Evening at Zambezi River, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, May 2015
and so does everything around... the situation, the people, the perspective, the needs.... and we too change.... the wise and courageous seek change.. because only change is constant!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

189. Delhi: A Perspective


I always believe that places reveal very little to us when we are not interested in them; but open up for those of us who are interested. In other words, it is not only that we choose a place, but the place also chooses us.

I have chosen Delhi as ‘my place’ for last couple of years and I always wonder whether Delhi has accepted me or not. Some signals are positive and some are neutral. After visiting many ‘spots’ and ‘sites’ and crossing the road at least 500 times; after experience the fog and the burning summer, I am still clueless about Delhi. Not only about its past; about its future; but also about its present.

How is Delhi?
It is beautiful and ugly. It is enthusiastic and depressive. It is aggressive and tolerant. It is filthy rich and extremely poor. It is cultured and vulgar. It is supersonic and slow. It is religious and mundane. It is lazy and consumerist. It is flowing and it is stagnated. It is in 21st century and also in 16th century. All these ‘Delhis’ coexist, hand in hand. Every time I experience it, it is different. Delhi by all means is a mystery.

Frankly speaking, Khushwant Singh is not my favorite writer. It was only after strong recommendation by one of my young friends that I touched the novel Delhi. However, I was stunned by the first paragraph itself. The narrator compares Delhi to his mistress. He says, “Delhi and Bhagmati (narrator’s mistress) have a lot in common. Having been long misused by rough people they have learnt to conceal their seductive charms under a mask of repulsive ugliness. It is only to their lovers, among whom I count myself, that they reveal their true selves.” 

So true, I felt – though I did not know about Bhagmati, I certainly knew that much about Delhi.

The principle narrator of the novel is a man. He is a Sikh. He visits foreign countries and works as a guide for foreign tourist. Through them he narrates material richness of Delhi and through Bhgamati, he shows us the poor, the vulnerable. Both enrich Delhi’s personality.

The narrator takes the readers to various places and its history. That is a fantastic journey. Places like Nigambodh Ghat, Tilpat, Suraj Kund, Okhla, Qutub Minar, Hauz Khas, Purana Quila, Red Fort… and so many others! Delhi comes alive through the narration.

What I enjoyed most is the history of Hajarat Nizamuddin – who so far was just a name of Railway Station for me. The life of this Sufi Saint is indeed inspiring. “Kings come and kings go. The will of Allah is eternal” – the words of Nizamuddin ring so true even today. So, is the story of Rakab Ganj Gurudwara. I am sure, when I visit both these places, I will have a better understanding of those and hence a far meaningful relationship with those two places. Other readers will find more such places to get the connection. The strength of the book lies in these kinds of narrations. There might be more fiction than the truth even in these narrations, but the truth that appears is blazing. One understands that Delhi has lived more life than we can imagine, Delhi has experienced more pain than one can endure and Delhi has seen so many power shifts that she hardly is affected by any power.

There are some interesting mythological stories (though not in details) spread across the pages. For example the names of the five villages that Pandavas are believed to have asked for to avoid war; how Balarama made river Yamuna zigzag. That was something which I did not know. Now I have more questions and I will seek more light on these mythological aspects as well.

His remarks on contemporary Delhi are also fascinating. For example the custom inspector, the cab driver, the crowd gathered to watch foreigner lady, the diplomatic office circle in Delhi, Republic Day Parade atmosphere.. .. Hilarious; and painful at the same time.

Being a Khushwant Singh novel, there are many women and sexual descriptions run parallel to journey of Delhi. This is one more example where an author is not able to break his image.  But his story of Delhi is so interesting that it did not stop me from reading the novel. 

And the human face of Khushwant Singh, the author makes a strong appearance through the pages. In Chapter 18, the narrator talks about ‘Builders’ – a narration spread over 30 pages. The narrator of this chapter is a contractor of Lutyens' Delhi. The contractor is none else but father of Khushwant Singh – Sobha Singh!! The author who cannot write without sex even when he is describing the life of Hajarat Nizamuddin or while a young man is watching Gandhijee’s prayer his mind thinks about Dr. Sushila in no less vulgar terms. But it only when the author is narrating the story of his real father, he abstains from any mention to sexuality. This only shows that one thinks  about ‘our own people’ in a different way !!

If you know when and how to ignore Khushwant Singh, this book makes one of the best reads. If you allow the author to irritate you, you will certainly not enjoy the book. However, with his knowledge of the city and the history of the city and the command on the language, I would  recommend that Delhi is worth reading! It is an interesting perspective about Delhi. 

Delhi- a novel: Khushwant Singh
Penguin Books, India
1990
Price: Rs. 250/- (paperback)

Sunday, January 6, 2013

188. Fear

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 35; the thirty-fifth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. The theme for the month is "...and the world was silent again"
16 December 2012.
New Delhi. India

News spreads
Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,
Protests, Street March, Slogans, Candles, Fasts
Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage
Tweets, Facebook updates, Blogs
Poems, Articles
Commitments, Oaths, Schemes, Improvements
Calls for life punishment.
Calls for changes in the system.
Calls for changes in law.

Will history repeat itself?
That is the question.

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,
Protests, Street March, Slogans,
Debates, Discussions, Editorials,
Calls for changes in the system.
Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,
Protests, Street March, Slogans,
Debates, Discussions, Editorials,
Calls for changes in the system.
Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,
Protests, Street March, Slogans,
Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage
Calls for changes in the system.
Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,
Protests, Street March, Slogans,
Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage
Calls for changes in the system.
Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Helplessness, Agony, Outcry, Anger,
Protests, Street March, Slogans,
Debates, Discussions, Editorials, Media coverage
Calls for changes in the system.
Calls for changes in law.

And the world was silent again.

Who was she?
Oh..right. Unfortunate indeed.

And the world was silent again.

Jammu and Kashmir.
Hmm! It is easy to talk about it,
But you know,
Our soldiers are doing a good job there.
Don’t discuss.
Aren’t you patriotic?
Someone has to pay the price. Keep quiet.

And the world was silent again.

North East?
What happened there?
Oh! It must be some foreign hand.
Who knows what the fact is!
The media has no other story
Let it be, who cares?

And the world was silent again.

Thousands, nay millions of
'Nameless' and 'Faceless'
Go through the agony.
Four year young and seventy year old,
Poor and Middle class and Wealthy,
Dalit and tribal and the upper caste,
Educated and uneducated,
Working in the public sector, private sector, unorganized sector, domestic workers.
Everyday. Every moment.
Some have courage to say it loudly.
Many die a silent death.

Pending cases.
Conviction rate?
Social taboo.
Police attitude,
No help from passers by ....

Well, it is still a concern. 

And the newspaper writes about one more rape.
From somewhere, around the corner.

“Women! “
“You know, it is not actually rape.”
“When they are caught red-handed, they want to save their skin by framing the man.”
“Why do they wear such provocative clothes?”
“Why do they move out in the evening?”
“Don’t they understand the world around is not good.”
“Women – they want independence!! These are the fruits of their independence.”
“This is all impact of westernization.”
“This is not our culture. We need to go back to our culture.”
“It does not happen to us because we are good.”
“Rape happens to only those who are ‘characterless’”
“Leave it. It is not our problem.”

And the world becomes silent
Again and again.

16 December 2012.
New Delhi. India
Agony, Outcry, Anger
Continue to grow.

29 December, Singapore.
The last breath.

I wish; we all wish that
At least now
The world would not remain silent!

However, I fear that the world will be silent again! 
The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Introduced By: Vipul Grover, Participation Count: 30

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

187. Transition : My entry for the Get Published contest

The Idea

The story is as much as an internal story as is external. It happens outside and happens inside. The two happenings are related to each other and together they make the story.

The story is not only about reality but about how one feels about the reality and what causes changes. It is about choices and options. It is about complexities a woman is supposed to face in the society.

The story is about a woman who is caught between her lost love and the present life. She is married against her wishes at a young age. Though she has no problems in her family – her husband and two children all are good and normal, she feels for what it could have been. She has no reason to be unhappy; still she is not convinced that she is happy. At times she feels lonely and does not understand whether the decision she was forced to make long ago was right or wrong.

There are characters who are mentally strong, who are sensitive, who are open to face different situations.

The woman travels alone, gets glimpses of what could have been her life. She tries to live that life through others.

What does she find? What is her response? How does she differentiate between the past and the present? How does she link the past and the present?  

The story describes this internal journey along with its impact on the external situation.


What Makes This Story ‘Real’

This could be anybody’s story – so common and yet so different.

It is a story which captures dilemma of a woman. It talks about how the love for the lost possibilities or opportunities can make things difficult – not only for oneself but also for others who are in the loop. Often others fail to understand these dilemmas which are easily labeled as ‘mid life crisis’. However, this can turn out to be central crisis in the life of many. The story also talks about perceptions, dreams, relations and thoughts. 

This is my entry for the HarperCollins–IndiBlogger Get Published contest, which is run with inputs fromYashodhara Lal and HarperCollins India.