Dilli Meri Jaan !

My Delhi is at a zillion levels. 

My Delhi of yore, of childhood friendships and summer holidays; of some risks, some abandon of youth; of beginnings, of heartbreaks big and small; of sibling showdowns and youth meltdowns; my Delhi of family and timeless bonds, of the wide laned to the dusty narrow gullies, of rude auto-rickshaws, lecherous gawks, hawker hawks, gorgeous fare to loot by the roadside as also to drool at by the branded shopper arcades; of the crowded paradise of Lajpat Nagar with an answer to all my needs - the unrealized ones untill I spot them, especially. The only city I know which revives & titilates my desire for dressing up at spotting elegant Punjabi ladies in the most tasteful and drool-worthy traditional  daily-wear that makes me exchange a look with my sis/ with a friend and yearn to copy the cut and the look;)!

A City where I have double the number of memories (includes friends) to say hello to than there are days in a quarter- the result being there's always someone un met ( 'n miffed ), always something undone , always a shop unexplored , always a self promise unfulfilled, always that plate less of Paapri Chaat & Chole Bhature - a sad reality but one that fuels a hopeful one as well, and gives a theme (an entry into my check list) for the next visit. 

A Delhi in November, a Delhi devoid of its multitude seasonal extremes and not at all of its sensual generosity- a nippy delhi of fireworks & Diwali, of drumbeats, lavish shaadi pandals, of the beautiful togetherness of Bhai Dooj -more recently the spontaneous coming together of my son and his cousins; of him exploring and evoking in himself feelings unknown to him till now - of the gorgeous drunkenness of cousin love and playtime unlimited!

A Delhi of being back home- sleeping in that same room; on my familiar bed; (the morning hot seat : the same pot, literally)  the living oldness of my father's house, of some taps that leak, of the stairs that can be climbed so easily from one floor to another, of the tiles that are chipped and aged in places, of the chip mosaic flooring under my feet and the presence of our childhood in many corners. A home with HIS intense presence in moments  & memories, the familiar dependability of my Mom's presence, the gastronomic stirrings contained in her meal-planning of the simple lotir shaag, chokka, shorshe machh, mochar ghonto, the sheer presence of Jharna ghee at the table... Sorry can't go on causing a local deluge of sorts!

A Delhi of the best siblings in the world; of so much unsaid and so much felt,  of often unexpressed but always overwhelming love for each other; of sharing old memories, common bonds and generous dollops of food - of them trying to make up for my absence from the Delhi food - chain and hence feeding me at every conceivable pang-moment !!!!

A Delhi where my best friend and life-pardner ;)  spent his better years in close proximity of where my Father's house stands and the wonderment I feel every time he takes us on the ritual- tour of the house where he grew up in GK, the stationery shop which he (or someone) named Bittoo after the Sardarji who ran it, the Mithai shop that served his sweet tooth needs, the location of that barber under the tree, the moglai porota aka mutton chop corner at CR Park that assuaged his evening snack pangs- on his route back from tuitions! And while on this tour my mind unfailingly wanders to wonder if I ever did spot him back then! Did I ?!

Delhi for me is about friendships that are timeless, of friends who simply go the extra mile & just pick it up as if time's stood still, of so many who remind me that it's normal to mean it when we say Let's meet this weekend (in a let's meet -hormone surge)!

Delhi for me is about so much that has changed and even more that has remained untouched - who could imagine they could build one of the most complex Metro junctions under the notorious Laxman Public School -and the school would still be standing? Where was the space for the significantly wider roads hiding during my days there? How's my city still so green (read beautiful), yet so dusty? 

Delhi for me is always home; a constant presence and one with an evolving constancy to it!

Love you muchhllyy!