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Journalism of Courage
In the midst of three fashion weeks taking place in two cities, the Delhi-Mumbai debate is hard to resist. Even so when the Booker winner Aravind Adiga dedicates his debut novel to Delhi, the capital city8217;s charms are incomparable to Mumbai8217;s mish-mash.
My only visits to Delhi take place during the various fashion weeks there. And in eight years as a rank outsider, I8217;ve sensed immense changes taking over. When less than a decade ago, the image of Delhi was one of pompous politicians and brash boys in their papa8217;s BMWs, it8217;s quickly debunked stereotypes and emerged as a stylish international city. Yes, it has overthrown that other self-appointed numero uno metro: Mumbai.
More importantly, since
Mumbai struggles for space, showing off the beautiful Arabian Sea on both sides, Delhi has expanded its girth to include the mall-filled Gurgaon and Noida, happily feeding and feeding off a new class of people for whom money is not to be concealed but to be shown off in good taste.
Louis Vuitton opened in Delhi five years ago, in the plush Oberoi Hotel, a whole two years before it found a country-cousin counterpart in Mumbai8217;s Taj Mahal Palace 038; Tower. The uber-popular logo luggage maker was an instant success in Delhi; it took its bottom lines in Mumbai to show profit after over one year. Christian Dior and Valentino are already here, rivalling Mumbai8217;s year-old Gucci and Burberry. Two of India8217;s most famous designers 8212;Tarun Tahiliani and Manish Arora8212;moved here from Mumbai.
Delhi has some hot spots that rival the finest one will find in
New York, London, Hong Kong or Paris. Three-sixty Degrees, also at The Oberoi, is one of the buzziest restaurants in the country. The Park Hotel, at Connaught Place, boasts of modern architecture by Sir Terence Conran, with its pink-blue lobby divided by beaded walls.
Another agreeable consequence is the mushrooming of independent restaurants. While, until a few years ago, one would have to go to a five-star to get good food, a 8216;Delhi Belly8217; now means an expanding waistline. There8217;s Diva, by Ritu Dalmia, who learned her cooking in Sicily. In Greater Kailash, the suburb-turned-city centre, is Shalom, where you can get Lebanese as good as in Beirut. Then there are Tabula Rasa, a chic terrace eatery, and the newly opened Indochine, from the London-based chain. And my favourite 8212; Khan Market 8212; is Delhi8217;s version of Covent Garden.
Renewal is in Delhi8217;s air, buses and rickshaws are making way for CNG vehicles and the Delhi Metro has its swishiest denizens swelling with pride. The Commonwealth Games, taking place here in 2010, promise to show off an even more vibrant and infrastructure-strong capital of a new India.
As the erstwhile Mumbaikar, now Delhiite, Tahiliani puts it: 8220;This is a new millennium city that8217;s steeped in Indian culture. Where else can you find monuments coexist with modernity?8221;
This definitely should have our regional political parties mighty worried.
namrata.sharmaexpressindia.com
