Skip to content Skip to navigation

Titbits from Delhi….

By pallavibarua |

For most of the folks who have been brought up in Guwahati. Delhi is not something to be charmed with. Girls and boys from villages or small towns might be swept away, but the life-style is no different from a medium-sized city like Guwahati. Infact, I have only a few square feet area to call my 'home' in this metro (far less than the spacious room in my home city).


At times, I feel I am in Delhi only when I go for walks in Central Secretariat, the area near India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhawan et al......otherwise most of the areas are like any other locality in any medium-sized city like Guwahati. Infact, in many places, there are no proper footpaths....yes, the capital Delhi, this is it.


Here in Vijay Nagar where I am staying is near Delhi University,.......so many NE students, and so many from Assam ; I never imagined !


I enjoy standing next to Assamese boys and girls in this area and listen to their conversation.....bad manners this is.....but I feel at home listening to my first language.


However, most of the boys use the dirty slang 'k***', which sounds so bad......every sentence ends with it ; these are the students who have come to the 'hallowed' portals of Delhi University!


For me, the most amusing part is that they never know I am from their home state.


I have been here from Sept 1 last.....and till now I have seen only 2 wine shops.....not that I want to gulp some, but this shows how nasty the situation of Guwahati is compared to Delhi. I needn't say more.


Delhites are bad, rude, crude. This is what I have been hearing all along. But there are some pleasant experiences too. I remember the aged ‘paaji’ auto-driver who went round and round to locate my place of interview. One should have seen how he stopped his auto from one shop to the other and asked people about the whereabouts of the office. It’s so nice to think of the Muslim family from Chandni Chowk who let me squeeze into the auto alongwith them the day I was stranded on the road for an auto at eight in the evening. The term ‘Bhaiyya’ means a lot. The most crude Haryanvi softens when you address him by the word. And, how can I forget the chisel-sharp, pretty Jatni, the boisterous Sardarni at my hostel, the chatty dusky beauty from Kerala in office ; these people who have accepted me into their fold as if I have known them from school…


As for the infamous tag of Delhi being ‘unsafe’ for girls, this is more relevant in areas like Gurgaon (Haryana) and NOIDA (again in UP). There are reasons though. Land tillers and graziers became millionaires overnight ; selling off their lands for crores to MNCs--- a lavish bunglow, shiny cars….money did come, but not education…the nouveau riche. Anyways, the best thing for a newcomer is to maintain a modest profile (though that is not the solution always). Whatever be it, it is not a wise thing to carry the same manners in varied places like Dubai and Boston. Always remember; You have to fit in, not they.


One should move out to a metro, not for permanent settlement, but, at least for a few months or a couple of years........we can see more of the world and meet for people.


People say Delhi is bad, people are bad. But, I think Assam and North-East is no better. Infact, North-East has become the hotbed of ethnic politics and numerous oppurtunistic tribal agenda........people can no longer think in a cosmopolitan manner........there is no Unified Agenda among the people out there. At times I feel, its not Delhi, but the attitude of the people of Assam (and other NE states) which is holding the region back.


Till date I have not met bad fellows out here till now. There are good, very good, bad, thugs, wicked.......all kinds of people in this metro........there lies the beauty of a big city......but, the good holds back the bad....that's helping Delhi march ahead.....

Author info

pallavibarua's picture

Comments

Susmita Rakshit's picture

Submitted by Susmita Rakshit on Thu, 15/10/2009 - 11:52
The article revealed a lot about Delhi, especially, the city being 'unsafe' for girls.Being from the North -east, I myself had a different idea of what life for a single girl in Delhi would be like,but my notions had changed after going through this article. Good work.
pranab's picture

Submitted by pranab on Mon, 19/10/2009 - 07:55
In every community in the world there will be bad and good persons.After interacting with few good persons doesnt mean all people are good in an area/region.One if goes community wise assamese and other north eastern people are more kind hearted and loving people to strangers than north indians. Delhi has more nos of rape cases,molest than guwahati city.In Assam,in a family no one uses slang words like "Bhen...",Maa...".Young assamese guys do use slang words among friend cirles not with parents or with elders.
bishwajeet's picture

Submitted by bishwajeet on Sat, 31/10/2009 - 05:02
In fact every community or group of friends often uses slang languages within 'closed' group as they feel it comfortable with it, nothing else !!! The same person may act differently with different 'user group' and vice-versa and by seeing his behaviour momentarily it is not easy to judge anybody overall personality or life-style in totality, because once he will be in his comfortable zone, his actual form without any mask will show-up !
Rajarsh Das's picture

Submitted by Rajarsh Das on Mon, 23/11/2009 - 03:18
Congratulations...though I read ur post earlier,it was nice to go through it again on the Reader's Mail [THE HINDU-Nov 23, 2009].Solidarity among the Assamese community is essential to foster a broad national consensus, regarding issues which haunt us. Your endeavour to take it beyond our state frontiers to national as well as international forums is much appreciable.Keep up the good work and the faith as well.

Pages

Add new comment

Assamese Translator

Assam Times seeks English to Assamese translators!
Join our volunteer team.
Email editor@assamtimes.org.

Random Stories

ULFA group escapes Army, police in Nazira

24 Nov 2008 - 2:41pm | editor
A group of eight hardcore ULFA militants have managed to escape from army and police at Saraisajia area in Nazira.According to information, police and army Jawans from the 316 Field Regiment and 581...

Guwahati Refinery organizes continuing medical education and “cancer prevention” programme

3 Jun 2010 - 4:24am | sankal
A Mid Term CME of Association of Surgeons of Assam was organized by the Medical Department of Guwahati Refinery on 29th May’10 wherein medical professionals from all over Assam participated...

Tripartite talks over district creation issue remains ‘inconclusive’

23 Mar 2018 - 8:34pm | AT News Imphal
SENAPATI, Mar 23 (NENA): Tripartite talks involving the Centre, Manipur government and United Naga Council (UNC) to end the deadlock over creation of new districts remained “inconclusive.”  On...

Indian High Commission pays tribute to Dr Bhupen Hazarika on his 7th death anniversary at London

24 Nov 2018 - 10:21am | Rini Kakati
The Indian High Commission in collaboration with Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters (FASS) paid tribute to Bhupen Hazarika, Shrandhanjali event at Gandhi Hall, India House on  November 16, 2018...

Other Contents by Author

How conflict affects students’ lives

The Bodo community of Assam is the worst sufferer of the policy of illegal migration for rise in the number of voters. This group of people are the most affected by the ‘Vote-Bank’ scheme of the Government of India in collaboration with successive Governments of Assam (demo-cratically elected since post-‘independence’). The worst affected districts of Western Assam, due to such politically motivated “Chain Migration” has got an autonomous council, but only in name. The so called ‘minority’ calls the shots when a Government is to be formed at Dispur as well as Delhi. Parts of Western Assam are facing the brunt of such myopic policies of...

Mega dams and maoist forum

In the 7th century AD, when Buddhism was strengthening its hold over North India, a group from the priest class forwarded a new concept to arrest the growth of Buddhism. Gautam Buddha was declared the ninth incarnation or 'avatar' of Lord Vishnu (the Protector God of the Hindu Trinity). That gave a death blow to the expansion of Buddhist faith and ideals in the country of its origin. Likewise, the stories of Maoists forming forum to resist big dams cooked in the power corridors of Delhi to be fed to the masses through the'Tarun Gogoi's and 'Nabam Tuki's of weak states like Assam and Arunachal Pradesh holds no water. Here we can quote the famous lines of Abraham Lincoln, "You can fool some...

Mega Dams and ‘Bharat Ratna’

On December 19, the Assam Assembly adopted an unanimous resolution urging the Central Government of India to confer the highest civilian award ‘Bharat Ratna’ on Bhupen Hazarika posthumously. There are worthier things to do other than wasting the tax-payers’ money in assembly sittings for ‘resolutions’ of this type. Just as Jitumoni Kalita’s winning a dance competition, Debojit Saha winning a singing competition or Ananya Banajyotsna participating in talent ‘hunt’ shows is not going to help the masses of Assam, so also Assam MLAs begging for ‘Bharat Ratna’ to Bhupen Hazarika is not going to help the cause of the state and its people...

We, anti-corruption movement and some introspection

Home loan, car loan, education loan, health loan, travel loan….life on loan. 20 years down the lane of liberalization, this is where the great middle class in India finds itself. As if the burden of the three ancient ‘celebrations’ was not enough. The just mentioned trio is birth, marriage and death, of them, marriage being the most taxing. In village economy, the life of a Hindu family used to be caught in three debts owing to janma (birth), vivaha (marriage), mrityu(death). This was a cunning strategy of the priest and the ruling class to engage the working class in economic bondage. 20th century saw the springing up of cities in India. Situation remains the same, only...

Popcorn Nationalism vs Humane Nationalism

Radhika Tanwar (20) is shot dead in Delhi. We see the perpetrator of the murder in the newspapers. We see protest marches brought out for the safety of women and girls. Any rape, any murder in the city. We see the criminals. Tarmetla, Chattisgarh. Hurre (20) is picked up by Indian government employed armed forces to the Chintalnar police station, stripped and sexually assaulted. But we donot see the perpetrators of the crime. May we request the government of the world’s largest democracy to disclose the names and pictures of security personals and policemen involved in crime? The most unfortunate thing is the unconsciousness of the Great Indian middle class towards the pathos,...

A Malaysian Sojourn

Once one lands in Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), it makes one realize why Malaysia has the distinction of having the world’s best airport. The accomplishments of this small country in South East Asia is to be seen. Being on a strategic sea route position in the tropics, Malaysia has seen different groups of people trade and travel enroute its shores. In Ptolemy’s map, ancient Malaysia was shown as “Golden Khersonese”. In 2010, it looks so, prosperous and improving constantly. Malaysia has a tropical climate, if it shines in the morning, afternoon awaits rain. It was late in the evening when we reached Kuala Lumpur. Roads and the road-sides, all well-...

Thailand diary

As soon as we landed at the Suvarnabhumi (pronounced ‘su-wan-na-poom’) Airport in Bangkok, the guide lead us to a tourist bus. In the bus, the tom-boyish jovial lady says to us, “Welcome to Thailand, the land of gold, the land of white elephant,.... .” Lets see for ourselves if these sobriquets are relevant. She went on, “In Thailand, 95% people are Buddhists. We eat meat.” The Buddhism in Thailand didn’t spread directly from India. The import was via Sri Lanka in 3rd century B.C. There more than 35,000 Wats (Buddhist monasteries or temples) in Thailand, a country of 513,115 sq. km. Whether these have been able to shape the life of the people in the...

Anti-people policy of India in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh

Sept 23, 2010. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Rahul Gandhi comes to Guwahati campus of IIT and makes a statement, “Construction of big dams in the North East is not ‘anti-people’and the concern of the common man is being given top priority.” It is baffling to come across such an insensitive remark when mass protests are going on against mega dams in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. Three ancient tribes of the two states will suffer the most-- the Adis, the Misings and the Deuris. It seems Rahul Gandhi has not done his home work well like most politicians in India or it might be because Assam has the same party in power as at the Centre. A...

15 August - ‘Transfer of Power’ Day

A decade back, when in my mid-teens, I went on a trip to Kameng in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh. I knew that my generation had been very successfully indoctrinated with the concept of Indian and India. So I was looking out for an old grandpa to know the unadulterated reality of erstwhile N.E.F.A (North East Frontier Agency). My wish was answered when I met a gaonburha (village headman), with his grandchild near a hanging rope bridge. I struck a conversation with the tiny tot and his grandpa. When I asked the gaonburha whether he thought himself to be an Indian or a Chinese, I got the most amusing answer I have ever come across till date. The grand old man said, “Xeitutu moi...

Majuli Majuli

Nemati ghat in Jorhat. This is one of the three main riverine routes to reach Majuli, the largest river island in Asia. The other two river fronts being Luit-Khabalu ghat from North Lakhimpur and Dhakuakhana from Dhemaji. This Bohag Bihu, we planned a trip to Majuli and reached Nemati ghat in Jorhat to avail the ferry service of 4:30 p.m. It is the last ferry for the day. The road leading to Nemati ghat was dusty, but the sight of the ghat was disappointing. It was mud, potholes brimming with water and a bumpy, unkempt place all around. This was the doorway to Majuli, the proposed UNESCO world heritage site. Once an island of 1250 sq. km., today Majuli is a shadow of its former self with...