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French woman in Jangpura
Each life in this city of 13 million people is unique. Here is the story of one of them...
Each life in this city of 13 million people is unique. Here is the story of one of them...
When sad, Berenice Ellena locks herself in her Jangpura apartment and listens to flamenco songs, Portuguese lamentations or nostalgic Brazilian music. “I love the sound of their languages,” the Frenchwoman says. “They are like a cuddle.”
Born in Bordeaux, the famous wine region in France, Ellena has been in Delhi for two years, creating European designs out of Indian fabrics. She first took a house in Nizamuddin West, a neighbourhood popular with foreigners. “In Paris, there are different areas, which are like villages with distinct personalities,” says Ellena, “and Nizamuddin West is like that.”
It was Bharatnatyam that drew Ellena to this country. Captivated by this classical dance form, she came to Chennai in 1976 for lessons. It has, however, not been a continuous stay in India.
During later trips, she explored the north, but avoided Delhi. “I was looking for quieter places,” says Ellena. But now, she finds the city engaging. “The art scene is buzzing. There’s energy.”
In summers, the energy gets too much, though. Then she escapes to her big house in the Bordeaux countryside.
Dividing time between continents is not new to Ellena. She has lived in Paris, Rio de Janeiro and Casablanca, Morocco. After the first Indian tour, she spent four years in Venice. “Being a city whose merchants regularly travelled to Africa and the Middle East, Venice is like a door to the Orient,” she says. “When you reach there by train and walk out of the station, it is as if you are on a ghat in Benares. You have the water, the lights, and the lights of the water playing on the (building) facades.” In Delhi, Ellena faced the usual tenancy problems — she had to leave her Nizamuddin West home within a year. “Blame my classic Delhi landlord,” she says, laughing. “They want foreigners but give the lease only for 11 months, saying, ‘No problem, madam, if you are a good person, we will keep renewing the contract for 10 years.’ But then the broker, the chalaak lomri (cunning fox), is always hunting for foreigners who would pay more and then he convinces the landlord to kick you out.”
In Ellena’s case, the landlord gave the excuse of demolishing the house for renovation. A week after moving to Jangpura, she heard that a new tenant had taken her old house. At dusk, Ellena usually goes for art exhibitions and music concerts. Sometimes, her work takes her to meet leather workers in Karol Bagh. “They live in terrible conditions,” says Ellena. “But I never close my eyes, never pretend that such a reality doesn’t exist.” When Ellena returns to Bordeaux during the summer break, her house is full with friends. “Then I don’t miss Delhi,” she says. “But when I’m here, I don’t miss France.”
