Groovy geeks and the nature of blogging

After a night of partying with the Bheemers last night, today has been lazier, giving me ample time to reflect on something Sanju said last night.  He had just promised to start following this blog on his return to London, when he asked me, “Does your blog make a difference ? Will it change the world ?”

And there was I, feeling quite proud of my 40,000 hits a month, and rising.

Who knows whether this blog will make a difference and/or change the world, but I am certainly having loads of fun writing it and enjoy all the feedback.  You have given me food for thought, Sanju.

Today was a day for doing chores – a word which, funnily enough, cropped up over dinner last night.  After much discussion last night, it would appear that only women have chores.

Anyway, Himmat gallantly accompanied me on my chores this afternoon, and we crisscrossed Delhi and sat in long traffic jams,  but essentially accomplished most of what we had set out to do. I had something to buy from one of the state emporia on Baba Kharak Singh Marg,  where I hadn’t been in years. There has been a certain amount of poshing up of the area -  certainly more marble than I had remembered – but there were still piles of marigolds for sale, and people snoozing on the pavement in the afternoon sun.

We also went to Greater Kailash I market, which was ( I have to admit this) a first for me.  Clean, loads of nice shops, no hassling and hustling -  all very nice.

Onto Nehru Place which was a completely different kettle of fish.  Could you get a tattier, more run-down looking pace if you tried ?  Rubbish, paan stains, noise, and huge crowds of men outside each and every shop with a TV, avidly watching Sachin Tendulkar at work in Gwalior.  But I will say one thing for Nehru Place – it was hectically busy.  People milling about, especially around makeshift stalls selling cheap clothes.  There were loads of young men hanging around outside computer shops, trying to persuade us to buy software, and (my Achilles heel this week) a group of the filthiest little beggars you could imagine.  They were rather half-heartedly grubbing around in the piles of rubbish everywhere, all the while keeping up an animated water-pistol fight.  The sight of these dirty little children -  they were really young – having fun with cheap Holi plastic water pistols, made me wonder yet again whether the government’s breezy plan to send them back to their home states will ever work.  I suspect that plan will be a complete waste of time.

Saw a great sign as we left Nehru Place. on the roof of a building :

If there is any incipient rehabilitation, I think it should start with those happy, filthy little children squirting water on each other.

Right.  What else ?  Nice headline :

Tell me, does anyone other than the Times of India really still use the word “groovy “?

Am now off to spend the evening finishing my book for book club tomorrow – “Restless” by William Boyd.  A great read.   Groovy.