Motown Blues
As I sit down and wait for the summer to unfold, images pass through my head. India is a country of cultural diversity and Delhi being its capital should imbibe it. Even though we have places like Delhi Haat, which brings cultural milieu to the table, yet, to a distant visitor, it may look as a strange coincidence brought together by effort and not in harmony with the city at large.
Take Argentina's capital city 'Buenos Aires' for example. The city has settlers from Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Ireland, France, Croatia, England and the Middle East. They all have survived and prospered here. And, in some measure, this amalgamation has endured on to become a distinctive entity, which adds 'zing' to the experience of a distant visitor. They also call 'Buenos Aires' as the city of 'Good Air'.
Come back to Delhi now and think! Do we match up to 'Buenos Aires' in the cultural context? Some may say yes, others may disagree, but here more than ever, a clear heart is required to take a side. Even though, as much as I may admire my country and its culture, there are gaps which are hard to ignore. Delhi, with is impressive architecture is an enduring image to every Indian, but... to an outsider, this image stands for everything else, that may not be Indian (also in the cultural context). Delhi has grown up to be a monster in the business sense, and the old ways are fading fast, and culture, is an abrasive import of the american type. In short, Delhi is culturally empty soul.
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