There is no point in being envious of DELHI; it would be much better to try and emulate it if that be possible!! In geographical terms there are certain cities which act as hubs over centuries even though they may wax and wane in those long periods of time. DELHI is one such city as are LONDON, PARIS, ROME, TOKYO to name a few well-known ones. In comparison to Delhi, the other three metros of India are of very recent origin - developed primarily to serve the maritime needs of the British whereas DELHI has risen and fallen as a geopolitically important centre over and over again. In recent centuries, Akbar tried to move to Fatehpur Sikri but failed, Aurangzeb tried to move to Aurangabad and half of his army perished. The East India Co. operated out of Calcutta but once India became a dominion of the British Crown, the capital had to be moved to Delhi as it is located at a very important geographical location in the Indian sub-continent. Varanasi is another such eternal city but it has more of a religious character, not of political governance. Compared to Mumbai(Bombay), PUNE has a richer historical, social and cultural legacy. Mumbai is really in bad shape these days, whether it is compared to any other city or not and it will get better only if its problems are attended to internally rather than their being blamed upon external factors. The fact remains that there can be only one THE CAPITAL of a country and we all know which city is the capital of INDIA.
RE:A broader perspective
by tinku bhui on Jul 13, 2008 05:46 PM Permalink
Also capital of rape , kidnapping , Duping Rickshaw riders etc etc . We agree in unison!!
RE:A broader perspective
by anjalli ravikumar on Jul 13, 2008 06:38 PM Permalink
To me, the status of women, the safety that women and young children enjoy mark the level of development in a society and not its infrastructural achievements or the number of flights that leave from its airport. The fact that women cannot walk on Delhi's streets safely beyond a certain time, makes a strong case for changing the attitude of police and public in Delhi. Mumbai may not be heaven but it certainly beats Delhi. For every 10 incidents of violence against women in Delhi, there is probably only one in Mumbai. Who cares about roads and trains if we can't use them beyond a certain time?
