Dilli Ki Thug

In all my life, till now, I had never come across a female crook. I finally chanced upon one such Femme Fatale at the Delhi Airport.

The lady concerned was at the Air Deccan counter issuing boarding passes. She was young, and beautiful as is usually the case with Airline crew, unless, of course, it is Indian Airlines.

As it turned out, my return luggage was fifteen kilograms extra, and she coolly told me that I have to pay thousand bucks extra!

This latest piece of news sent me into the tizzy. I mentally cursed everyone who gifted extra sweater, extra clothing to Aryan. Their noble gesture had not only cost me extra coolie charges at Lucknow and Delhi Railway stations, this had also turned this no frill, low cost airline into no frill, still high cost airline.

After momentary lapse, I regained my senses and asked her to reweigh the whole stuff and show me the reading. It was what she told.

Reluctantly, I paid the said amount, and waited for the receipt. There was no sign of it. After waiting for long enough, I verbally asked her for the receipt. It was then she murmured something inaudible, as if she was trying to confide some big secret to me. Since, my ears failed to register that I begged her pardon.

This time she was a little louder. After hearing to what she has said, I couldn't believe someone can be so moron to think others are absolute morons. Well, she said that since extra weight was 15 kg, and per kg charge is 70 bucks, it was coming out to be total 1050 bucks. Therefore if I asked for the receipt, and then I might have to pay 50 rupee extra!

She presented the whole thing in such way that it seemed that she was doing me a favour, by saving a fortune that was fifty rupees! Of course, her whole idea was to pocket 1000 rupee for herself.

I told her "Thanks Ma'am, but its a bad day for both of us. Just give me the receipt." On any other day, I might have complained to airport authorities, or given her a piece of mind. But Aryan was in his elements, and boarding had already started, therefore I just moved on.

Delhi Impressions

While landing at Delhi, it was a beautiful sight. A planned landscape presents before us. Roads appear so wide even from half a Kilo Meter up. Apartments look neat, with so many open spaces and parks around.

Truly a contrast view from Pune's skies. Unplanned, and congested.

The promise shown above meets the expectation down below. Roads were indeed wide. Flyovers -so many of them - make the journey hasslefree. Not much waiting at signals which are few and far in between, courtesy flyovers. Decntly green city as well.

And for the first time in eighteen months, I had a potholed free ride, and that too from Airport to South Delhi, at least 20 KM stretch. In Pune, hardly a 100m stretch of road remains pothole free.

Infrastructure at its best. Delhi, matches up perfectly to the billing of a nation's capital.

However ...

However, brazeness of the language hits you hard, especially if one has stayed in places like Lucknow and Pune. Everyone seems to be angry, even when he is actually not.

My friends tells me of an incident, when once he was parking his bike and suddenly someone shouted with a Theth Harayanvi accent - "Oye Gaadi Udhar Se Haataale!!". When he actually looked at the offender, that guy was smiling. He was in fact trying to help my friend since latter was parking his vehicle at "No Parking".

Then I came across the "Ogling men", Delhi is becoming notorious for. And they were no ordinary men. They were poice wallahs on the bike, in posh Chanyaka Puri, bang in front of IAS bunglows. Afsar Logon Ka Bhi Darr Nahin! But then, Delhi is becoming more notorious for its Police force than anything else.

More on Delhi later.