Random meanderings

Random meanderings 

Seasoned Delhiites haggle with the Janpath shopkeepers, autowallahs and book vendors. A gregarious guide tries impressing a foreigner, “See? That’s the secret. You buy it at a third of the price he names. See? Three books for a hundred bucks.” I decide to test my newly discovered magical ability. Just as the vendor is packing the third book, I give it a slight nudge. As it drops down, the buyers are too engrossed in conversation to notice and the seller too clever to mention it. As the two walk away a bout of laughter escapes me. To my surprise, the vendor looks about with eyes full of terror. I’m invisible but not inaudible, I gather. I walk on, gently elbowing a few people and whispering an “ouch” to befuddle them.

Dusk has swathed everything in golden light. A cacophony of noises fills the atmosphere, chatter and laughter mingling with birdsong and roar of bikes without silencers. I pass billboards jostling for space, “Gandamal Walayati Ram” screaming from in between “Bon-Ton” and “KFC”. 

A toddler tugs at his mother’s leg, “Chicken!” 

“Chee, chicken nahi khate,” says his grandmother. 

“But we do when you are away!” he retorts sulkily. The look on the two women’s faces is indescribable!

I notice a trio of roadside Romeos catcalling to the women passing by. Years of eve-teasing in this disrespectful city fills me with a sudden rage. I single out the most vicious of the three and gave him a slick kick on his rear. As he falls flat on his face the other two laugh hard. This doesn’t go well with Mr Vicious and I get a kick out of their showering each other with the choicest expletives. 

I stroll along Middle Circle’s traffic-clogged streets. The betel-stained recesses and dusty trails of the middle circle contrast sharply with the elegant facade. Luytens and Russell would have cringed. Yet the place remains a tourist magnet and a heritage site. A group of smartly dressed executives with their laptops and I-pads  head toward Starbucks, heels click-clacking on the pavement. The delightful aroma of coffee fills my lungs as they open the door. 

Then I reach my favourite Inner Circle. Here the energy is intense, almost insane. Happy faces abound, children eating cotton-candies, couples walking hand in hand, a see-and-be-seen crowd taking selfies. Boho-chic blends with the elegant. I comb the bustling metro entrance. Next to a girl in rip-off jeans smoking on the stairs a saree-clad lady hesitates on the escalator, reflecting the cosmopolitanism of the Capital. People come out elbowing, jostling and shouting “Aankhein nahi hai kya?” I smile, I should be the one mouthing that. 

A roadside stall offers fresh bounty including tempting strawberries. I consider tasting one but the thought of flying strawberries might scare the old lady selling them.

 “Madam, Mills and Boons le lo, romance stories le lo...” a salesman calls out to the girl in front of me. Hand-painted roadside signs advertise “100% original!” for 100% pirated books. The fifth highest priced market in the world and you can still get a pair of earrings for Rs. 10.

How long would it take to try a different restaurant for each meal? This place has everything from Kake da Hotel to Warehouse Café... clusters of low-slung motels vying with upmarket dining. I start with the revolving restaurant, Parikrama. I enter the lift along with a couple. 

“Come on, your husband won’t think of coming here. Not a soul has seen us,” the man says. “Yeah, right,” I whisper softly to rattle them. Stifling a giggle, I saunter off to a table far from them. My vantage point offers a spectacular birds’ eye view of CP. Majestic office buildings in the periphery dotting the white commercial ones, Central Park cradled in their midst, symmetrical radial pathways interconnecting them. The largest flag in the 

country standing proud in the middle. Promise, opportunity, joy. An aroma of saffron rice...And fresh kebabs...

And some Chinese gravy dish...

There’s just a small glitch keeping me from ordering the gourmet meals:

How do I become visible again?