LIFE IN A METRO_____

I tried to cover up the key hole with a small piece of paper to prevent the piercing wind from sprouting into the room. Three blankets and a heater still I could not stop the clatter of my teeth. It was peak winter in Delhi and the eve of 2010.
Obliged by the norms of social etiquettes and for the sake of celebration, I coated myself with whatever warm clothes I had, leaving my eyes and nose to see and breathe, we hauled to the party. The vibration of the loud music and the lively crowd made me warm within. To my utter disbelief, I found almost all the women out there in their trendiest outfits revealing their excellent feminine curves. I was stared from my woolen cap to my sneakers by every eye. I badly wished Mother Earth to swallow me or to become invisible like Mr. India. Right then I heard some crackers bursting somewhere and everyone toasted their glass of champagne. A friend came to us and cheered, “Happy New Year, Welcome to Delhi.”
The biggest metro, the hub of opportunities, a place where dreams are fulfilled, we landed here in quest of a better life. We planned to settle down but it was almost a month and we were yet to find a decent place to start with. My mobile was filled with the numbers of property dealers. It became a habit to visit them and go haunt for house. Making holes in our pocket for just two rooms and a hall, which they call 2bhk was incredible for me. Gosh! It was not going to be easy.
First few months were miserable. I came back home almost everyday cheated by the shopkeepers or by the auto pullers. Need not say about the rude tone and the comments. I feel sad to see those congested houses where there is hardly any space for fresh air. And air? It’s more of dust. Most of the people survive on junk foods or a thank you goes to Domino’s and MacDonald. Where you can find youngsters brilliantly westernized with no knowledge of their culture. Where you would not find people sacrificing their seats for their elders. Where you need to be cautious every time someone knocks your door. Where every second there is a murder, a rape or a robbery, where people dies on street but no one cares to wait and help. Where every human being is a machine, trying desperately to achieve a goal, left with no space for feelings. I wondered whether it was a mistake to come here chasing our dreams.
Then came summer with its own charm, with the dust and the heat waves. The long traffic jams, the blowing of horns uncontrollably, the frustrated roadies, the itchy sweating. Really, it was not easy.
Most of the time I became nostalgic thinking about those quite roads embroidered with beautiful tea gardens on both sides, those romantic hill slopes, the comfort of evening tea in our green verandah, the rain that caresses every inch of every leaves, I was really missing my hometown Assam where the air smells lilies.
It was not easy until the time I discovered my objectives, the ways to fulfill my dreams and from then onwards I never got the time to look back or lament on things, which were not easy. I discovered a new me, better and stronger and learned to interpret life with a new perception. The best part of Delhi is that it is a place for everyone, with every opportunity. I discovered a new horizon here. Places like British Council, Delhi Poetree helped mould me. Life of some people inspired me. And to shop in Saroijini Market, Lajpat nagar is just fun. I love those kulfies in India Gate during weekends. Every morning now when I join the crowd on the streets of Delhi, my dreams lead me.
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