"So you're back in Bombay for good!" That almost sounds like I went to Delhi "for bad"? When I returned to Bombay after living in India's capital for slightly more than two years, the most common question asked was the above mentioned, with emphasis on the words "for good". It is assumed that now I'll stay put. It is almost as though moving is viewed suspiciously, the person's motives are doubted or the person seen as being flighty. I don't know which is worse. Anyway, as I reply, I don't know whether it is "for good", but I am back. Whether, and where, I move again time alone will tell. So what is Bombay like after a two-year gap? Amazingly, in two years, Bombay has changed, and for the better. The first thing one notices is the amazing number of flyovers constructed -- a legacy of the previous Shiv Sena-BJP government -- and the few others that are still under construction. Suddenly, travelling by road in Bombay is not a half-day affair as it previously was, but limited to an hour or so at most. And the other change, one that took my breath away, is the new dotcom vocabulary that has become commonplace. At suburban railway stations, which many believe is where the unexciting people live (Shobha De mentions how grateful she is that her parents resided in the city and not in the suburbs; believe me, suburbanites too are grateful for it!), there are hoardings advertising 10mb email space, new Web sites, and what not. Dotcom is no longer exotica, it is part of everyday language. It is not just the students but even average office-goers who now randomly speak of email "numbers" (for some reason, it is not called address). And the paanwalas ask if they should also launch a site! How do I compare Delhi with Bombay, now that I have experienced the former? What one misses about Delhi is the space available. Bombay is horribly cramped, and jostling and bumping into people is part of daily existence. Houses are smaller, playgrounds fewer, and the roads (even after the flyovers) pitiful in comparison with Delhi's yawning avenues and amazing greenery all around. Yet, if Bombay scores, it is in the excitement, its high energy, which was on display during Navratri and other days. It is in the lights that turn nights into day; Delhi goes to sleep at 9 pm (8 pm in winters). And of course, Bombay wins in its ready embrace of ideas and things new. For instance, even today, despite high connectivity, average Delhiwaalas know little about the dotcom world. Do I miss Delhi, I am usually asked. Given my interest in such mundane matters as politics, international affairs and history, surely Delhi is a better place. No doubt Delhi is at the centre of politics and in India's foreign policy. And yes, Delhi has history, having been a much sought-after city over the past millennia by various dynasties and rulers. But luckily, the media explosion allows anyone to keep in touch. What one misses is being in the thick of action of news that occurs in Delhi. What one gains is a certain perspective of distance. So it is a trade-off. What I do miss is Delhi's fantastic winters! An unfortunate aspect of Delhi is the incestuous relation between the media, the academia, and the ruling establishment. TV programmes have fixed people to provide analysis and commentary. It is the same faces and same voices mouthing the same stale opinions, suitably modified for the latest crisis/event. There are absolutely no new ideas, no new thinking, no fresh perspective and no new people. JNU and the various other institutions (so many of them) only support the ruling class's ideas; they rarely challenge them. Delhi is chock-a-block with institutions of various sorts. All receive huge amounts of funding, often at the expense of others located in different cities, and produce precious little for India. The media, especially television, is to be blamed for making heroes of such men and ignoring the vast talent outside Delhi. One thing is clear. New ideas, new ways of thinking, and the people who will change India, will not come from Delhi. Such breakthroughs will come from places far away. Amberish K Diwanji promises to stay put for some time... for good or for bad, we refuse to tell! Tell us what you think of this diary
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