Travelling In Delhi-2

Travelling always by taxis, autos and air-conditioned cars, I felt that I was missing something. It was kind of antiseptic and unreal. No pushing, no squeezing, no fighting, no sweat, no gaalis, no loud songs … it was unreal. So I got in a DTC bus. The old man sitting next to me smiled at me and started talking to me. When I told him that I lived in Italy, he told me about his journey to Rome some fifty years ago as part of his government service. “I am retired now”, he explained sadly, underlining the loss of social standing that retirement seems to bring. I was wearing a khadi kurta and suitably shabby, so curiously I asked him, “How did you realise that I am not local?” “Your smell is nice and different”, he smiled again. It was the fault of deodorant & Kenzo eau de toilette that had given me away? Delhi bus travellers don’t put those kinds of things! Or perhaps, it was just my luck that he was more aware compared to average bus travellers?

Sunil Deepak, who is on a visit to Delhi, travels off the beaten track. Some nice observations along with some excellent photographs. I know, too many posts about Delhi. But what to do? Suddenly everyone seems to be travelling to Delhi. Except me that is!