Every year I make New Year resolutions, and every year I break em’. But in 2009, I managed to crack one resolution that I been evading me since 2007: driving a car.
I suppose sometimes circumstance is a necessary motivator. In Mumbai I would hope into an auto, and be on my way, whether the destination was a nightclub, coffee shop or work. In Delhi, and particularly Noida, you don’t want to know the auto men. They rattle off the first figure that pops into their heads. So, I registered myself at a driving school managed by a moody, regimental ole’ ex-army man, and managed to learn how to get myself from Point A to Point B in a second-hand, Silky Silver Alto (with power steering!).
The second New Year resolution was to get fit. I have worked out, run more and eaten healthier this year, than ever before. Amending ‘losing weight’ to ‘getting fit’ did the trick. I now relish the idea of taking a power walk, running in the park and doing tummy crunches. Not to mention, other perks like getting to know the neighbourhood better and communing with nature, whatever part of it is available in this city.
For instance, I know that the street dogs on Florence Nightinglae Lane are well-fed. Every morning, the watchman at one of the bungalows, puts out a bowl of food for the little mongrels. One chilly winter morn, they were attired in the cutest little doggie sweaters (sweater-clad dogs — mostly pedigree — are a common sight in Delhi winters). The squirrels in the Rose Garden get to nibble on glucose biscuits every morning, which they do with a vengeance, before scuttling off when humans get dangerously close.
On a different note, I recently misplaced my credit card and it turns out that I left it whilst paying the bill at my fav hub, The Living Room up in Hauz Khas village. The cashier smiled a queer little smile, and pulled out a stack of credit cards, all neatly wrapped up in white serviettes. How many drunk people are there in Delhi?
