Delhi October

Getting started with the November project, I wanted the first post to be about something happy that I am thankful for.

When I first heard that the Eid-ul-Adha holidays in Oman were going to be a week long (Yay for living in Oman – UAE only got three days 😛), my first reaction was to pledge that I wouldn’t stay in and mope about the lack of exciting things to do. After a series of elaborate plans didn’t work out (more on those on the next post), I decided that October would be a great time to visit Delhi and catch up with some of the people there. After all, I had been very heartbroken to leave and somehow it had been over a year now.

So here is a brief account of things that I did while in Delhi, and they left me feeling immensely happy:

# Lived at the Chopra-Bajpai residence. The last time I saw these two, they were recovering from an all-nighter wedding ceremony – tired and bleary eyed, but so happy. Save my parents and Kanishk, I’ve never had anyone come to receive me at the airport – Ankita and Aditya woke up at 7 am to do that, and I was so very touched. Given the short time I had with them, we managed to spend a couple of great evenings – talking and being surprised at Aditya’s choice of music (Imran Khan and Honey Singh!!) while munching on our most favourite junk food – pizza! They have a new apartment very close to where Ankita and I used to live in Gurgaon, and you cannot help falling in love with how sunlit it is, adding to the wide veranda that circles the whole flat! She has been through so many trying times that my heart was almost sighing with contentment looking at the fact that she is happy and at peace. Cannot thank these two enough for being such generous hosts and ferrying me across Delhi in their new steel Ritz! Much love, always.

# Met the Mahapatra family. One of the reasons I was more inclined to make this trip happen was the fact that Abhishek (former boss-mentor-friend)was moving to Shanghai for two years with his wife and baby boy! I didn’t have the opportunity to meet little Aadi since he was born in February this year and I didn’t know when I would see them next. So, for the sake of old times, I requested Ankita and Aditya to help me get to Vasant Kunj and say goodbye properly. And so I did.

# Rendezvoused with the girls for drinks at Chili’s. They are what I probably miss most, where I am. And although it was only for a couple of hours, it did feel like the good times. Missed Milan who couldn’t be there because of the damned C R Park Pujo-time situation, but the food was great – the Long Island Iced Tea was muddy but I felt really happy, as Chops drove me back, with some of our favourite songs blared out of the radio.

# Saw one idol being carried to immersement on the back of a truck. This was the only Goddess I saw this year, but I have no regrets.

# Got my beloved phone a new matte screen guard!

# Coordinated with Akshay and his lovely sister Neha (who also happens to be a pastry chef!) for lunch at Big Chill in Khan Market. Obviously it was one of the nicest afternoons spent, owing to the perverted and/or hilarious conversations and Big Chill’s Chicken Florentine! I miss the boy.

# Went to Agra with Milan! More on that in the next post 😀

# Paid a visit to Vatika Triangle, the old office and met the few people that were working after 7. The well-known places had changed, but some of the faces remained and it felt really good to be there.

I only had five days, and a lot more people to meet – I wish I could have gone over to Naween Bhaiya’s to say hello, met a couple of more friends, had a drink with Butt and had breakfast by myself at Sakley’s – but I’ve noted that Delhi has become a lot like Calcutta to me – I even surprised  myself by picking Delhi over Calcutta in Pujo. I think it is more because there are a lot of people I really like and it has become a familiar city that I have grown to love.

Which is why I try and go back, whenever I can.