My Delhi Woes....

I am usually the kind of person who adapts. But even after living in Delhi for the past two years, I just could not develop that liking or feeling of belongingness.

I’ve been to places all over India and I bet you’d agree, Delhi is among one of the worst places to live. Even the people living in it will admit it is not a very glamorous destination, which is stupefying given the fact that it is the capital city and the biggest education and tourism hub in the country. Infrastructure wise, yes, I agree it probably is the strongest (metros, airport etc.) but if you talk in terms of statistics and an environment conducive for women, the place is not exactly a traveller’s delight.

Apart from my personal first bad impression and experiences, I have listed few points why I don’t like the place.

Not safe for girls: In light of the recent tragic rape incident and a survey by TOI which reveals that Delhi ranks the highest in rape and sexual abuse cases, and 76 per cent of women claimed that they have been sexually abused in one way or the other 

Pollution:  Delhi is amongst the most polluted cities in India and the number of deaths and other related health effects have been increasing at an alarming rate.   

Link :New Delhi air pollution worse than Beijing 

Autorickshaws do not use meter: Delhi autowallahs never agree to go by meter. As a result, people like me who cannot speak fluent Hindi and aren’t familiar with the place are cheated over and over again by autowallahs. It’s like we’re held ransom by a tyranny of autodrivers. I remember the time when I paid 70 rupees from South ex to I.N.A station, which by meter costs just 30 rupees. I can only imagine the woes of the foreigners and tourist commuters. Clearly the transport department is flawed somewhere.

 No good place to hang out: This might not be true for everyone, but if you’re a person like me who do not enjoy going to pubs and night clubs and parties, your only hangout places are the shopping malls. I guess what I meant to say is I miss Mumbai’s Marine drive and my college and Chowpatty beach :-))

Delhi kinda made me hate momos: There was a time I considered momos as rare, authentic cuisine and exotic savory because when I was in Mumbai, there was just one place near Vashi station where you get momos. When I came to Delhi, momos were at every corner which I loved at first, but overtime it just don’t appeal to me anymore since they were everywhere. So, I sort of blamed Delhi for it :-)

One cannot find a decent falooda or a fruit juice shop whom you can trust and uses Bisleri water 

The extreme weather is intolerable, the screaming crowd, the never ending horn blasts, the pedestrians, the animal feces, litter, the roadside dumps and the trash everywhere!! 

On my defense, there are a lot of things I liked about Delhi too. The friends, the mizo church, the rickshaw pullers who are really decent men unlike most autowallahs, the shopping places and many more. It might not be the best place to live, but definitely worth a visit.