Rude in Dilli.....Ya Dilli Dilwalo Ki!

Here I am with a new post after a month......was suffering from writer's mental block?-yes, perhaps!

Recently experienced two distinct faces of our own saadi Dilli highlighting the sharp contrast between the impatient, rude and arrogant Dilli and a truly Dilwalo ki Dilli.

One Sunday evening, I had gone to the sweet shop in our neighbourhood DDA shopping centre to buy some snacks and sweets and was standing in the queue, waiting for my turn. There were 3-4 people ahead of me and a similar number behind me. Sweating profusely in the hot and humid weather, everybody seemed to be at the edge of their patience, yet waited politely for people ahead to take delivery of their orders. Suddenly someone nudged me from behind and commented sarcastically, 'Please hurry up!aisa lagta hai aaj Dilli ke sare bhukhe log isi sweet shop mei aa gaye hai! (it appears as if all the hungry people of Delhi have descended on this sweet shop today). I resisted the urge to turn back and retort that she herself was one of those 'bhookhe log' (hungry people). But someone behind her heard her remark and gave her a piece of his mind in no uncertain terms. .....and lo, there started immediately a verbal duel between the 'lady' and the 'gentleman'! the harried customers forgot their misery with that 'free ka entertainment'. Nobody bothered to intervene and settle the frivolous issue.

A few weeks later, one Sunday morning I was waiting for my husband to return from the weekly car cleaning ritual when he called me to come down with a bottle of water and some money to pay the man from whom he had purchased some chairs for our terrace. The bearded old man drank his fill from the 1250 ml bottle and returned it to me. I asked him to keep the bottle as it was quite a warm day and he still had to ride his bicycle carrying those 28 odd chairs to the market 5-6 miles away. Initially the man declined, but when I insisted, he accepted the bottle hesitantly but gratefully. My husband gave him the money and thanked him in Hindi, 'dhanyavaad baba'.  Suddenly the man's eyes welled up. He turned away a bit but asked, ' Sahab, aap log kahan ke ho?' (Sir, where do you belong to?) My husband told him that he was from Gurgaon/Delhi only but we had stayed in Lucknow also for around ten years. When we queried why he had asked us about the place we belonged to, he replied, 'sahab aap log bahut achche ho, aajkal Dilli me aisi achchi zabaan bolne wale log nahi milte' (you are very decent and caring people, these days one does not find in Dilli, people speaking such polite and refined language). Blessing us generously, he left.

Readers, what's your opinion about Dilli? Please do share your experiences........

Comments

  1. Title of you topic I guess answer everything "MOOD" 95% peeps in delhi acc to me act acc to their mood. That is the reason why ppl call delhi dil walo ki delhi cz they think dil say and act accordingly. I guess I myslf is the example of it. when m in good mood ppl say mere jaisa munda koi nai but when I m in bad mood then to bas rabb hi malik. So may b its with everyone. like if u have had fight with your hubby/wife in morning and someone hits your car then for sure you will shout on that person but on otherhand if you spouse gives u some surprise early morning then you might forgive other person.

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    Replies
    1. Nakul, thanks for sharing your opinion. Agree with you to a large extent. It's true that it depends on a person's 'mood' how he/she would behave on a particular day. But is that all there is to the matter? Does having a bad mood give a person the right to run down other people or even insult them? Have our Delhizens not become more impatient and demanding about their rights and less responsible about their duties? Why should we forget that 'sharing a smile spreads smiles' and 'sharing anger makes others angry too'? It's very easy to spread cheer when you are feeling happy yourself but very difficult to make others happy when you are dejected and desolate inside........Forgive me if I sound 'preachy' but my motive is only to make all of us realize how one rude, reckless and uncaring remark can lead to an ugly and volatile (completely avoidable) situation but one caring word can transform a person's entire day........

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    2. I agree but sometimes theory seems practical but in real it is not. In fact this is what human behaviour is all about but yes one can try atleast and may b your this blog will help people next time to behave properly with others next time when they are in anger in public. if not behave then may b they will realize atleast what wrong they do when they are in bad mood.

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    3. Yeah Nakul, I think my views verge on being too idealistic for today's chaotic world.......but the issue is that Dilliwalon ka world famous Dil now seems to beat mostly for themselves, very rarely for others! In our pursuit to become a global citizen (through technology), we seem to have restricted ourselves to 'I, me and myself'.........
      Do keep sharing your views and opinions in future also.

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  3. With reference to the above discussion, it would be good if you share some calmness tips too :)

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  4. my first DTC experience as a grown(relatively) up in delhi (the time i joined Arunodaya) :
    "Uncle ye bus (mudrika) Patparganj jayegi ??"
    "Mujhe nahi pata."
    And then the gentleman boarded with me in mudrika and deboarded with me at Patparganj...pretended to not notice me...and went away." :/

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  5. Another experience ( a couple of years ago).
    I was in metro with my cousin and a man entered from the gate near me with a paper bag of some bakery.
    In light humour i said to my cousin, "I am so aroused by the smell of this pastry that i can snatch this box and run away."
    The man who supposedly was in his late 40s replied to me, " Sry, if it were not for my daughter's B'day, I would have shared it with u ryt now...but next month it's my B'day too, u can come over to my place and hav some cake." ( And he was smiling throughout the conversation )
    Then he forced me to note his number and took mine ( i was feeling embarrassed and funny simltaneously :D ).
    Next month, one fine day, this gentleman calls me and actually invites me to his B'day. :D
    ( ofcrs i just wished him happy B'day and declined to go to his place...coz u never know when a gentleman can turn out to be a pretty screwed up psychopath :p :D )

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