Now Delhi Isn't Far.
Of Capitals, Histories, and Daily lives.
The saying ‘Now Delhi isn’t far,’1 finds its origins in the life of a revered 13th-century Sufi saint, Nizamuddin.
In those days, the ruler of Delhi was a Sultan named Tughlaq who had an ongoing conflict with the saint. At one time, a particular bee in his bonnet was a view that the Sufi saint was luring workers away from his project to build a step wall for the saint.
Angered, the Sultan decreed that when he reached Delhi, he would have the saint beheaded.
Someone conveyed this dire order to the saint, Nizamuddin, who retorted with “Delhi is still far,” 2 thus casting doubt on the ability of the Sultan to fulfill his threat.
Eerily, the Sultan never reached the city as a freak accident resulted in his death. As he rode underneath a huge arch set up for his welcome at the entrance to the city, it collapsed upon him.
In any event, the saint’s phrase - that Delhi is still far - evolved into a more often used expression implying the opposite - ‘Now Delhi isn’t far,’ suggesting that the goal is within reach.
Delhi was the coveted capital for centuries and symbolized the ultimate end-goal.
It is deeply intertwined with power, and the history of India right from the Mughals, the British, and the freedom movement. In the modern world, it is the seat of international diplomacy and the national government.
This expression - Ab Dilli Door Nahin! 3 - was also popularized during the freedom struggle to signal victory and boost morale.
I thought of this phrase as I unexpectedly found myself in Delhi for a week. A place I called home for many years.
The morning newspaper brought news of a special day observed annually by Hindus and Jains - a day considered auspicious for buying gold.
The commercialization of this belief is everywhere now as you can see in the full-page ad taken out by a jeweler below.
The fine print hides the fact that a * indicates the ‘balance is payable in 9 equal monthly installments4,’ which makes the price way higher than advertised. So a $800 pricetag is in reality a $8000 price tag!
Marketing hype and tactics in India deserve a post of their own.
On my first day in Delhi, I landed right in the middle of a food drive outside a small temple - a summer ritual where a meal and cool juice are served annually in May which leads to one of the toughest fasting days observed by some - a dry fast.5
As the people lined up to eat a meal of pooris (fried bread) and curry, I spotted a Maybach Mercedes GLS parked in front of me, and whose running (foot) board automatically folded under the car before the car drove away.
The car retails for half a million dollars in India6 before taxes - any car imported into India costs twice as much due to the nearly one-hundred percent duties imposed to discourage imports.
But the rich are not deterred, and even Tesla has a years-long waiting list for its estimated $35,000 - $200,000 priced cars for India.
Delhi is the quintessential city of the rich and the uber-rich, whose food and weddings are famous along with their residential neighborhoods.
It boasts 16 billionaires, 30,000 millionaires, and 123 centi-millionaires. 7
The evidence is in the cars you see on the roads, the stores that cater to them, the expensively dressed people who can be seen at luxury hotels, or weddings, and entire malls termed as ‘luxury malls,’ where the designers of the world congregate to offer the best of international names to those who can afford them.
If you like to people watch, you can have a coffee in the lobby of any five-star hotel to be introduced to the rich of this city arriving in star fashion like it is a red carpet moment. The missing limousines and press are more than compensated for by their attendant crowd of friends and the hotel staff’s attention. Especially during wedding season in the fall and winter months.
Delhi is also a city of immigrants who were driven to the city by historical tragedies,8 or due to its status as a capital city under various rulers, or in the modern world, due to its promising economic prospects.
The expansive British-designed roads and buildings, the scattering of Mughal historical monuments dispersed throughout the city—some nestled in parks—the landmarks of the freedom movement, and the sheer abundance of resources and medical prowess, and the diverse international community of diplomats, expatriates, and visitors influencing the city's businesses, cafes, and markets, all contribute to Delhi’s stature as a preeminent city.
Curious about the city’s daily life?
Join me on a virtual stroll around Delhi, right from the comfort of your home, as I share raw and unedited visuals capturing the essence of daily life in the upcoming exclusive, paywalled posts.
Read detailed visual narratives of the impromptu lunchtime food drive for passersby, open-air salons, industrious shoe-shine kids, alms-seekers, cobblers, markets, and stall owners offering international wares (legit and not so legit) ala New York. Experience the evening ambiance in one of the world's most expensive real estate markets.
Hindi - Ab (Now) Dilli (Delhi) Door (far) Nahin (Not).
In Persian - Hanuz Dilli Door Ast = ‘Now still’ (Hanuz), Delhi (dilli) far (Door) is (Ast).
Now Delhi isn’t far.
EMIs and cashbacks are quite common as a way for people to afford expensive items. A fact that Apple had to bow to when it changed its tactics from no EMIs to promoting them aggressively in its partner stores.
A 24-hour fast without water called Nirjala Ekadasi. In Sanskrit, Nir = without; Jala = water; Ekadasi = eleventh day of the lunar moon cycle. Ekadasi is a designated fasting day observed twice monthly by the devout following the waxing and waning moon cycles.
A term for those who can invest a minimum of $100M.
The Partition of India in 1947.
Reading yours is always a nice journey. :-)
Fascinating look at an intriguing city. This line: "Delhi is also a city of immigrants who were driven to the city by historical tragedies" reminds me of the current situation worldwide AND the reason the population in the earliest cities in Mesopotamia exploded. There was calamity everywhere. The presence of inequality reminds me, once again, that this calamity will remain, forever, immune to change, assuming we desire to continue to live this way.