London ,Paris ,New York -And Delhi !!

A boy who reads my blogs  regularly asked me while I was on a round of the school

“Sir you have travelled a lot .I have read your blogs on London and Paris . You have just returned from New York .Which of the three cities  is the best ,according to you?”.

It was a tough question and quite simple to answer it by over intellectualizing it .So I replied

“It’s a bit like asking me –who do you like more –your Mom or your Dad?You know each of them have their strengths ,and each of them contribute to our living and growing up .So you cant say that your Mom is better than your Dad or vice versa”!!.I was not only trying to be clever ,but honest as well .But children these days don’t want half baked cookies .

“OK Sir ,let me put it this way .I like my Mom more than my Dad !Or let me put it in yet another way –I am being asked to go to one of the three cities for my holidays .Which one would you suggest?

The skyline of New York .

That set me thinking .The cat was finally among the pigeons .Now I could not get away .

“London is out as a first choice .Its a bit crowded ,in many ways like a Indian city .Piccaddilly Circus is a madhouse ,people jostling with one another for space .Oxford Street is a much hyped about street ,Cannaght Place in Delhi is better, and there are too many people at the London eye as well at St Pauls Cathedral .Parts of London will remind you of Khan Market in the evenings or South Extension .England is beautiful –but for that you have to get out into the Midland ,Wales ,Scotland or Ireland .But London –no ,if the choice was between the 3 cities you have named .But go to it if you want great Indian food and if you want to speak in Hindi ,Punjabi or Urdu.Go to it if you are prone to get bouts of homesickness .Or if you like fish and beer.You will enjoy the pub culture .They(the pubs) are noisy and get noisier as the  pints keep going into your belly first and then into your head  .!!”

He looked at me .I continued .

“Paris is a beautiful city .The people in Paris are terrific looking .The women are well heeled and the men are formally dressed for no reason at all .You wont find many Indian restaurants and you will feel ill at ease when you want to ask questions –they speak a lot of French and even if they know English ,may try to feign that they cant understand .Better to ask a question in Hindi and pretend desperately that you are searching for  a English word ,and you will get a response .!!But it’s a lovely place to sit out and sip wine nearly on the road and eat croissants  at a Pattisserie .!!Or a slice of Pizza .Its clean ,less congested than London and has some fine sights –The Eiffel Tower and  the Notre Dam .Amazingly lit up at night .A naughty city .!!As if waiting to rebel all the time .No wonder it was the home to so many revolutions and a strong labour movement .”

“So that leaves New York as your first choice”,he asked .

“Yes ,in a sense it is  .It is very crowded but it is a city with a lot of vibrancy .And it’s a city in which people would not care who the hell is doing what . You can pop out of the Underworld in Central Park, hail a taxi, head down Fifth Avenue with a giant hellhound loping behind you, and nobody even looks at you .!!Funny isn’t ?Its a city in which you can see who you are ,and know who you are because you feel so free that you don’t have to put on a act .Its a city in which you can have a fabulous hamburger /hot dog with mustard sauce for just 2 dollars .Its a city in which you feel like wearing sunshades at 2 am (not pm!!),at Times Square because the neon lights and hoardings are so bright .Its a city in which you can see a youth standing in the smallest of underpants in biting cold –showing off his assets .Its a truly amazing city in which the skyscrapers that kiss the sky ,enclose within them some wonderful parks –Bryant and Central Parks .Its a city that does not tire you –no matter how much and how long you walk”.I looked at him .I asked him “When are you going to New York”?.

He looked back at me and said “Not too sure ,but maybe in May 2013”.

“Lets meet up in New York then ,because we are going to be there anyways in the summers ”.

Yes ,New York has something to it which few cities have .

Would I like to live there forever?
 No. Because India  is my home. Delhi  is my second  home.If I have to spend a year living in an unfamiliar city, New York is  a pretty lovely one to spend it  in, but I will be going homat the end of it, certainly.You know –the difference between a mistress and a wife .!!