The Journey from India Gate to Gateway of India – Delhi Vs Mumbai

Whatever Little HR Management I have learnt ,There is a Theory called as Herzberg  Two Factor Theory which says that In an Organization the opposite of “satisfaction” is not “Dissatisfaction” but its “No satisfaction” , Similarly when I say that I love Delhi , It doesn’t necessarily means that I hate Mumbai  . For a change , I love both Delhi and Mumbai and in this Blog, I would be discussing about the contrasts yet merits of both these cities . Let me start with one of my favourite cities- Delhi . Everytime , I go to Delhi , I find it a ‘New’ Delhi . I have Lived in Delhi NCR for 3 years and the love and homeliness that this city provided me  was second to none. Living in Delhi is not a Rocket Science But surely , Its an art. You have to learn the art of shoulder pushing people in a crowded DTC bus and make make pave for yourself  . To bargain in delhi is an art you must learn at the earliest, Unlike Mumbai where Auto run through meter, In delhi they run at the mercy of Autowallahs and the moment, they say 40 bucks , u have to respond with ,”kya!! 20 lagte hain bhaiya, Roz jaate hain” and he will settle at 25/-…. Not just in Auto but in shopping markets of lajpat Nagar, Sarojni Nagar ,Janpath ,Palika Bazaar ,Your art of Bargain comes handy  .There are ‘n’ number of things that I like about Delhi but the one that stands out is “ Street Food”…If you area foodie , U have to be in Delhi –No matter what are your preferences, taste or style, Delhi is the best place for Vegeterians, Non-Vegeterians and Maukaterians.From Kareem’s to parawntha waali gali , you will get all . tikki, golgappe parawtha, samosa, Chaat, kachowri, Lassi ,chhole-Bhature,Makke-di- Roti n sarso-da-saag with Gur(jaggerry) are the hot fav-  Come ,Eat and Fall in Love with Delhi . Another biggest advantage of Delhi is “Infrastructure”- Here I can say this Delhi infrastructure is better than Mumbai .Oops!!!(No More comparisons). May be its because of CWG games or whatever But Delhi stands out in this respect. ‘Delhi Metro” is world class . Dhaula Kuan has a spider web of Fly overs and the most recent New Delhi Railway Station to Airport Metro Line stands out . No matter who you are ,Trust me , you will feel proud while travelling in this line. The underpasses, Overbridges and Greenery is second to none.  Another very distinct feature of Delhi is its “Climate”-It enjoys all seasons , In Summers, Delhi can compete with any city on Equator and Winters , Even Polar beers can live comfortably,  Pretty decent Rainy and Autumn Season are also enjoyed by Delhites.

Delhi still carries a baggage on its back while work which means that still Delhi is all Government office, Life is still comparatively slow ( what others call slow I call the pace is matchable unlike cities where you have to huff n puff to match with the city’s pace)  but the stretch from India Gate to Rashtrapati Bhawan  is such that no matter how rich you are , you will be in an awe of the sheer ‘Power’ that Delhi commands over all other states of India  .

And Now as I start writing about Mumbai the first thing that strikes me  is Sea- Just gazing at the sea from Marine Drive and let the water tickle your feet at Juhu Beach while you look to an infinite sea , It reminds me of the infinite possibilities and opportunities that this city presents .The sheer energy to enjoy life in between all the problems that life offers is commendable . Like an Autowaalah promised me ,” Mumbai se koi wapis nhi jaata ,ye sabko wapis bula leta hai “ I am sheer amazed receiving the warmth and love that Mumbai provides.  How like a truly Cosmopolitan city , It takes the Samosa of North and adds its pao and makes it “samosa Pao” or  how a Chinese recipe being clubbed with  our very own Bhel puri becomes ‘Chinese Bhel ’is something worth appreciating .

 Another very interesting feature that I have noted in Mumbai is the ability to ‘accommodate’ and may be since a Mumbaikar tolerate and accommodate so much in his day to day life that it has become part of his personality . Unlike Delhi where people live mostly in houses (apart from Rohini and Dwarka) , Here in Mumbai people live in Apartments . Also, people travel  here in Locals which are actually the ‘Lifeline of the City’  but are crowded like Hell  and here that trait to accommodate develops . may be that’s why Mumbai is a far safer city to live in because people let others to grow  and enjoy their success.

There are many other things that I like about Mumbai like the National Anthem on which every one stands when it starts in a theater but any explanation about Mumbai is incomplete without –Mumbai Rains. I am not very good at maths but the sum total of all the rain I have ever seen in my stay else where would be lesser than what I have seen at Mumbai  in one season . Mumbai can challenge Cherrapunji  as the city with maximum Rainfall but unlike any other Indian city  here is a subtle difference . After I arrived , The first  time It rained heavily in Mumbai , out of a Class of 60 students , 59 were present – The one absentee was ‘Me’ who thought that no one would come to attend the class today  in this rain and it will be declared a ‘rainy day’ but I forgot that Mumbai doesn’t stopped even after Bomb blast , this was just a rain.

I haven’t commented on ‘people’ of  both the cities because there are good and bad people everywhere , It depends on whom we interact with and what perception we develop . Delhi is unsafe because may be people have the time to look into other person’s life . May be because there are far more number of News channels in Delhi which exaggerate any such news into ‘Breaking News’ or may be because the Literacy level and unemployment levels have swapped their  desired positions( or may be because I am using too many ‘May Bees’ ) .Whatever,  I have been treated exceptionally well from the people of both the cities and have been lucky enough to have made some friends for life in both these cities and since you have taken the pain to read this #Random Thought#  till this point , one thing is sure that ‘You’ are one of them .

Would  like to conclude reciting lines from some poet :

“ पास रुकता भी नहीं,दिल से गुज़रता भी नहीं ,
वैसे लम्हा कोई जाया नहीं लगता मुझ को 
गाँव छोड़ा था कभी और अब यादें छूटीं ,
अब कोई शहर पराया नहीं लगता मुझ को”