I came to Delhi one hot April morning back in 2003, to pursue my post graduation with a dream of a high paying job, a smart and sure channel to high life. Delhi was the Eldorado, a city with an ever growing number of educational institutions, corporate & head offices of multinationals, the local economy thriving, all resulting in a huge job market. A market from where I contemplated my honest share. Life has not been a cakewalk, but Delhi has been a home ever since.
And suddenly a few weeks back I read headlines quoting Mrs. Sheila Dixit that immigrants from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are creating infrastructural bottlenecks for the city. Even though she started her political career as a member of parliament from the Kannauj parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh in 1984. Wonder did she migrate back and forth to Delhi! In the following days, this brought out huge public outcry by various sections of the society and political parties, eventually making Mrs. Dixit to backtrack on her indiscretion.
But the debate does not end here. The issue is more serious than what it seems on the face of it. This is a xenophobic hangover that the average Indian, moreover an average Delhiite suffers from. Appalling though that the much respected Chief Minister of Delhi jumped the bandwagon. “Pata nahin kahan-kahan se aa jate hain”. ‘God knows from where these people come from’. I have heard such comments on the slightest altercations with auto-wallahs, while bargaining on the fare (did you say meter?) or a request to take an extra mile that was not clarified beforehand.
But why this xenophobia? Have not we, the people of India solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, democratic, republic, with justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as our guiding principles. People who were not privileged enough to attend a school can be condoned for the time being. What about all those who surely read the preamble to the Indian constitution, that is, if they have passed school!
An explanation to such mindset is a struggle to get hold of the few jobs and business prospects that a particular geographical area offers. Dereliction creates hatred in a contest to chase the constrained resources. But this is incorrect by a huge margin in the context of Delhi. It is one of the most prosperous and opulent cities in India. There is profuseness of almost everything except for road space, water and electricity. Problems that can be tackled with careful and dedicated planning.
These thoughts have brought out another compelling and bewildering question. Who is a Delhiite anyway? The walled city was built and inhabited by Mughals who came from Asia Minor. New Delhi was built by the imperial British. Both these empires attracted common people from various adjoining and far away areas who immersed themselves in trade and the plentitude of employment generated by the flourishing dominions. Who is a native then? Someone whose family has outstayed the newcomers? The Punjabi and Bengali migrants from West and East Pakistan who made Delhi their home in 1947? Or the huge Kashmiri pandits expatriate population who settled here after the onset of militancy in Kashmir? Or the gargantuan bureaucracy that lives in the city to carry on the colossal government machinery, both central and state? A officialdom that found its way into the ranks of the civil service from diverse geographical regions in India. I am confused and believe that even a reader is.
But on second thoughts, why ponder on this issue at all? Delhi has reached the pinnacle of its glory where it is today due to its sheer pragmatism. A city that was just the capital of the country with a few institutions of pride couple of decades back, it has transformed into a metropolis with global imprints. The city is a major center for education, trade & commerce, industry and any other standpoint. This has been achieved by not clinging on its past and embracing change as it came. Something that other metros like Kolkata markedly failed to. Delhi, as a city is better off underpinning its dynamism that is not reflected in any type of xenophobic attitude.
So, we are all citizens of this country and cosmopolitan Delhi. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, etc., we live in this city, work here, spend here and dream here. Antecedents should not come in the way of cementing a social framework that is vying to be global. Let us unite in this endeavor to make it a reality, make Delhi a global cosmopolitan. Pose a competition to New York, which has prospered by espousing emigrants from a multitude of European, African and Asian, races. And even outshine it by doing away with wantons like Harlem.
I am all for this view and am not going anywhere. This is my city, my Delhi!
And suddenly a few weeks back I read headlines quoting Mrs. Sheila Dixit that immigrants from neighboring states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are creating infrastructural bottlenecks for the city. Even though she started her political career as a member of parliament from the Kannauj parliamentary constituency in Uttar Pradesh in 1984. Wonder did she migrate back and forth to Delhi! In the following days, this brought out huge public outcry by various sections of the society and political parties, eventually making Mrs. Dixit to backtrack on her indiscretion.
But the debate does not end here. The issue is more serious than what it seems on the face of it. This is a xenophobic hangover that the average Indian, moreover an average Delhiite suffers from. Appalling though that the much respected Chief Minister of Delhi jumped the bandwagon. “Pata nahin kahan-kahan se aa jate hain”. ‘God knows from where these people come from’. I have heard such comments on the slightest altercations with auto-wallahs, while bargaining on the fare (did you say meter?) or a request to take an extra mile that was not clarified beforehand.
But why this xenophobia? Have not we, the people of India solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, democratic, republic, with justice, liberty, equality and fraternity as our guiding principles. People who were not privileged enough to attend a school can be condoned for the time being. What about all those who surely read the preamble to the Indian constitution, that is, if they have passed school!
An explanation to such mindset is a struggle to get hold of the few jobs and business prospects that a particular geographical area offers. Dereliction creates hatred in a contest to chase the constrained resources. But this is incorrect by a huge margin in the context of Delhi. It is one of the most prosperous and opulent cities in India. There is profuseness of almost everything except for road space, water and electricity. Problems that can be tackled with careful and dedicated planning.
These thoughts have brought out another compelling and bewildering question. Who is a Delhiite anyway? The walled city was built and inhabited by Mughals who came from Asia Minor. New Delhi was built by the imperial British. Both these empires attracted common people from various adjoining and far away areas who immersed themselves in trade and the plentitude of employment generated by the flourishing dominions. Who is a native then? Someone whose family has outstayed the newcomers? The Punjabi and Bengali migrants from West and East Pakistan who made Delhi their home in 1947? Or the huge Kashmiri pandits expatriate population who settled here after the onset of militancy in Kashmir? Or the gargantuan bureaucracy that lives in the city to carry on the colossal government machinery, both central and state? A officialdom that found its way into the ranks of the civil service from diverse geographical regions in India. I am confused and believe that even a reader is.
But on second thoughts, why ponder on this issue at all? Delhi has reached the pinnacle of its glory where it is today due to its sheer pragmatism. A city that was just the capital of the country with a few institutions of pride couple of decades back, it has transformed into a metropolis with global imprints. The city is a major center for education, trade & commerce, industry and any other standpoint. This has been achieved by not clinging on its past and embracing change as it came. Something that other metros like Kolkata markedly failed to. Delhi, as a city is better off underpinning its dynamism that is not reflected in any type of xenophobic attitude.
So, we are all citizens of this country and cosmopolitan Delhi. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, etc., we live in this city, work here, spend here and dream here. Antecedents should not come in the way of cementing a social framework that is vying to be global. Let us unite in this endeavor to make it a reality, make Delhi a global cosmopolitan. Pose a competition to New York, which has prospered by espousing emigrants from a multitude of European, African and Asian, races. And even outshine it by doing away with wantons like Harlem.
I am all for this view and am not going anywhere. This is my city, my Delhi!
2 comments:
yes Indro, I am all for this city too...I am fond of the lessons it has taught me and the sweet nothings it has given me...people criticise what they fear and what they fail to decipher...Its good to simply embrace the not described...
Good for people to know.
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