Leaving Behind My First Footprint

"The magic of the street is in the mingling of the errand and the epiphany."                   -Rebecca Solnit

Walking between the shops into
the narrow roads

When I walked into the streets of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, I saw swarms of people trying to make their way through the crowd, all in a hurry to reach somewhere. I was one of them. I pushed my way through people to find solutions for problems but I wasn't aware of what it was that I was actually looking for. So I walked and walked and went on observing.

As I passed the unknown eyes, quietly, walking through the narrow streets observing, I heard the sounds of the kulfiwalas trying to sell kulfi to people passing by, the cloth sellers promoting their terrific quality of fabric and the screams of the chai-walas calling out for people to taste the best chai of Chandni Chowk and numerous thela walas and with everyone addressing me as "Madam ji" and wanting me to visit their shop over everyone else's. 

When I walked into the electrical market of Chandni Chowk, well known as the Bhagirath Palace, I saw bright lights all differently colored and shaped. i heard the voice of different shopkeepers trying to negotiate with the customers. Everyone stared at me while I crossed that narrow passage just observing.

A still of thelas in Chandni Chowk

The smell of urine, garbage and the sight of the chewed betel leaves and mud puddles at every second step made me uncomfortable and irritant but the spirit of the street no matter how narrow or smelly it was, helped me breathe comfortably and kept me going. 

A blend of various flavors mixed in my mouth from the aromas of tea, 'samosas', 'chaat', 'kulfi', 'jalebi', 'daulat ki chaat' and many more which made me want to taste everything but at the same time made me worry about my stomach because of the unhygienic conditions it was cooked in. 

The conditions of shops selling food items

A peek of the Red Fort

The dull buildings with cracked walls and paint and the hanging electrical wires, a few tourist attractions like the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid created the essence of a historic heritage place and made me want to visit it time and again. 

And that was the end of my first footprint but only because I trust that an ending is followed by a new beginning.