The city that stole my heart..surprisingly..DELHI ♥

Let me begin with the most recent of things. I’ve been rambling about Delhi so much it surprises me. It’s almost like I wish intently to live there, maybe I do. The city does that to you! And so, a few things about why this particular city is now so endearing, why for the first time another city has had this effect.

• My internships in Delhi, both of them! :D

The first time was with Shefali when we interned under Ms.Ramni Taneja. That was the first time I was away from family on my own in a new city. It was some experience. The whole trip was a roller coaster ride with its lows and highs. The best part for which we could go through the tough times was that we were interning under such a remarkable person and charming person. There are people who demand respect, others who don’t ask for it but simply earn it, others still who strike a chord with you in a way that you revere them for life. Ramni ma’am was one such person, the first of the kind I’ve met. A very knowledgeable, learned, successful and famous lawyer who also is a very modest, humble, encouraging, supportive and benevolent person. We saw the charm of litigation thanks to her, she helped us understand the nuances of it, the difference between the corporate world of law and litigation. It was due to her that we fell in love with the Supreme Court of India, and with our profession all over again.

The second turned out to be totally unexpected. AK, Appu, Mariyam and I were in for a clerical time for we were to be interning under a Judge of the Supreme Court. We had no idea. This internship was a once in a lifetime experience, quite literally. Hon’ble Justice Altamas Kabir is the best Judge our country has today. Hearing matters till 6:30 p.m (way beyond the usual ‘pack-up’ time for the judges), working in the chamber till 8:30 (it was funny how all the workers in the SC would wait for him to leave so that they could :P ), heading n number of committees, working with compassion, truly the most just, sensible, and compassionate judge with an immaculate sense of right and wrong. I could write a whole book about him! Who knows maybe I will! The four of us are the luckiest ever to have had this opportunity of learning from him first hand, for there never were any before us, and there never will be any! ( I made sure I ask him that :D ).

You rarely meet someone who makes you look forward to Mondays, look forward to work, look forward to learning something. Justice Kabir is one such. Words fail me when I try to put forth his greatness.

• The Supreme Court of India.

Everywhere your head turns you find hustling lawyers, whirling in their black cloaks, looking busy and important, having that air about them, one that spells intelligent-smart-know-it-all-too-busy/important-to-pause. Absolutely amazing. The court room’s, the advocates being grilled by the judges, the smart ones making them listen, the aura all around, the miscellaneous days when the Court is bustling with activity, the sheer pleasure of argument, the laws, the cases, the importance of them all, the working of the judiciary at its peak, all this and much more, much more. The Apex Court of our country in all its glory.

And then there were fun times too. When you’re in another city with just your friends you tend to have a blast, and so did we! :D

• The SHOPPING!! And other ssuuuuppper things.

We couldn’t get enough of the shopping Delhi had in store for us, one of the reasons why I’d love to live there. I have to mention the streets of Janpath with the tiny shops but the trendiest clothes ever, it makes you forget you’re street shopping. People who swear by brands forget their ‘brand image’ and go wild shopping here. You also learn the art of bargaining (Shefali's a total pro, my guru in it ;) ) which in addition to making you the proud owner of a gazillion things also is a lot of fun. Shopping in janpath is bliss! The bellow and clamour  of the shop-keepers, the untidy lanes, the crowd, all of it don’t matter anymore. And you will definitely not mind going broke after shopping here.

The fashion sense of people, something that really needs to be worked on here. It’s good to see people well dressed, although most of them are empty heads but still, it’s always nice to have people with a good fashion sense around (its pleasing to the eye) not like the crowd here that gapes at you if you dress decently and so you’re forced to dress like a drab!

You also have Nirulas, Wengers and Costa Coffee! The chocolate-chip muffins, the coffee, the sandwiches, the donuts et all are the best ever!

Of course there is BLUE! If you want to relax after a long busy day at work, this is the perfect place. With live music and happy hours, this place has become my favourite in Delhi. (Thanks Suraj) The continental cuisine is as delicious as the indian, the cowboy theme working wonders. Blue gets a two-thumbs up.

The clubbing! Saturday night at Fbar, thanks to Arshu Chachu. TOTAL FUN!  But one should be vary of firangs trying to get fresh, not everyone has a gunman now do they ;)

The Delhi Metro! Connecting every part of the city to another, the Delhi Metro is a quick, economical and, if you have the kind of company I have, then a fun means of transport! J

The only snag there is, if any, would be the food, on a daily basis… And it’s no small hitch!!

It is to be noted that one cannot survive on cheese burst pizzas, Maggie noodles, toast with butter and jam, and Mc Donald’s burger alone for a month!!!..

Tip: Learn how to cook! Else you’d be craving homemade food in a week PLUS you will put on a lot of extra kilos.

(Ofcourse if you have someone like Murtuzza cooking for you then you needn’t worry one bit but there’s only one Murtuzza! So go learn yourself)

All these and much more make me want to go back to Delhi ( ofcourse after mastering the art of cooking there would be no stopping me, not that there is now ;) )

The feeling of being in the Capital, the biggest metropolitan of our country sure is something. :)