Dear Pouring Rain,
Greetings! Well, I’m back in the city, hence decided to drop you some lines. The Delhi trip was quite hectic and things are changing rapidly in the Capital. Before I move ahead, I would like to wish you, Happy Independence Day! There are two reasons to celebrate the day. First of all, it’s Indian Independence and second - my birthday today. There’s an another reason to remember the day. You left me on the same day, two years back. It was a huge blow to me and a surprise birthday gift. Well, now I’m strong enough to face such a blow.
Coming to the point, I’m a common Indian face, so I always keep thinking for the independence event only. Birthday and detachment take a backseat. My birthday is less important for me, when I talk about the nation. That’s the reason I never celebrate my birthday. By the way, I’m now 29 and it’s time for you to bless me. It’s time to cheer up.
My friend, I wanted to stay in Delhi to be a witness of the 62nd Independence ceremony at Red Fort, which was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1638-1648 and has been witness to the long road traveled since, the palace intrigues and the battles of succession in the Mughal era, the fight against the British when the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II presided over a fading empire, and now as a connect between the past and India's modern present, but time didn’t allow me to see all this. The Red Fort, a world heritage site, was the battle frontline of a fast-changing political milieu of the 19th century. It is this monumental fort that braved the onslaught of the marauding British army when it stormed the fort and unseated the last Mughal emperor. Bahadur Shah Zafar. The fort became a garrison for the British army and remained so for till Independence, when it was handed over the Indian Army in 1947.
Dear friend, I should move out from the history now. In last 3 days, I realized that Delhi is changing rapidly. Metro Rail is going to connect the all part of the city with quite efficiency. The Commonwealth Games are round the corner, and with development on various fronts having been expedited in the past few years, the city can finally be said to have taken its place among the great metropolises of the world.
Where there were once elevated heaps of rubble that you had to manoeuvre your way around, there are now completed flyovers. A new high-capacity bus service ensures that buses stay in their own lane, segregated from the rest of the road. Even they are going to start a bicycle lane, so people could use this, and at the same time, Load shedding is a term - youngsters have to look up in the dictionary.
One of my friends told me, Delhi is going to be a traffic signal free city by 2010. There’ll be no traffic lights and each and every lane will be one way. The truth is, road congestion is on boiling point and the Metro is a convenient option for upper-middle class office-goers." Thanks to The Commonwealth Games, which is going to be held in 2010, Delhi is ready to get a makeover. At the other hand the international sports event is proved to be a big challenge, as Delhi has to make extensive preparation for the Games. But Delhi would definitely become a world-class city in the run-up to the games, I guess.
Dear Pouring Rain, I traveled to Delhi via Allahabad. The holy city is located at the confluence of Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati, popularly known as Triveni Sangam. The city is famous for its rich cultural heritage and religious importance. The pious nature of Allahabad always attracted me….. I’m a little bit tired and need to stop now. I’ll let you know my Allahabad experiences in my next mail tomorrow.
Thanks
The Desert!
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