Karol Bagh...

Located in the heart of  New Delhi, Karol Bagh has been a shopper’s paradise. Sounds like a sentence from a tourist guide pamphlet, isn’t it? 

Its true that its a shopper’s paradise, it also happens to be the place where I was born, and where I grew up, Growing up in those streets was fun. Our house looked dilapidated from outside, but inside was good, the house overlooked a park, and my friends and me would have fun playing Badminton, hide n seek, cycling in the gallis, or just chitchatting on the presswala’s table and gossiping about the boys in the block. All of them played either cricket or football, am sure they have lost count of the number of glass panes they broke then, shouting “Sorry Uncle! Won’t happen again” and muttering “Saala Buddha”..Wow! That was FUN.

The Punju Aunties dressed up so gaudily,that even Govinda was insecure about losing his “most gaudily dressed star” status., One common thing about them was that they all  looked like footballs, Round was THE only shape then, and it was the “IN” shape, nobody had heard the concept of slimming down after babies. Kitty parties were a rage, and South Indians from all parts of South were ‘Madrasis’, most of them didn’t know that down south, there were four states. Anyway, now when I look back, am very thankful to my parents for having brought me up in Karol Bagh amidst the Punju clan, it actually played an essentiel role in shaping my personality.

I have very fond memories of that place, every Wednesday, my friend and me would go to Nirula’s for an Ice cream soda or Nutty buddy ice cream,. Then there was Raffles in Ajmal Khan Road, the pastries were oh-so-yum.. It is one of my favorite joints.

Even today whenever I visit Delhi, I make it a point to go to Karol Bagh, the 4 block, of course now everything has changed, to such an extent that I am unable to connect, our building where I stayed for 22years, has now been re-constructed, into a plush apartment, the park looks completely different, wonder how kids play there now? The Bengali Uncle and Aunty have moved out, they used to treat us to yummy roshogullas, my friends with whom I grew up, have got married and  shifted to different locations, practically, there is no known face there anymore, then what pulls me there? I ask myself, 

My childhood memories and my friends, and the life we led in that house is etched in my memory, the bitter-sweet events that happened in that house are now a part of me, its not easy to forget. I met lots of people there, and all my friends played a very important role in my life.

In the 30 minutes that I spend there, I re-live the past, get emotional about it and come back promising myself to visit it again.