Of Road Names and Exporting of Talent from Dilli

The think-tank, home-grown or hired, at the grand old party could not think of a better candidate than our own graceful old aunt, Ms Shiela Dixit, for the party’s fight to stay relevant in India’s largest state. Fair! Madame Dixit has had a decent three-term run at the helm of affairs in Delhi and one can’t take away her contribution in transforming Delhi to be a city much better than the one she inherited (I think Karan Thapar said that one!).

Most Dilliwalahs credit her with the transformation, grudgingly or otherwise – the CWG scam notwithstanding. However, what hurts is Madame Dixit’s statement after being nominated as the INC’s CM candidate for UP. Stating that she is more a UPite than a Delhite came as a shock for she had positioned herself as this matriarchal queen priding herself at making Delhi a city of the new millennium. Her breaking that umbilical cord, that too in a rather snappy way, has surprised many but then strange are the ways of politics and politicians. Let’s hope this export of talent augurs well for UP. And if not for UP than for INC at least!

This blogger has been having a dig at naming and renaming of Delhi roads. Remember the post on the powers-to-be having changed Aurangzeb Road’s name with so much noise and having left Aurangzeb Lane unnoticed and, therefore, untouched! Well, last week one encountered Tu-Tu Road in Lutyens’ Delhi. It couldn’t have been named after Desmond Tutu for there is no hyphen in the Noble laureate’s surname.

So who is Tu-Tu Road named after? And it surely isn’t named after that mischievous monkey in Ruskin Bond’s tale. Or is it – considering it is in the midst of where most politicians reside?