The True View of Diversity

We talk of diversity, yet we spend most of our time in malls and restaurants frequented by the rich and wealthy of our country. We may be proud of the differences in people of our country, but mostly to show the western world that we have something they often lack.

Earlier this afternoon, I stepped outside my work place and walked up to the Palika area in Connaught Place, the real down town area of Delhi where much of the population of Delhi shows up every day. I was enamored by the diversity on the streets. People dressed in the most sophisticated attire stepping out of their high-rise corporate offices for a stroll before they got back to work were walking on the same streets as the people struggling to make ends meet. They had no look of judgment in their eyes but simply the realization that every person in this world is going his or her own way, living yet another day of their lives. While the economically sound were eating in the famous restaurants of downtown Delhi, the others were waiting for street channa wallas to serve to them. The street hawkers weren’t shaken by the fact that they were attempting to cajole people right outside the showrooms of some of the leading brands. It made little difference, because the diversity of the population was their strength. Not everything suits everyone, after all. This truly diverse culture was evident in the crowds of people dressed in a variety of clothes, showing not just the economic, but also the cultural diversity of the country, colorful and vibrant with character. In fact, some of us are observant enough that we are able to spot the people from different states only based on their gait, their clothing and their style of conversation. This is the real Delhi, just like Chandni Chowk, away from the malls and sophistication that we enjoy, and on the streets that are no less amusing.

They say, “Dilli dil walon ka shahar hai”, or that “Delhi is the city of people with big hearts”, and that is evident here in the wide but winding lanes of Connaught Place, not the power consuming malls of Saket and Vasant Kunj. The life of Delhi is here, in the crowd that buys street food without hesitation. So next time you decide to visit Delhi and brag about the Indian diversity, remember to do so after you truly browse the capital of India, with a culture and pace of its own…  away from the malls and at the heart of the city.