DTC ke pass se lekar metro ke card tak: Deepika Singh recalls her life as a middle-class Delhiite roaming around freely

Actor Deepika Singh has a special connection with Delhi, as this is where she grew up. Singh shares with us all that she misses about the Capital.

Deepika Singh shot to fame with her show Diya Aur Baati Hum, but before moving to Mumbai and start her journey as an actor, she was a typical Delhi girl, who would roam round the city in autos and buses. And that’s why, after so many years, the actor quips that she has Delhi but the city has not left her.

Deepika Singh on her recent visit to Delhi talks about her connection with the Capital.

“I’ve been living in Mumbai for many years now, but because I was born and brought up here in Delhi, I’m still a Delhiite by heart”, gushes Singh, on her recent visit to her homnetown for a brand event.

Admitting that she still hasn’t been able to completely move over her Delhi days, the actor says, “Abhi bhi koi mujhse Mumbai ka address poochta hai, toh me Delhi ka bata deti hun. Even on the simplest routes in Mumbai, I often lose my way. But I still have all the Delhi routes on my fingertips. Chaahe DTC bus se ghoomna ho ya metro se college jaana, I have done it all.

Like every true-blue Delhiite, Singh’s most special memories of the city are about street shopping, and she gets nostalgic recalling how every Sunday, she’d go to Janpath market in Connaught Place. “It’s very near to my home in Paharganj. Sarojni Nagar market was a bit far off, but I used to go there also. I remember buying my first pair of heels from Sarojni for my first ever ramp walk. We also used to get those quirky, party dresses for clubbing from there. In fact, I used to get all my clothes — from jeans to dresses as well as all my accessories, earrings, bags and what not, from these flea markets only,” Singh recounts.

Now that she is an actor and enjoys a strong fanbase, Singh acknowledges that Delhi does not treat her in the same way as before, but of course better. She explains, “Now, people recognise me here and they want pictures, which is not possible all the time. Toh woh logon ko hurt karna mujhe achha nahi lagta. That’s why I miss hanging around, and being carefree. I miss going around Delhi in metro and auto. I miss going out and shopping. Toh abhi sab Mumbai me karna padta hai. I have lived like a middle-class Delhiite... DTC ke pass se lekar metro ke card tak, sab kuch kara hai mene.”

Given that she has work commitments back in Mumbai, Singh admits she doesn’t get time to visit Delhi frequently, but she never leaves a chance whenever there is one. “Ek, do din ke liye hi aana ho paata hai, and that also is mostly for work. Delhi loves me so much and that’s why they call me over and over again, sometimes for store openings, or cultural events. So, it’s always a pleasure to be here,” she smiles.

And one thing that’s always on her agenda whenever she’s visiting Delhi, is to catch up with as many relatives as possible. However, she is quick to add that a lot has changed with friends and relatives after she became an actor.

“Pehle bina soche kuch bhi bol lete the, par ab aisa nahi chalta. Log hurt ho jaate hain. In fact, if I start behaving like I used to before becoming an actor, unko lagta hai, ‘Arrey ye toh Sandhya Bindni (character in Diya Aur Baati Hum) bol rahi hai. Yeh toh star bol rahi hai. She is acting pricy.’ So, I have to be very grounded, even more than I was. Zimmedari badh gayi hai,” Singh signs off.