A Month Since I Landed Here And I Seem To Be Dating Already!

I’m sure all of us, at some point of time in our life, have been on a date – be it for fun or with an intention of exploring a romantic relationship. I’ll be stupid to deny that this is the phase that is the most wonderful as opposed to crush, romance, love and the like. It’s been a while since I've been on a date; thanks to marriage, I’m so well rooted :P. However, it’s only a month since I landed here and, Delhi and I seem to be dating already! Excitement is in the air, the eagerness to explore and know more, discovering “the bests”, but everything topped with a lot of ambiguity!

Delhi has always been popular and notorious at the same time – that’s a deadly combination guaranteed to keep anyone interested. It seems like I carried a baggage full of preconceived notions about this place, before I even landed here. Let me admit, I have been largely opinionated and probably I still am; coming from down South (Kerala), to me Delhi is a foreign land and, no offense, I hate Delhi-ites, of course for my own reasons. So naturally, I've been a lot rigid and restrictive on my date with Delhi so far!

When I still have my qualms that I wouldn't let go of so easily, during the interim phase between our reaching here and settling down, I've realized that the capital city is not that bad after all. Everyone who helped prepare me for this place talked a lot about 3 things – Delhi traffic, Delhi weather and safety. May be, I am yet to be on the wrong side of Delhi or have never been out on the wrong time, but, in the past one month, I've never got stuck in traffic here. Well, there is traffic but it isn't like Bangalore where you could download and watch a movie in your mobile, while the traffic stream outside is clogged. For the past 10 months I've been in a place where the temperature varied between 9-19 degree Celsius, and yes, an overnight jump to 38-42 degree has been appalling, but, it is nothing but normal for summer. Well, it may worsen, but for now at least, it is bearable indoors. I would say, ac is a luxury at this point of time; that doesn't mean we do not use one :P!

Delhi safety, on the other hand, has been a little alarming; not because I've been in any such situation, but with all those stories at the back of the mind, I would never be at peace. Male chivalry that I’m used to in naval walk of life and the sense of respect I was showered with in Tamil Nadu are clearly seen missing here. Perhaps I’m being too suspicious, but the man who rudely asked me not to shake my legs sitting behind him at the movie hall the other day (when I actually wasn't shaking my legs) and the man who conned us at the parking lot at a nearby mall, asking for parking fee – I only get more apprehensive!

I would still concentrate on the silver lining and that doesn't mean I have come out of the italicized phrase above; it still holds good. It’s like the more you hold back in a relationship, the more attractive it gets. Probably my eyes are still caught up on the glittering flamboyance, something I've always yearned for and have been denied for the past 3 years. Well, do not get me wrong; I am not that too outgoing type, but I love convenience and that extra frill. Again, I can hardly adjust to the “fast life” concept, where it would take me a while to put together pieces of my own day-to-day life. What I prefer is somewhere between laid back and hasty, where I still have the freedom to invade both the extremes. And that’s exactly what I've liked the most about this place in the past one month!

People say, Delhi grows on you. Now can the possibility of romance be ruled out or will I get hooked? I leave it for time to prove and in the meanwhile, I will enjoy the date, while battling my own fears.

Stay tuned for more on Delhi and what I’m up to here :-)