Karva Chauth: The Bond that Holds (North) Indian Marriages Together!

The first year I did it with gusto. The second with some skepticism. When the date started nearing in my (now) third year of marriage, for the first time, I truly started to wonder "What does Karva Chauth really mean and why am I doing it?!" 

Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer, I started asking around - friends, family, mom, etc. their reasons for following a tradition that, at best, is limited to a really tiny population of women, from one part of one country, in the entire world. The answers I heard compelled me to write this post. I'm shocked, dumbfounded, and also offended. And I'll explain why. 

I'm not going to repeat the same-old "its superstitious and illogical" argument that I'm sure all of you know by now. I'm pretty certain that not a single person doing Karva Chauth in this age really believes it will make their husbands live longer. If you do, I have really nothing to say to you. Close this browser, and enjoy your life. But for those who made sure to emphasize their disbelief in this theory, please read on.

These are some of the responses I heard:

"There's no harm in doing it. If nothing, I'll lose a pound or two"

"It's one day my husband pampers me" 

"It makes our relationship stronger" 

"I do it for the fun and celebration in the evening when I break the fast with friends" 

"I get gifts and presents from the family and the husband" 

"Its just one more way of making my husband feel special" 

"My in-laws expect me to do it"

...and several more responses like this that were just difficult to believe. 

So what's my problem here you want to know?! Oh a million, but let me see if I can try and explain a few:  

The fact that a tradition that was started centuries ago has been distorted in meaning to the point where noone knows the original meaning, and are yet willing to follow it for reasons that at best, are selfish. You want a gift, go buy it for yourself. Don't manipulate your family into thinking you're doing something noble for which you need to be rewarded. 

Yes, fasting for a day cleanses the system, helps you lose pounds and helps you control your mind. But why add the tradition, culture, religious, or whatever else tag you're willing to give it. Why not just observe the fast for what it is? I read somewhere "Fasting is a great reminder of how fragile our systems are, and how much we depend on things beyond ourselves." I agree. Do it to be humbled by the knowledge of this fact. Why the fanfare of looking at the moon through a sieve, and then your husband, while counting seconds till you can get your hand on some food? 

Also, I'm extremely sorry to say that if you believe that doing Karva Chauth for your husband makes your relationship more special, there's something really wrong. Marriage is between people who trust and love each other in, and despite every situation. If your husband treats you as special on this day because you're starving to save his life, and doesn't on any other, maybe its time to talk about why. 

Want to make your husband feel special? How about setting aside an evening without looking at the phone or tv or laptop to just talk? Believe me its the most special thing you'll do for each other in a long time. 

If your in-laws are asking you to do it, they might not know any better. They perhaps didn't go to the schools you went to, they didn't talk to the people you talk to, they didn't have the internet to access information the way you do. Talk to them, explain it, reason with them. And if you're not willing to even try, if you'd rather continue to do things without raising a question, what is the difference between their generation and ours? 

It's also funny how many times I heard, "My husband is fasting for me too," as if that this supposed to suddenly infuse some sense into this senselessness. Firstly, doesn't inconveniencing your husband render this whole thing pointless? Okay, that's not the point. But why do it at all? Why don't the two of you just go to a movie, a restaurant, something! There are so many ways to make life interesting. 

A friend (who also doesn't keep the fast) asked, why am I taking this personally and that I should just let the women who're observing the event, do it. I'm glad she asked. Here's my answer to that: 

Because the Indian society is hard-wired enough to make men believe they're superlative. And we don't need yet another regressive tradition to massage their ego by making them feel they deserve this sort of attention. 
Maybe your husband isn't hung up on you fasting. Maybe he's cool, and casual, and whatever modern husbands do. But by not speaking up against something that needs to be stopped, aren't you supporting it? If your husband doesn't ask for dowry, but doesn't stop his parents from demanding it, would you still defend that by saying it hardly matters? So why is it okay for you to follow a tradition because you think "it's just one day of my life, kya farak padta hai." 

It isn't infact just about this one day. The question is, how far are you willing to go to do things that don't make sense, just because someone will feel bad if you don't do it, or that you believe, you're upholding Indian tradition. You're not. 

Women are now speaking up against changing their last names because its the 'cool' thing to do, so why not Karva Chauth? Because your own superstitious mind won't allow you to take the risk that something bad might happen? 

Some people don't like the fact that I'm opinionated. That I have views on what someone should/should not be doing. But here's the thing. History wasn't changed by people who were politically correct, who kept shut because it was 'appropriate,' because they didn't want to lose friends. I'm not trying to change history. All I'm doing is asking my educated friends to think about the broader consequences of their actions. It's not just YOU. What you do today, what this generation does, will decide where we are going to be as a country decades later as well. Its easy to say "India kabhi nahi badlega," "I hate how conservative my country is," "My family is so traditional!" 

But kaise badal sakta hai India when the reigns are in the hands of those who're too afraid to loosen it - for tradition's sake! India's patriarchal ways are crying to be changed. But we're too busy saying "Why should I bother as long as I'm enjoying doing something, and it doesn't inconvenience me!" 

I made a decision that I will not individually ask anybody about their decision to fast on Karva Chauth..Apparently it is rude to ask people about things they can't explain, especially about misguided or blind beliefs. So I won't ask ask you to justify your decision. But I do ask you to read this post, and think. For yourself. And irrespective of whether you do observe Karva Chauth or not this year, do try and be honest to yourself about your reasons for doing it.    

Ciao! 

PS. The purpose of this article is not to put down those who observe certain traditions. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe ignorant. If you have a reason other than any of the above, or if you can point out to me why I'm wrong, I would be happy to stand corrected. 

PPS. If you still haven't got it, the title was sarcasm. 

The Pied Piper of New York

The Pigeon Man of Washington Square Park

"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."

~Mother Teresa

If you’ve been to Washington Square Park, it’s difficult to miss this man who’s seen there nearly everyday with a fan following largely comprised of pigeons, squirrels and other little birds. Of the several other eye-catching residents of WSP, this individual is a delight to watch. I'm not sure if he's homeless or just another guy who finds his peace amongst his tiny friends but there's surely some kind of peace that overcomes upon you as you stand there and watch the squirrels and birds come up right to him and eat out of his hand, as if he's one of their kind. 

Haters will hate!

Don't they?

Two amazing things happened in these last 10 days. One, I caught up with a few videos I have been planning to see for a few months. Another, I’ve finally come to hate half of mankind a little more, if that was possible.

Satyamev Jayate, the Aamir Khan hosted talk show on Indian television has been creating a few ripples and then some. It was all over my facebook, twitter and even in conversations I had with friends the same day all the way here in New York. Oddly though, I managed to survive 5 weeks without watching a single of the 5 episodes aired so far. That was till the weekend.

I caught up with two of the episodes yesterday. Expectedly, I was moved to tears, had every single hair on my body stand on its end, wanted to give up everything and devote my life to a social cause, and at some moments felt like I just want to run away, somewhere, not sure where, (is that normal?). I’ve stayed up last night wondering how is it that someone, somewhere, made up of the same flesh and bone and brain as God (or science? Both ok?) put in my body, could have committed crimes so heinous. Grandfather raping his 2-year old granddaughter? Biting off your wife’s face for delivering a baby girl? Surely, these things don’t really happen, do they? Sadly, as I realized years ago, they do.

Another thing I saw is the Kony 2012 video! Yes, yes after all these months. For the uninitiated, please take a look at this and this.

But I’m not going to talk about the issues raised by either of the two. These are dialogues that have a beginning, but no end. What has got me reeling reall, is the disbelief at how many cynical people exist in the world. Sadly these cynics are not in hiding at someplace that I would never know, but right there, lurking in the next facebook post or tweet, perhaps in a casual cafe conversation.  

Before I even saw the first SJ episode, someone remarked to me, “Watch, but don’t take it seriously, it’s not so good also haan. It’s just a stupid publicity thing by Aamir. He’s not getting any good movies, that’s why he’s trying to gather public sympathy.”

Then there was that video by the Ugandan girl who called the Kony 12 video a total fraud. And the several other videos. Forgive me for my ignorance, but am I missing some larger point here?

To me it’s as clear as this – somebody has made an attempt to make a change. Either do something better or stop trying to pull them down!

It appalls me to think how many people out there are criticizing Aamir and Jason of the Kony video (here, please feel free to extend these names as metaphors to anyone who has ever stood up for a cause), as individuals out for a vested interest, trying to get public attention for their own good and nothing else.

Is this behavior exhibitive of a typical crab drag down crab mentality, an ad hominem, or worse? I’d say the worst because not one of these people with an opinion is ever able to substantiate it. Their words are at best a regurgitated hash of what they’ve been fed through a perpetually-slow-news-day media or they’re saying things they don’t mean, only to prove to an equally disbelieving and mostly disinterested audience that they could have an opinion different than the rest.

Of course Aamir had his own interest when he agreed to host the show. Of course Jason Russel hoped to raise money for his organization when he made Kony 12. But how, in the name of God, do their interests not compare as infinitesimal to the larger good that their voices can do and have been doing to the world?

Think about this - if even one child, a single child, raised his/her voice against the abuser after watching Aamir’s show, or one woman put her fears on the backburner for a day and confronted her family, refusing to abort her girl child, or even if even one child was saved from being abducted from Africa (does it even matter that Kony moved from Uganda to Sudan or Congo or anywhere else or that he hasn’t struck for 7 years? He’s still out there goddamit), then any thing that these guys have tried to achieve, has been achieved. Anything they have wanted for themselves is irrelevant. Even a single incident of change has been a real contribution. Maybe that one child won’t seem like such a small number, if it was someone you knew!

To all the haters and non-believers and cynics and critcs out there, I have only this one thing to say – Unless you have a better recipe for change and are willing to stick your neck out for it, stop nitpicking!

The meteor with the needle bill

A hummingbird, not sure what species, doing what it does best
Arenal, Costa Rica 

"And make us happy in the darting bird,
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stand still."

- Robert Frost

There's something about watching hummingbirds live in action. They're tiny, so tiny that they could easily be mistaken for butterflies. They buzz when they fly past you, they flap their wings at what seems like a 100 times per second, they hover in mid-air, they're all at once colorful and shiny and full of life. The first time I saw one was last week in Costa Rica. I have so much to share about the place.  Lots of pictures too. But the first hummingbird I saw, I knew that I'm not leaving that country without getting a good photograph of it. Haha!

In retrospect, it does sound like I made a bigger deal than it should have been but then, all I wanted was one decent picture of this shiny little speck of restless!

In the end, I did manage to get a couple. Also got pointed out the smallest little hummingbird nest, a picture of which I can share with you if you like and a bunch of other hummingbird shots that I'm proud of.

While it's not an earth-shattering, paradigm-changing photograph by any stretch of anyone's imagination, it is in essence my eight day trip defined in one picture.

May you be blessed by the delight of finding a hummingbird hover around your head someday!  

Spring makes 'anything' possible!

Every bee loves a sting..err..spring
Photograph taken in 2009, India

New York had a mild winter. Mild by the definition of those who've lived through snowstorms, -20 degree Celsius, zero visibility and days of being locked in at home, at the airport, at restaurants and other such horrific encounters. By that yard, two days of snow, one in early October and another in late January, could 'hardly even be called winter,' said all my friends and the husband. Even my experience of virtually non existent winter seasons in Bombay not being accounted for, I did brave an all time low of -11 degree C, not holed in at home but out on the streets in what (in retrospect) was obviously not enough warm protection.

So when, in keeping up the climate pattern this year, spring displayed signs of an early arrival, I cheered as loud as a grasshopper would in an untrimmed lawn :D

Spring's making the days longer, the sun brighter, the trees more colorful, people more cheerful. I no longer look out to dark evenings and 4 pm sunsets. I no longer have to spend 60 minutes dressing up in winter layers. And mostly, no longer have to think of gloomy days for an entire year!

It does make you feel a little like anything is possible, really!

I'll soon be complaining about the warm weather and the merciless sun but till then, have a Happy Spring  guys!

When a fall becomes fatal...

I’m not really one for sharing too much about life’s most personal moments on public platforms such as blogs and FB. But there are times when the need to share your message becomes greater than the medium used to share it. And I wish for the message at the end of this post to reach as many people as possible.

I lost my dadi in October last year. To try and express my grief in any words would be a euphemism. Let’s just say that my earliest memories of my life revolve around her and noone else – be it sleeping to her stories or her making aloo poori for me when I didn’t want to eat my veggies. Dadi always said that since she had only two sons, she got a daughter in me and always insisted that she would be the one to do my kanyadaan.

Wedding day: May 14, 2011. Last picture I have with dadi

Unfortunately, a few weeks before my wedding, in May last year, she fell down and suffered an injury to her hip. For days, she didn’t realize how severe it was nor did any of us. She attended the wedding in a wheelchair. I moved to the US in July and hoped that her fracture would heal soon

A few weeks later, she had another fall. This time, it was worse. She needed hip surgery and complete bedrest for a few months. Again we thought she would be back on her feet in some time. Unfortunately she never did. The fear of falling made her not leave her bed for months after her surgery. She started developing bedsores and blood clots. Having been overweight and a diabetic for years, did not help. Doctors started telling us that if she didn’t start walking again, it could be really bad for her.  

Now this is the point I wish for everyone to understand –

How many of us really fathom that a simple fall injury can be fatal to life? That is perhaps the same mistake we made. Despite the warnings, we didn’t think that dadi not moving out of her bed would lead up to what did. We did try everything that we could. Coaxing, requesting, pleading, getting angry, everything to try and make her stand up on her feet. Everyone from mom to relatives to the doctors to me over skype. Nothing worked. Around the same time, grand-dad had taken severely ill. I was told to come down as soon as possible. November 8^th, I was supposed to reach India.

October 31^st, Dadi passed away. Suddenly. Shockingly. The last I remember is speaking to her on the 29^th when she said very little. As we realized later, she was the only one who realized that she didn't have long to live. The cause and the process of her demise is something I struggled to understand and come to terms with, for days after that. I just could not fathom the fact that dadi lost her life simply because she was bed-ridden for 4 months. This is when I started reading up online and gathered some facts. As I later found out, falls are the leading cause of death due to injury among the elderly. The figures are APPALLING!

 -  about one third of the elder population over the age of 65 falls each year, at 80 years, over half of seniors fall annually. 

- One of every four seniors over 60 who have a fall, die within one year.

-  Hip fractures are the most common serious injury. More than 24 percent of all people suffering a hip fracture die within a year of falling, and another 50 percent never return to their prior level of mobility and independence. 

- About one third of the elder population over the age of 65 falls each year, and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age. At 80 years, over half of seniors fall annually. 

- Those who fall are two to three times more likely to fall again.

- 53% of the older adults who are discharged for fall-related hip fractures will experience another fall within six months.

It seems ludicrous to think that the only thing needed to reduce these alarming statistics is to avoid injury by fall and yet, we have failed to do what it takes to be there. Everyone has been following the conventional wisdom that we have held on to for ages. As we grow older, we feel that we should follow the advice of “taking it easy”. However, that is exactly what we should not be doing. The lack of exercise and decreased activity leads to weakness and an increased chance of falling.

I don’t really want to give a sermon, especially when I do nothing to lead a more active lifestyle myself. But for those of you reading this - the point is that guys if you have elders at home – parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, anyone. Please, PLEASE do not think of a ‘fall’ as harmless. Any fall. Get them examined. And moreover, get them to remain active. The older they get, the more. Don’t encourage them to put their feet up and relax. You might be doing it for their good but it really is no good for them. Yoga, a short walk, just doing chores around the house. Anything. But make sure they are on their feet, atleast for some time during the day. And make sure you never lose someone to something that with a little more information and awareness could have been prevented.

A few days before the wedding

The last meal before I...

Mixed Falafel Platter, Taim Falafel,
West Village, Manhattan

Not to get my family worked up but I recently thought about dying. Not the depressing 'when will I die' or how, but something that actually matters! Like what will be the last thing I eat before I pop!

I take stuff like this pretty seriously. So please give me your full attention. I will only repeat what I'm saying on this post a million more times. If you happen to still know me in my last days on Earth, the best thing you will do for me is to bring me back food from Taim Falafel. I will bless you forever (if you don’t, chances are I will come back to haunt you in the shape of a falafel.)

My husband had been talking about this place for a while now. And as with most other things that he likes, he sold this place to me endlessly. I’ve had some pretty awesome Mediterranean food in New York and I didn’t think anything I ate elsewhere would trump that. So obviously, I prepared myself to feign some fake excitement when I actually did visit.*

But boy, did I end up eating my words. And also the best meal I’ve ever eaten under 15 bucks. Maybe even the best meal ever.

Taim is like being hugged on the inside. Comfort food away from home. Something you know you will keep coming back to. It's a small, hole-in-the-wall, nestled in the West Village, and if you're looking for ambiance, you're probably better off staying away (believe me, you're not). But if you want to turn into a believer of all things good that exist on earth, visit Taim.

We got the Mixed Falafel Platter which is basically a sampling for 3 falafel flavors on a bed of Hummus, Israeli and Tabouli Salads and an assortment of sauces. The falafels are earthy, fried to perfection, nutty, moist, greaseless, the pita fresh, warm and soft, the hummus rich and to die for, I'm still struggling to figure out what the sauces were but you probably will be too stuffed to care by the time you’re done.

Each time I eat something life-changing, which is actually not that often, I always think about how it must be my last meal on earth. So a friend recently told me that I would die just from eating all the things I want to eat before I die. But this time I just know – for my last meal on earth – nothing else but Taim would work! What about yours? 

*Dinesh, if you actually do read this blog, that sentence means nothing. 

Nothing

It's been so long since I posted on the blog. Not for the lack of subject. Only time. Yessir. I have been busy - busy eating, busy writing (err, yeah besides the blog), also often busy doing what I'm best at - nothing. You know 'nothing', the space of time between thinking and doing? Or is it thinking and not-thinking? Does it matter? Probably not. Writing about what I did when I did nothing is sort of contradictory right? Am I asking too many questions now? Probably. I should stop. Really.

I'm going to start a new post to get away from my rant in this one. Okay?

Brevity or the lack of it

I have always believed that as a wannabe writer/author, my biggest weakness is my inability to be coherent - dexterous, , lucid, whatever. Damn I can't even do that when talking about it, if you know what I mean. I especially hem and haw when facing larger crowds in a formal setting. So naturally, when asked to attend a session by one of my favorite authors, I jumped at the opportunity. Mainly, to hear her speak and learn a thing  or two about brevity.

Do you know what it feels like when after craving for a chocolate, you bite into a Lindt dark chocolate with 85% cocoa? Well, if you don't, find out. For that is how I felt when I heard Jhumpa Lahiri read out passages from her new unfinished book and later answer audience questions. Disappointed. Just how I felt after I first met the editor of my favorite youth magazine, back in the days. Subsequently, I worked with this woman for 2 months on her new book, but the charm did not disissipate slowly. It went away poof! in one quick motion, in the first few minutes that she first interviewed me for the job.

I digress. Back to Lahiri's reading. Not only could she not articulate her thoughts well and she umm'd and err'd a lot, her tone was very deadbeat. She could use her striking appearance to her advantage to create a stronger positive impression, but obviously doesn't seem to have bothered.

Maybe my expectations were set too naturally high. Or it could simply be that the audience wasn't stimulating enough. High chance it was the latter. Here's some example of the kind of questions the audience asked her:

Sample Audience Question I: "You had a thick accent when you began reading. Why did it disappear mid-way? Were you trying to create an American atmosphere"
Lahiri's Response: "I'm born and raised in America. Whatever accent I have is part of my natural communication"

Sample Audience Question/Comment II: "8 years ago I ran into a woman in Kolkotta. Her last name was Lahiri. Today I realized she was your cousin Subbalaxmi Lahiri" (or something like that. I was laughing too hard to understand what exactly the woman said)
Lahiri's response: "Small world"

Its not that I suddenly dislike her for not being a great orator. She is a writer and great at that. Its only that she makes me feel like anyone can be like her. I can be like her. And I dislike thinking this way. I want my idols to be that way. Idols. Awe-inspiring. Jaw-dropping. Too much to ask for I guess.

Meanwhile, I'm just going to ignore the fact that I heard her speak in such a boring way and gloat a little more at the fact that I managed to get her to sign my copy of her book.

Fall No More

Window-sill, Home, Manhattan

The first snowfall in NYC.

My first snowfall.

My first snow experience.

The first of many to come. 

Now excuse me as I continue to go a little silly,

for

"When I no longer thrill to the first snow of the season, I'll know I'm growing old"

~Lady Bird Johnson

New-York Pizza, really?

Luzzo's Pizza, Easy Village, Manhattan

For all my ranting about the unhealthy food habits of the people in this country, I have to admit that if there’s one thing that will make me never want to leave New York, it’s the New York pizza! Look at the picture above, look me in the eyes and tell me you would disagree. Guilty! 

Deep-Fried WHAT?!!

Led Zappole, Manhattan
Interesting name of the place itself, will plan a visit here when I drop say, 20 kilos. (think: never)

What do you do when you are given an oreo cookie? You eat it.

What do you do when you are given a snickers bar? You feel a little guilty, and then eat it.

What do you do when you are given a slice of pizza? You ponder, feel guilty, and then eat it.

What does an American do when they are given any of the above? Deep-fry them!

This is it. I have concluded that Americans will eat anything. Anything that is fried and deep-fried and covered in oil-and-grease or sugar! Let me re-phrase. Not only will they eat anything that is fried, they will find a new thing each day that can possibly be fried and then deep-fry it till it doesn’t even resemble the original product.

Whoever thinks of frying Oreo cookies? Snickers? Pizza, for heaven’s sake?! 400 calories a slice ain’t good enough for you? Let’s dunk it in oil and make it a round 1000!

I think my arteries clogged up just by looking at the sign-board above. Now excuse me while I write to the Association of Diabetes Specialists or whatever organization it was that named India is the Diabetes Capital of the World. 

Look, Willy Wonka is for real!

Max Brenner - Chocolate by the Bald Man, Manhattan

Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed, but chocolate makes it worthwhile ~ Anon

Do you know what Charlie felt like in Willy Wonka's factory? No? Well, i'll tell you what Charlie felt like Willy Wonka's factory! Do you know what it feels like to suddenly wake up one day and be told that an alternate world exists? That the world you lived in was just a cheap substitute where mortals are banished from finding out about all that is good and beautiful and utopia-like. No? Well, then you shouldn't be spending any more time reading this than you have and instead start plotting your way to visit Max Brenner as soon as possible, for it is the closest you'll get to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory as possible!

Oh of course, you're still reading! So i'll just sum up my visit to Max Brenner in a few individual words instead of stringing together sentences. And it's not because I'm too bored to write (really!), it's only because I don't think I can talk about an experience like Brenner in just a few lines, and partly also because I think these words will do the job that any other style of writing would.

Think of: chocolate, coffee, rains, warmth, winter, cozy, gooey, fondue, sweet, candy, melting, waffles, marshmallow, romance, music, cheese, caramel, cookies, sugar, crepes, hazelnut, vanilla, mocha. What, are you drooling already? There's a lot more. So now go visit.

PS. Did I mention that they have the most adorable mugs? Hug mug for some warmth, kangaroo cup for the un-deciders like me (coffee? chocolate? coffee? No both!)!  

Be Safe - City of Djinns

A regiment rehearses outside Rashtrapati Bhavan for the upcoming Republic Day celebrations in Delhi
Picture taken in January 2008

Untill I enrolled for post-graduation in 2007, I had never been to Delhi. Yes, that's right. Never. I was almost always embarassed when in any conversation the name 'Delhi' popped up and I had to sheepishly admit, 'I do look forward to going there.' Of course, I've yet never been to Kerala or Assam or West Bengal (err..yes) either but having reached over the age of 20 without having visited the capital of my country somehow didn't feel right. At all.

So I guess as with most things, one always gets an opportunity to balance things out and when I did, I grabbed it with 3 hands. Or whatever. I made my first visit to Delhi in late 2007. And then again in early 2008. And again in mid-2008. And again...okay so you get the point. Over the last 4 years, I've been to Delhi innumerable times and I guess partly because so many of my closest friends from college belong from there. And I have to admit, each time I visit, I fall in love with the city again.

People from India will tell you of this strong Mumbai-Delhi divide where each one thinks they're superior to the other. But I can tell you this - I have lived most of my life in Bombay and completely love the city but Delhi has an unparalleled charm that's unique and should not be competed against. Okay, it has its share of perverts who think that they own a license to drink, to rape, to cause road rage, Delhi is blingy and flashy and superficial at a lot of levels; but if you're telling me Mumbai or New York or any other big city for that matter is perfect, you're obviously not in a position to have your opinion counted.

I love delhi winters, I love its street food, I love the historical vibe that the city sends out, its beautiful heritage structures, even its crassness! Oh yes, I love Delhi. And that's how I identify with the city. Not with blasts and earthquakes. I refrain from writing anything about it because obviously, 2 days after the incident, i'm not expecting people to be here to read the latest news update. I'm only paying my respects, my way of tribute to the city that has always been a great host to me, a city that I look forward to visiting again as soon as Im back in India, the City of Djinns. Take care Delhi!