There is so much happening

There is so much happening in Delhi that it is impossible to keep track. A couple of ministers were sent to the lock-up, there was ruckus all around while MCD elected a Mayor and more. Two new ministers got appointed and they straight away took on the LG while the LG-CM cat-mouse game continued. So for once this blogger attempted to move his gaze outside of Delhi too.  

The nation went gaga over Naatu Naatu winning an Oscar. And just when it seemed that the cinema from south is displacing Bollywood as representative of Indian cinema (and why not!) – came a Pathaan. No, one is not referring to that Delhi boy and his ancestral roots but the film he starred in. Pathaan’s success at the box office has united Bollywood in a manner similar to how the last two general election results united us as a country.

Dilliwalahs were slightly disappointed at All That Breathes missing out in the Best Documentary Feature Film category at Oscars. It is a fascinating story of two brothers living in Delhi who attempt to save a dying breed of birds – black kites. May be another attempt with a tale around humans trying to live in this toxic environment of Delhi will move the Academy. No guesses on the title for this one – it has to be Nothing Breathes! Thankfully, another film The Elephant Whisperers, won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short and that lifted the mood.

There is so much happening in the country too. The nation is going gaga over our G20 Presidency making it to be a very big deal. The G20 Summit is held annually with a rotating presidency and in 2023 it has come to us. This blogger’s uneducated guess is that it has nothing to do with Vishwaguru claims. Anyways, Delhi too is decking itself for G20 Summit and efforts are on to spruce up Lutyen’s Delhi and around. One only hopes that the homeless poor are not uprooted under an overzealous administration.

There was this eureka moment early this month. One finally understood why Rahul Gandhi likes going abroad. Apparently the PM and his die-hard loyalists (there are countless number of them) listen to whatever the Congress leader has to say only when he raises issues abroad. How else can one explain the brouhaha over his remarks made in UK recently? Hasn’t he been saying the same things over and over again in India earlier? The treasury benches paid no heed then. Maybe they were too pre-occupied with their master’s Mann Ki Baat!

The thing that seems to have hurt the ruling dispensation the most was that these statements on the state of India’s democracy were made on ‘foreign soil’. All those bhakts who claimed kinship with Rishi Sunak post his political ascendency must have been upset at this tag of ‘foreign’ being given to Britain. However, this would have given Britons a big relief for it guarantees that Britain will not be claimed as a part of Akhandh Bharat. They’d be happy that there is no reverse-colonialism on the anvil. Sadly, this implies that Dilliwalahs would still need that goddamned stamp on their passports to go to vilayat. The lassi at Southall will have to wait!

StateOfDelhi Suggests:  Get to Bikaner House located at the India Gate hexagon on the edge of Pandara Road. This Government of Rajasthan complex houses the office of the Resident Commissioner of Rajasthan. Earlier the state transport corporation also used to run buses from Delhi to Jaipur and a few other locations from here. Around 2015 they renovated the complex and threw out the bus terminus. It was converted in to a new age conceptual space showcasing interdisciplinary forms of arts and culture.  The art gallery is simply amazing. They also use the lawns for exhibiting sculptures besides other stuff. The accompanying photograph to this blog is of one such work among quite a few currently on display. Since Dilliwalahs always need food as an incentive Bikaner House created space for four restaurants within the complex. And yes, it includes an outlet of Haldiram’s as well.

Post Script: This is one of StateOfDelhi’s rare blogs with no specific mention of our man AK. The poor chap is going through a lot post his deputy’s arrest. It was only fair that he be left alone for a while.