My Delhi is different than your Delhi, his Delhi and their Delhi

I have relationship with cities. With Delhi it is a love-hate relationship.

You do not share relationship with cities. You are in Delhi for work. You live in your suitcase in a posh area of the city and will go back as soon as you finish.

He is a resident of Delhi. Born somewhere in the US but lived here all his life. He belongs here!

They live across my house in a very small house. I don’t talk to them often. I don’t know if they have relationship with cities. I don’t know whether they like Delhi or not. May be they are here only to earn money!

So why am I in this city at all? May be I was lost and parent’s house was a safe place to come back to. May be I was too insecure to explore opportunities or I already knew I will excel here. I have seen many faces of Delhi- historic and contemporary, galleries and pubs, posh and dodgy, crowded and quite, helpful and disrespectful, insecure and protective, honest and cheat. Such complex is my interaction with this city. To love London was so simple! To (almost) hate living in Nagpur was also simple! But Delhi evokes mixed feelings in me which I could never understand.

I wonder why you don’t have feelings for a city. A city like Delhi!! Are you insensitive or the city does not talk to you? Are you too busy doing your everyday business? Do you take time off to explore the city? Do you interact with the city?

His Delhi is very limited. He has not explored the historic cities or galleries, museums. He has never travelled in a public transport. I don’t think he has even seen the New Delhi Railway Station. But he gives much more to the city than me. Unlike me, he knows their Delhi.

What is Delhi for them? I still don’t know. I am scared to even ask. I don’t know how they survive. I walk with you and him sometimes in the city. I see the help they get from both. I am indifferent.   You told me that they don’t have money to buy food. You buy food for them while he offered a job. I am still indifferent.

I have established a relationship with the city but you have established a relationship with its people. I think you have a very limited understanding of the complexities of this city but you give much more to the city. Our perception of the city is so different. My Delhi is different than your Delhi and his Delhi. I am indifferent to their Delhi!