That moment, I swear, I was full of sanguinity. That moment I knew Delhi would be a treasure of joy and opportunities.
Didn’t know how my life would be like, but I had hopes. Hopes to live and to fly! Fly high!
Finally the day came when I arrived in Delhi. My joy knew no bounds as I was going to start ‘My Own Life’. A life full of life sans any shortcoming.
I thought it’s going to be an easy, fun ride, but at that time I didn’t know the consequences of being an Outsider here. New girl in the city I was, and was thus clueless of the pros and cons that follow!
Being an outsider in Delhi, this is what you face:
1. Difficulty gelling with the Delhi-ites – The ones from small towns and cities face a major “SYNC CRISIS” once they land in Delhi. The “proud to be a Delhi-ite” act superior all the time and it becomes impossible for outstation people to synchronize with them. The slang they use, “Banda Bandi, Bhandd, Chal bey” goes over your heads if you are from down South or may be from East or West. Haven’t used the words ‘Jugaad’ or ‘Setting’ even once? You are not a Dilliwala. Thus sometimes you end up feeling cheesed off!
2. Serious Traffic congestion – Now being an outsider, you’ll experience this major traffic problem which will depict a depressing situation of the capital. You will seldom feel the need to go out of your lodgings and admire the city as a whole. Metros face the similar traffic congestion in terms of the people boarding them. Travelling is no way a norm here. Going from North Delhi to East Delhi is like going “Jamuna Paar”. So exploring Delhi becomes an unhandy task.
3. Parental Pressure – No matter how old you are, if you are staying away from your parents, they’ll constantly haunt with, “beta did you reach home safely, beta did you eat properly, beta are you studying well, are you facing any problem?”. Their concern will outgrow to the next level which might not be pleasing at all.
4. The Frequent Food sprees – Delhi is a place famous for food. Offering delightful cuisines at every other corner, you will want to go on an eating spree every other day. From ‘Andhra Bhavan’ to ‘Nagaland stall’ at Dilli Haat, From ‘Haldirams’ to ‘Gujarati Samaj’, Delhi offers cuisines of every state. And then comes the famous street food: momos, golgappe, bhelpuri. After all this, who will have the time to care about hygiene, unless stomach infections start troubling you? That is the time you’ll cry and say “Maa ke haath ka khaana is the best khaana”.
5. Money flies in a wink of an eye – Now “Money Management” is a term to be mocked at once you are an outsider in Delhi. Every other week you withdraw from the ATM and the one sentence that just doesn’t leave your side is, “Sorry, I’m broke”.
6. Extreme Weather takes a toll on you – Either it’s too cold or its too hot here in Delhi. The winter temperatures have you feel like Eskimos all the time. With temperature reaching to 45 degrees in summer, it is dreadful to even step out of your house in the afternoons.
These are some major problems I faced as an outsider here in Delhi.
Share your personal problems in the comments below when it comes to being an outsider in Delhi!
