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An Ode to the Delhi Metro

There was a time when relatives from Kerala would troop in at the city railway station, all agog at their first glimpse of Delhi. And the Red Fort, Qutab Minar and Lotus Temple were the usual suspects on their must-see list.
Now, I simply take them for a ride on the Delhi Metro.

This world-class transit system has upped Delhi's prestige and in my opinion has helped it replace financial hub Mumbai as India's hippest city.



A friend tells me that commuters go crazy trying to get a mobile signal on the New York subway and the London Underground. But mobile conversations are loud-and-clear on the Delhi Metro no matter how many metres below the Earth's surface I descend. Amazing, huh?

True, there used to be chaos at busy stations like Rajiv Chowk (Connaught Place) with passengers finding it difficult to disembark due to the sheer numbers waiting outside. But last month, authorities started a queue system with guards to oversee the process. And it has worked really well. Now, it's a pleasure to watch people wait patiently for me to get off first.

All my pals know I dig the Metro experience and lose no opportunity to wax eloquent about it. So this blog post won't come as a surprise. I just hope more Delhiites and visitors from abroad try this world-class experience. And get hooked.

I won't say it's all hunky-dory though. Authorities should consider stepping up security. I entered the Pragati Maidan station early one morning last week and there was no security guard there.


Some baggage-laden men got in behind me and entered the train. The memories of the horrific Mumbai train blasts were still fresh in my mind. What if their suitcases contained explosives? Well, things now seem to be moving on the security front as this newspaper report says.

As for the photos, I clicked them with my mobile camera during my 7 am journeys to office. That's why the compartments look so empty. Don't try this yourself coz you need special permission to take photographs/videos inside the Metro stations and trains.

Wanna know more? Click here for their official site.

View my Delhi Metro montage

Afterwards...

It's hard to believe Afterwards has been written by a woman. Simply because it's written from the point of view of a man. And because Jaishree Misra has captured so well the nuances of what a man goes through during the loss of a loved one.

Misra's third novel is set in Delhi, Kerala and London and explores the many facets of love, tradition and sorrow.

In conversation with Jaishree Misra
Afterwards: The Hindu review
Buy the book

How Xena faced her attackers

My Blank Noise Project Action Hero is a former colleague. Let's call her Xena coz she chooses to remain anonymous.

On her way back home from work last month, journalist Xena was walking down a deserted street in central Delhi when two men tried to grab her. It took her a few seconds to react to the sudden assault and then Xena fought for her life.

She bit, she screamed, she elbowed, she kicked and sure enough - the two men left her and ran away. She hadn't even seen their faces in the dark.

Knowing there was little she could do about the incident, Xena enrolled for a martial arts programme the next morning.

It's only been a couple of days since she began the course but now Xena is confident she can handle any attacker (and kick him where it really hurts).

There had been a pepper spray in Xena's handbag but the sudden attack had rendered it useless as she had no time to take it out. Does that mean picking up karate skills is the only way to combat street sexual harassment?

This Women's Day, do visit the Blank Noise Project blog for a cross-cultural chain of shared experiences on sexual harassment.

India outsources to the U.S.

The Indian government plans to outsource processing of visas from its embassy in Washington to a U.S.-based company. Don't believe me? Read full story here

FIFA exaggerated World Cup viewership figures

Remember how I lashed out at a Times of India editorial last year that claimed 32 billion people watched the 2006 football World Cup. Did aliens watch the World Cup too?

Well, an investigation by UK's The Independent has revealed that FIFA massively exaggerated TV viewership figures in some cases, and simply guessed in others. Read full story here

ALSO READ
TOI July 11, 2006 editorial

Nirula's back in Connaught Place

Hot Chocolate Fudge lovers - Rejoice. Icecream and fast-food joint Nirula's, synonymous with childhood pleasures for many a Delhiite, made a triumphant return to Connaught Place just a few weeks after it shut shop in the city's centre.

The new Nirula's outlet is in K-block - a mere hundred metres from PVR Plaza and visible from the Outer Circle. And believe it or not - they got Bollywood actress Amrita Arora to inaugurate it yesterday.

The popular hangout sports a new look after Navis Capital Partners and Samir Kuckreja acquired the Nirula's group of companies this year. But things may not have improved for the better.

Nirula's signature Hot Chocolate Fudge Sundae is now priced at a steep Rs 98 (up from Rs 50 some years ago) and fares much worse in taste and quantity than a decade earlier. Youth-centric themes adorn the wall and Bollywood tunes rule the joint. But a leaking roof played spoilsport - leaving patrons sitting quite close to a big blue bucket just below the trouble spot.

On the other hand, the service and ambience is commendable. The staff, in their newly-designed uniforms, are helpful and efficient as usual. I remember one guy in particular, grinning from ear to ear as he handed out a particularly complex order of single-scoop icecreams to my pals. Seems it may just be the start of another successful innings for Nirula's.

BLOG INTERVIEW - Mahesh Dattani

Meet Mahesh Dattani. India's first playwright in English to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi award, this Bangalore-lover made his mark in filmdom with Mango Souffle and the Oscar-nominated Morning Raga.

Toe Knee Unplugged caught up with the 48-year-old dancer, actor, writer and filmmaker just as he was leaving for Dubai to present his latest play Double Deal.

The play - billed as an innocent encounter between strangers that turns out to be a roller-coaster ride of deceit and betrayal - struck a positive chord with audiences with the actors getting a standing ovation at its Mumbai premiere. Audience response has been quite good, eh?

"Private shows have also done very well. The Dubai shows are sold out in advance, so I guess we are doing okay".

Double Deal, an adaptation of Richard Stockwell's thriller Killing Time, stars the unusual combination of Sandhya Mridul and Mahesh Manjrekar. But why Sandhya and Manjrekar?

"When I read Stockwell's original, I was struck by the fact that it was written for star actors. Now where do I get charismatic star actors like Lana Turner and John Garfield? Enter Mahesh Manjrekar and Sandhya Mridul. Their onstage chemistry is what makes it work to a large extent."

Point taken. But why do you change genres so quickly - after all, your last play Mad About Money was a comedy.

"Well, I like trying out different things and I enjoyed working on both. At the heart of it, I like a good piece of drama."

Yes and we love your plays too, Mahesh. But why are you turning your back on films? You haven't done anything since Morning Raga.

"I am working on a film project once my theatre commitments are done with. I took a break from films after Morning Raga as I was desperate to get back to theatre."

For the record, I caught the film (A story of three lives. Struck by tragedy. United by destiny. Redefined by music) at Delhi's IHC and watched from the sidelines as enthralled spectators showered praise on Dattani at an interactive session following the screening. But one still feels the Shabana Azmi-starrer didn't quite get the attention it deserved. Wotsay?

"The film was received very well and Shabana's performance has been universally acclaimed. One wishes it had better distribution, but then maybe the film was limited in its appeal. It was never made as a commercial venture to begin with so I am happy at the response it has received."

Other Exclusive Interviews on this blog
Filmmaker Ruchi Narain