The idea to start sharing my experiences came to my mind a few months after I moved to Gurgaon - sometime back in October 2017. I was in Gurgaon way back in 2004 and when I moved out of the city in 2006, I had made a promise to myself - never to come back here for another job, no matter how lucrative it would be. But then you can't change what destiny has in store for you and here I was back in the city one hot summer day in May 2017. The first 6 months went by, settling in the new city, getting comfortable with my new job, looking for a school for Kashvi, finding a gym in the neighborhood and getting back to the life I was used to. Thanks to Gurgaon, its infrastructure and my flexible work schedule, I had some time to think what I wanted out of life. From there on it was a trial and error process engaging with multiple people and activities and at the end narrowed down on - a) heritage walks, b) cycling and c) yoga and fitness. These 3 (along with my family) have become an i
The idea to start sharing my experiences came to my mind a few months after I moved to Gurgaon - sometime back in October 2017. I was in Gurgaon way back in 2004 and when I moved out of the city in 2006, I had made a promise to myself - never to come back here for another job, no matter how lucrative it would be. But then you can't change what destiny has in store for you and here I was back in the city one hot summer day in May 2017.
The first 6 months went by, settling in the new city, getting comfortable with my new job, looking for a school for Kashvi, finding a gym in the neighborhood and getting back to the life I was used to. Thanks to Gurgaon, its infrastructure and my flexible work schedule, I had some time to think what I wanted out of life. From there on it was a trial and error process engaging with multiple people and activities and at the end narrowed down on - a) heritage walks, b) cycling and c) yoga and fitness. These 3 (along with my family) have become an integral part of my life henceforth and something that brought me face to face with my pursuit of "happiness".
Being a non-Delhite I always found Delhi and its neighbourhood (especially Gurugram) to be a conflicting city - so much to love about it, yet so much to hate, with an equal or greater passion. Very much like the extreme summer heat and biting winter cold, both could burn you with the same intensity; and people who can inspire you and uninspire you with the same intensity.
My love for the city is above and beyond these minor discomforts. I have spent the better part of the year uncovering its secrets, cycling in the bylanes, wandering the streets of Old Delhi and discovering some fascinating stories about its glorious past, its people, culture and food - thanks to some very inspiring friends and storytellers I met. When you think none of this is working, you can rely on NH8 to take you to some other mysterious destination (no planning required).
In short, I have discovered many hidden gems in Delhi, and these discoveries give me some sort of fictional ownership over it - an ownership that comes from the fact that, I or people around me have made me believe that I know a lot about the city that most other people don’t know.
In the words of Mirza Ghalib “Ik roz apni rooh se poocha, ki dilli kya hai, to yun jawab main keh gaye, yeh duniya mano jism hai aur dilli uski jaan (I asked my soul, ‘What is Delhi?’ It replied: ‘The world is the body, Delhi its soul”).
Welcome your comments and suggestions.
Comments
Post a Comment