And yet, it is also a city that I want to live in for at least a year.

Delhi, History and Heritage, Many Delhis, Mughal Delhi, Pre-mughal Delhi
Agrasen ki Baoli. Photo: July 2016

It is a city where diffused and clear memories and experiences are strung together in the same strand.

Like my first visit to Delhi in 1980.

I was about 9 at that time and in Delhi with my parents for a family function. I have vague memories of also visiting the Red Fort, the Qutub Minar, and other historical sites. But the memory of eating hot rasmalai at Chandni Chowk is the memory that surfaces first.

Then the trip in 1998, when I was deputed to attend a training programme in Delhi by my office. It was a very hectic 10 days and though I wanted to see beyond the training room, the packed schedule didn’t leave me with much time. Any free time that I got was devoted to ticking off items from the various shopping lists my colleagues and family members had thrust upon me. When I boarded the return train to Mumbai, I had 7 bags with me. Yes, 7 bags stuffed with things I can’t even remember today! The strongest memory I have from that trip is the paneer I was served for practically every meal. In other words, by the time I left, I didn’t want to see, eat or even hear the word paneer ever again. It took me 10 years to recover from that ‘paneer trauma’.

Delhi is also the city where I have made so many day trips from Mumbai for meetings that the details of individual trips have blurred and merged into one another. Except for one in 2013, where my meeting was fortuitously timed in such a way that I was actually able to visit a couple of the city’s best known landmarks — Humayun’s Tomb before the meeting and Lodi Gardens after the meeting.

Humayun’s tomb Photo: February 2013
Detail of dome from Humayun’s tomb. Photo: February 2013
Two boys try to look through a screen at Humayun’s Tomb. Photo: February 2013
Looking at the Sheesh Gumbad from the Bada Gumbad Photo: February 2013
The breathtaking carvings on the walls of the masjid adjoining the Bada Gumbad Photo: February 2013

2016 has been my best year with regard to Delhi for I had 2 memorable trips. The first was in May to see “The Everlasting Flame: An Exhibition on Zoroastrianism” and the sculpture gallery at the National Museum and also meet some friends.  The second trip happened quite by chance and turned out to be my best Delhi trip to date, even though I was unwell all through. Three different friends showed me three different sides of Delhi — the street art at Khanna Market, a drive through Delhi where I got a feel of the spread of the city, and a visit to Begumpur Mosque.

Yamuna at the National Museum. Photo: May 2016
Street art at Khanna Market. Photo: June 2016
More street art at Khanna Market Photo: June 2016
The vast courtyard and congregational space of the Begumpur Mosque Photo: June 2016
Another view of the Begumpur Mosque Photo: July 2016

This year, I revived the practice of sending New Year greeting cards to friends; bulk of those cards had a Delhi mailing address. I realised that Delhi is also a city where many of my friends are based — old friends, new friends, blogger friends, twitter friends. Friends who keep calling me back or inviting me to visit.

This post is my ‘New Year Card’ to Delhi with the hope that a 36-year old acquaintance becomes a friendship in 2017. And that like my friends, Delhi too invites me and lets me experience the city that everyone claims it is. And that’s my wish for 2017— a long leisurely trip to Delhi exploring its history and heritage, with lots of rasmalai thrown in. I’ll even put up with the paneer. I, however, draw the line at shopping. 😛

Delhi, are you listening?

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Published by sudhagee

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22 thoughts on “Delhi and I”

  1. Enjoyed this completely! Delhi is also a city I’ve had a mixed relationship with since 1990. Many wonderful years there and intermingled with challenges too. Here’s hoping your relationship with Delhi flourishes in the coming years!

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    1. Thank you, Carissa.

      Sometimes, I feel that Delhi and I don’t have any relationship and whatever feelings are there is from my side only ! One day, I hope that Delhi will notice me 😛

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  2. Aaww, your post is reminding me of good memories of Dilli 🙂 Coincidentally, I met my old travel gang last night for year end catch up and we have decided to travel to Delhi next year to visit one of our members who’s residing there..Delhi is going to be our reunion trip 🙂

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  3. My Delhi friends tell me I should visit Delhi for the open spaces, leisurely life (they find Mumbai very fast and hectic), and monuments. Surely, one day I intend to see the capital.

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    1. Leisurely? Perhaps. Fas and hectic? I think all cities are that. Open spaces? Definitely so. I wish we had the equivalent of the Lodhi Gardens in Mumbai. How I wish that.

      Good luck and I hope that you get to visit and spend time in Delhi, sooner rather than later.

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  5. Delhi is a place that has always fascinated me, fascinates me more every time I visit. I have been there twice, with the husband, explored the city while he was on official work. I have only seen the tourist spots, though, and would love to explore the depths of the city from different angles. Something tells me there’s a whole lot more to learn and love about the place.

    Here’s wishing the both of us get to know Delhi better in 2017! 🙂 Beautiful post!

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    1. So nice to see you here, TGND, after so long.

      I don’t think one can ever know any place or anyone or for that matter anything completely. That’s what makes travel so exciting. And on that note amen to that thought of both of us getting to know Delhi a little better this year.

      Cheers ! 🙂

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  6. Hello Guys..
    Nice blog.. Good job.. Interesting post. Thank you so much for the information. It’s a great post…I love travelling and want to travel all over the world. Explore new places, adventurous things and many more. And photographs are just amazing. Keep writing !!!

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  10. great post now i will definitely like to visit new Delhi.Now i can say that ”
    Delhi is considered as the heart of the country. The city is popular for its rich culture and heritage.”
    thank you so much for this great article

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  11. I’ve been living on and off in Delhi since 2010 and I still haven’t been able to explore the city to its core. Yet, there is something that always compels me to stay connected with it.

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