Delhi—it’s always been home.
As a young sailor on annual leave, what a rush I’d get when approaching Tilak Bridge by train on my way to New Delhi Railway Station! The train would slow down, whining, rocking, and groaning louder on its final leg, and I’d scramble to the nearest window on the left side to catch a glimpse of the vista that would make my heart leap with joy every time. There, for an instant, would Tilak Marg appear, stretching straight and wide right up to the stone canopy near India Gate in the distance, the one that had once housed a statue of King George V.
That vista of the majesty of Lutyens’ New Delhi would be over in a flash as the train would continue on its way—but in that instant, I knew I was home at last.
Though Lutyens’ Delhi has thankfully remained the same, more or less, over the decades, Delhi has changed. As have all the major cities around the world, and for probably the same reasons. Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bengaluru…. they’ve all changed, and not just in name. Why is that?
The main reason is Urbanization—the process of people moving out from rural areas to cities and urban areas. They do that for a search for better economic conditions, better education & healthcare, better sanitation, comfortable housing, versatile transportation and more business opportunities, I guess. Basically roti, kapda aur makaan. And once these people have got a taste of urban life, there is no question of going back.
Today more than 50% of the world's population lives in urban areas, and I’m talking about a world population in excess of 7 billion people! The number of cities with over 10 million people is increasing every few years. So further change is bound to come. It is the one constant we can be sure of.
Visually all megacities have undergone a sea change. Not just the Big Three—New York, London & Tokyo. But also cities like Dubai, Seoul, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro, Sydney, Bangkok, Athens, Toronto, Berlin, and Djakarta—amazing changes in just the last 15~20 years! Closer to home, how have India’s megacities changed? I’d like to briefly discuss the ones I’m familiar with.
Saddi Dilli? Delhi of my youth was something else. The most vivid image I can recollect is that of picking up the kala jamun fallen from the trees along Rajpath during morning walks and inhaling deeply the scented, fresh air. There were just Ambassador cars and Premier Padminis on the roads those days… roads that would be deserted by dusk. South Delhi was really the outskirts of town—uncharted territory. The movers and shakers were the senior bureaucrats occupying the bungalows of Shahjahan Road, Pandara Park and Kaka Nagar. If an NRI relative brought you Levis jeans from the US, you would probably die and go to heaven, because your dying wish would’ve been fulfilled.
Then came the Maruti invasion in the early 80s which changed our lives forever. Everyone wanted a Maruti 800! For those who couldn’t afford it, Citibank was around to make them an offer they couldn’t refuse. The city grew, new South Delhi colonies became posh addresses, flyovers mushroomed everywhere, traffic filled the roads, property dealers and yuppies became rich overnight. People came from far and near to settle here for a better life with more opportunities. Delhi was no longer the sleepy town of civil servants.
And now? The city has grown to become the National Capital Region which encompasses Delhi, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurugram, and Noida. It has its own government and Chief Minister. It has a Metro Rail which is truly world-class. Better health services, better facilities in government schools, and lower electricity bills with negligible power cuts are the good things that have happened. But the downside is that pollution has reached hazardous levels. So has the crime. Delhi is one of the 5 most polluted cities in the world and is known as the Rape Capital of the country.
Aamchi Mumbai? Can we please call it Bombay again? Well, no we can’t. Not since 1995 when the city was renamed, along with every major landmark to ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji’. Not having the space to grow in the area, Mumbai grew vertically right from the 60s. I recall the sense of smallness I felt amid the skyscrapers of Nariman Point and the hustle-bustle of the busy pedestrians during my first visit in 1974.
Over the years there have been many more skyscrapers in the suburbs, a few flyovers, and—the pride of every Mumbaikar—the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Planned satellite townships like Navi Mumbai and Thane have also grown at a steady rate. But the usual problems that plague every major city in the Third World persist in Mumbai too—population explosion, housing shortage, sanitation, water scarcity, and crime. But the city still has the magic of Bollywood, and the muscle to be called the financial capital of India.
Namma Bengaluru? Bangalore was a quiet, sleepy, green city—The Garden City of India—where people went to bed early. A veritable pensioner’s paradise. Till the 90s anyway. Then came the IT revolution, and nothing remained the same. The city grew and grew along with job opportunities. The population exploded. Now my Bangalorean friends bemoan a paradise lost.
The main thing that hits you there is the traffic. Chaotic, bumper-to-bumper during peak hours. It took me an hour to cover 1 km in Ashok Nagar on a weekday morning. Over the years fly-overs, highways, underpasses, etc. have all come up. Areas like White Field, Marathahalli, and Bommasandra, which were considered to be the outskirts, have become an integral part of Bangalore hosting a number of IT Parks and MNCs. Theatres like Cauvery, Rex, and Plaza have been replaced by multiplexes. High-rises and malls are seen everywhere. Lakes have dried up and are being replaced by bus stands and sports stadia. Hindi has become the language of the streets.
Aamaar Kolkata? I haven’t been there for ages. But I’ve heard good things from friends and relatives about the present situation. No more power cuts; many more flyovers, malls, amusement parks. Posh satellite townships; swanky, new airport. And Park Street is no longer the only spot for nightlife—there is competition! A far cry from the Calcutta of the early 90s, which could boast only of the first Metro Rail in the country and Victoria Memorial.
Cities are exciting, vital, and diverse, throbbing with the sights, sounds, and smells of humanity. I wouldn’t ever want to live in a town or village.
And for all its faults, I still like Delhi. Where else can you park your car in someone else’s spot outside his home, and request him cheekily, ‘Thoda adjust kar lo, jee?’
Beetashok Chatterjee is the author of ‘Driftwood’, a collection of stories about Life at Sea. A ship’s captain by profession, he joined the Merchant Navy at a young age and now misses it, having just retired after completing more than forty years at sea.
His book is available on Amazon. Click here.
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