It is raining here in Shimla. For some reason, I adore rains. It adds a freshness and vibrancy to nature. It subtly gives the message to enjoy everything with a new enthusiasm. It cleanses past and pushes us to start again.
A new beginning could also be said when I changed my room last week. No longer, I see deodars and snow from the window. Now I have only a wall to face. But let’s not trivialise the wall. The wall has had a long past. It has been a constant in the lives of an erstwhile British Secretary and a renowned pre-independence figure of India. This wall, here, definitely has had many secrets.
However, last two months, I was beyond the walls and also beyond Shimla. I was amidst the two highly bustling cities of India- Delhi and Bombay. Both these cities seem like siblings. While they may have different exterior, their soul remains the same. Both are cities of contrast. Rich and poor, tamed and untamed. And this seems even more real when you come down from the hills, right into their hearts.
Speaking of hearts, Delhi has always been where my heart is. Not to give any wrong romantic notions, but the attachment is due to me being born and brought up in the city. The history of this place is outstanding, the people, amazing and the food, delightful. During my twenty-five years of existence, I have seen this city grow and change drastically. From more trees and less people to less trees and more people. Gurgaon and Noida seemed to be like places to be visited only on weekends. The place where only one blue line bus used to operate to present days metro rails zigzagging across every corner. Delhi has changed a lot and it is still unstoppable.
The same can also be said about the ‘Mayanagari’ of India or Mumbai. This was my first visit there, so nothing to compare the present with. But one look, and you see how fast the city is growing. High-rises coming each day. Sea getting reclaimed by roads and bridges. Thousands of people pouring into the city hoping to start anew. Mumbai, too, has a lot to do and provide for the people who expects to make this place their home. Both Delhi and Mumbai seems to be like overburdened children catering to expectations of such vast country and its population.
In contrast, stands the place where I am right now, Shimla. Life is much simpler here. The farther you would walk to will be till the Mall. The trees around you, enveloping you, reminds you constantly that you are only a human and a part of nature. It tells you to relax and enjoy what’s around you. It tells you that sometimes enjoying something as minute as the rains might lead to a new beginning and a fresh start.
The Mall during the rain 
Shimla Catchment Wildlife Sanctuary
Morning at BKC, Mumbai 
Dusk at Marine Drive
Live.Love.Travel! 