Reshmi Pooja Mitras love letter for Delhi

I was born and raised in Delhi, but shifted to Bangalore at the age of 15. By then, I already knew that I’d never love a city the way I loved Delhi. In Bangalore, I was constantly reminded of all the things that I was going to miss there. Not the least of which was the food. I was going to miss the mouth-watering chaat found in almost every street, the chowmein samosas of Connaught Place, the Nahari of Purani dilli, the (no curry patta) biryani of Kareem’s, the Banta, the kebabs, the pork momos atDelhi haat-everything! I would miss the CNG autos, the biker lane near IIFT, the low-traffic wide 

roads, wide enough for car races (uhm, I mean, long drives?!).

I would run to Delhi every chance I’d get and unlike all of my friends, who’d go to hill stations and beaches during their vacations, I’d just go to Delhi and I never regretted it. What does Delhi have that other cities don’t? It has the metro, but so does Kolkata, it has great food, but so do a lot of other cities, it has good roads, but so does Chandigarh, it has the Sarojini market, but 

Bangalore has the Commercial street- so what is it that makes it so special? Well, first of all, it is like an amalgamation of all the awesome found in different cities all over the country. There are very few things that you find elsewhere that you wouldn’t find here. Second of all- and this is 
obviously a personal bias- it is beautiful. I mean, so are Bangalore and many other cities, but Delhi is exceptionally beautiful. Not only does it have beautiful ancient monuments and museums, but also picturesque gardens and parks. Speaking of monuments, I have to mention the Hauz Khas village and 

fort, one of the best places to go to for an evening with the beloved or for a writing day alone. The Lodis, Mughals and the imperial lot deserve the credit for their architectural expertise that created these works of wonder.

The humid sub-tropical climate gives you hot summers, which means longer vacations, banta, ice lollies and MANGOES, but also freezing cold winters, so you have the experience of both. Mirza Ghalib is known to have once said, “The world is the body and Delhi is its soul”. I don’t know about 

the world, but Delhi is definitely the soul of our country. It is multi-dimensional, with its majestic architectural wonders, medieval bazaars, handicrafts and zooming metros. From flea markets to malls, street food to fine dine restaurants, religious and ethnic diversities-Delhi has it all. And so, 

even though I am now an almost permanent resident of Bangalore, I still do not have to think twice when I say that Delhi is where my heart will always be. There are a load of things that I can tell the 

reader about the city, but Delhi is an experience on its own; and hence I shall leave you to explore the wonders that lie within and lose your heart in the city I call home.