We, the People of Delhi

They've all got their own reasons for homing in on Delhi. The man who is here since the Partition, the couple that travelled all over India but settled in Delhi and the penniless Bihari who now drives an auto.

They've all got their own reasons for homing in on Delhi. The man who is here since the Partition, the couple that travelled all over India but settled in Delhi and the penniless Bihari who now drives an auto.

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Delhi’s population is a curious mix. Seventy-eight-year-old Triloki Nath's parents came from Pakistan. He can't recall ever wanting to live elsewhere. VS Chaddha and his wife Swaraj, on the other hand, have not always lived in Delhi. They spent their working years travelling around the country. “We were transferred almost every two years,” says Chaddha. The couple, however, knew all along that when the time came to “settle down”, they would head home to Delhi. Why? “Because of the vast variety of people, accents, cultures and, of course, attitudes.”

Mirza Salim Baig’s story is the exact opposite. He was born here. “My father came here, shortly before I was born and set up a small book stall at Janpath. Today the round kiosk in Janpath is a landmark where people fix appointments and dates.” But to Baig, it’s just home.

Raman Prasad came here just four months ago from hometown Bihar. “I didn’t have enough money for a ticket to Amritsar, where my uncle had promised me a job so I started driving an auto. In such a short time, I have rented a room and am sending money home. As soon as I can afford it I will bring my brothers here because this city is the solution to my family’s poverty,” he said.