Obstruction-free

Delhi is getting spruced up for that G20 Summit to be held here later this year. Correction: Only some parts of Delhi are getting spruced up – parts that will be visible to the visiting delegates. Now, that will encompass roads from the Airport to Pragiti Maidan and its surroundings, Lutyens Delhi, and NDMC areas.  The G20 posters are all over the city but Dilliwalahs still aren’t amused. Their grouse is that powers that be have failed to even give Dilliwalahs pedestrian walk-ways that are obstruction-free and neat. Readers of this blog are invited to post under ‘comments’ if they know of any footpath (other than in the areas mentioned above) that are smooth and stay obstruction-free for one kilometre!

Speaking about power – Dilliwalahs are not sure as to who has the power for doing something for the city. They elect members to the Legislative Assembly who in turn form the State Government. This government that just can’t function independently as a ‘centre-nominated’ LG seems to call all the shots. For a minute let’s discount the fact that our man AK is a perpetual cry baby. Examine what is left for him or his cabinet to do. Poor chaps can’t even ensure a study tour of some school teachers till the man at Raj Niwas is in a benevolent mood.

Take the case of election of a Mayor for the municipality. Despite that fact that AAP got a majority here the Mayor’s election has snowballed into a contentious issue. The ‘nominated’ LG in turn ‘nominated’ ten aldermen to the municipality. AAP alleges that these ten are BJP members or aligned to the BJP. Thus every meeting of the MCD to elect a Mayor turns into a fracas. Despite having voted for the municipality on 4^th December last year – Dilliwalahs still don’t have a Mayor!

Quite ironical that the man occupying the LG’s office has been hand-picked by a party that talked of ‘sabka-saath’! Vikas, it is rumoured, got lost in Ayodhya while trying to change currency post demonetisation. It gets even funnier when Dilliwalahs watch that propaganda on social media of how a resident of Lok Kalyan Marg is the only one who can bring about truce between Putin and Zelenskyy. Kyiv is 4561 Km from Delhi. Why can’t he get the LG and our man AK talking when these two reside just about 15 Kms away from him?!

Fifteen kilometres is also the approximate distance between two green enclosures in Delhi that were known by the same name. That was till about a fortnight ago. Mughal Garden in Delhi University’s North Campus and the one in President’s Estate have had a name change. The one in DU has been rechristened as ‘Gautam Buddha Centenary’ Garden. The Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Mughal Garden was renamed (no! – can’t use ‘rechristened’ for this one) as Amrit Udyan. Name change seems to be a compulsive disorder of the current dispensation. And yes, Shakespeare can take a walk just that he’d better avoid Babar Road!

StateOfDelhi Suggests: Get to Red Fort any evening except for Mondays to witness the Light & Sound Show there. The show is back after a gap of five years but in a brand new avatar (and a new name!). The production uses live actors and digital art technology to good effect. Mr Bachchan’s voice adds to the overall impact to the act that’s now called ‘Jai Hind’. Check out for the timings for the Hindi and English versions and on availability of tickets. Be prepared to walk (and not obstruction-free) some distance whether from the Parking or the Metro station. And carry a swipe to keep your ass dry Dilliwalahs as the seats will be wet with dew!