Twilight Recess

Delhi never really leaves you. You can move cities, change jobs, build a different life somewhere quieter and cleaner and slower, but Delhi stays lodged inside you like an old song you suddenly hear in a random traffic signal. I lived here for more than ten years, and even now, every memory of that city arrives with sound first - the sweaty auto driver yelling in exasperation,  “Madam, itna bhaara nahin dena toh metro se chale jao!”,  the azaan blending into temple bells at sunset, and someone, somewhere, always honking like the apocalypse depends on it. People who have never lived in Delhi think it is only chaos. They see the pollution charts, the politics, the aggression, the impossible traffic. And yes, Delhi can exhaust you. It can humble you. It can make you cry on a Ring Road flyover while questioning every life decision you have ever made.  But if you have truly lived there - not visited, not vacationed, but lived - then you know Delhi is also deeply hu...