Change and Delhi

I was in Delhi for a friend’s wedding reception when I found myself thinking about change. So much has already been written about change that I find my thoughts reductive. Over the course of a quick 3 day trip, I realise that change is refreshing. Change can be good, bad or both but absolutely necessary.

Trust me I am no fan of Delhi-The smog, loud people and horrible weather. Even though I was born and brought up in the city, I find it hard to relate to. Weirdly enough I found myself smiling and enjoying whenever I stepped out. I found the change to be welcome.

The sunset hits different. The driver is blasting super cringe 80/90s Bollywood music. The kind your friends play when you are three drinks in. Wide, pothole free roads-A luxury that Bangalore can’t afford. Roads that are clogged up all the way to Gurgaon but the traffic still keeps moving. As does the city.

I am in the Metro, enroute to home from my friend’s apartment in Gurgaon. Different coloured footwear dot the dusty mosaic floor. Colours as different as anything you’d expect to see. Everybody is here. There are so many stories here, in this car. My mind wanders building characters and forming back stories. I feel this absence in Bangalore. To be fair, I haven’t travelled in any form of public transport in a while. Delhi is eclectic. There is a piece of red luggage right in the middle of all the brightly coloured feet. When I look around, I see many. Frosty air blasts through the vents as the yellow lights of the car throws their own shade on everything inside. There is energy, hustle and something else in the air that I can’t put my finger on. Delhi is electric.